Over the last five years as a special education teacher, specifically autistic support, I have taught a pretty diverse group of learners. I have yet to roster an English language learner student but I did have a student whose parents’ primary language was Spanish. The student’s primary language was English, but she was also learning Spanish at home and sign language in the school setting. There were many resources available to me to help not only the student but to make communication with the mother easier. The school district I work for does have a translator. The translator at my district would attend meetings, and be available if I needed any other assistance.
The History of Blogs:
Blogs have been around longer than most people realize. The first blog (Links.net) was actually created in 1994, by a Swarthmore College student Justin Hall (Forsey, 2022). At the time it was just considered a personal homepage. 3 years later in 1997, a blogger for Robot Wisdom, Jorn Barger introduced the word, “weblog” to the world (Forsey, 2022). Weblog was meant to describe his process for “logging the web” as he explored the internet. By 1999 Weblog was shortened to “blog” by programmer Peter Merholz (Forsey, 2022).
What is a blog?
A blog is a platform that individuals can implement for professional and/or personal needs to post content online. The content shared could be anything you’d like such as your favorite hobby, anything that interest you or that you are passion about such as makeup, traveling, working out, dieting, etc. Professional blogs can be used for a variety of reasons but typically they are used to promote a business or make money. Personal blogs are typically compared to diaries because you tend to share your thoughts and personal experiences (Camilleri, J., 2019).
Blogging Benefits in Education:
Blogging is a very power tool in and of itself. Whether it’s a personal or professional blog, blogging has the power to unleash learning, reflection, and communication (Alrubail 2015). In my five years of teaching in a public-school setting and several years of teaching in a pre-k setting one thing I have learned over the years is that students love to express themselves! Blogs give students the ability to do just that, express themselves! Blogs also allow students the opportunity to demonstrate ownership by being engaged and active in their own learning. Blogging is great for making connections among peers. Some students have the potential to be extremely shy and may not participate often in class but blogs can allow all students to connect with their peers by commenting on the blog (18, A. on F., 21, T. on M., 16, L. on M., 21, stephanie on O., & 6, storify.com on J., 2021)
The blogging benefits for English Language Learners:
How is Blogging beneficial for ELL students? A classroom blog in an ELL classroom can help with the following: (Alrubail 2015).
· Clarification
· Understanding
· Communication
· Language development
· Parent/student engagement
Content Suggestions: (Alrubail 2015).
· List the daily routine/schedule
· Posting assignments
· Posting class photos and videos
· Include links to various resources
· Vocabulary lists
Incorporating Blogs in the Classroom:
I truly believe that Incorporating blogs into classroom settings can be beneficial for all students. Most of the benefits and content that I discussed for English-Language Learners could also benefit other students as well, such as students at the elementary level, secondary level, and even special education students. Blogs are also beneficial for teachers and parents/guardians. The amount of knowledge I have gained in regards to blogs and incorporating them in the classroom setting makes me want to create a classroom blog for the 2022-2023 school year. My motto has always been, “Work Smarter, Not Harder and I think implementing a classroom blog will help me achieve that!
References
18, A. on F., 21, T. on M., 16, L. on M., 21, stephanie on O., & 6, storify.com on J. (2021, April 27). Benefits of blogging for students. Lumos Learning. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.lumoslearning.com/llwp/teachers-speak/the-benefits-of-student-blogging-marisa-adams.html
Alrubail, R. (2015, March 16). Blogging for English-language learners. Edutopia. Retrieved
June 22, 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/blogging-for-english-language-
learners-rusul-alrubail
Benefits of blogging in Education. NSU. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.nova.edu/lec/This-Week-in-the-LEC/2019/August/Benefits%20of%20Blogging%20in%20Education.html
Camilleri, J., Says, [E. P., says, J. C., says, L., says, K. @ A. U., says, J. T., says, I., says, J., says, K. M., says, L. I. by J., says, D., Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says, says, J. W., & says, J. (2019, September 30). Personal blogging vs professional blogging. Middle Aged Mama. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://middleagedmama.com.au/personal-blogging-vs-professional-blogging/
Forsey, C. (2022, April 1). What is a blog, & why should you create one. HubSpot Blog. Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-a-blog
Module 2 Course Content
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