Instructional Strategies and Web 2.0

The three instructional strategies we have studied thus far in CEP 811--Inquiry, Constructivism and Idea-Based Teaching--all fit well with the use of blogs in the classroom primarily because blogs create the space for meaningful, authentic, and published reflection. In the case of Inquiry, students can use blogs on their research and discovery journey toward solving a big question. Blogs and wikis offer a collaborative environment for reflection and discussion when Constructivism is the means of instruction. Finally, blogs provide the space for students to show their deeper understanding of an idea/metaphor that has been proposed in class about a particular learning goal. 

On the other hand, instructional strategies that place the teacher as the “sage on the stage” would not lend themselves toward successful blog use. I am thinking specifically about direct instruction, which I use in small mini-lessons to teach Spanish. In the case of teaching grammar lessons, I am the sage on the stage for the moments it takes me to deliver new material to my students. Once I am ready for them to practice a new grammar task, then a blog might be a welcome environment. But in terms of my direct delivery of the material, a blog serves me no purpose. 

Blogs have a better situated place in my classroom: authentic output of the language on the part of my students. I just had my Spanish II kids set up their own blogs and add authors in small groups, similar to how we have done in CEP 811. I am going to give them a writing prompt biweekly on which they will respond and then comment on their peers’ responses, too. I am excited about this opportunity to give my students a real, authentic, and meaningful space for them to practice and publish their Spanish-skills. I like that our blogging experiment will be social in nature as they reply to one another’s posts. I am hopeful that my students will feel empowered by this experience. 

In thinking about how I could use blogs to adapt to direct instruction, which I argued above does not lend itself to quality use of blogs, I guess that the “sage” could post her daily blogs about grammar topics learned in class. Students could then subscribe to the feed for a review-tool. Reading these grammar-related entries might be boring, but useful at times for the students who need extra review or have missed class. Ideally, however, it would be best to have students post in their own words about grammar topics/tasks that they have learned and can now articulate on their own.