Ced0535: Week One Reflection

Just when I thought I had thought enough about blogs and wikis, I quickly discover I know very little. Obviously because of the blogging we do for this program, I thought I had a pretty good handle on blogs and how to implement them for my school. I never realized, however, the can of worms I would open after reading the first three chapters of our textbook. Now my mind is reeling from all the different ways I can use blogs at my school. I really only considered the educational application and in fact jumped right in and created a Ning for my 5th and 6th graders which is going very well. The students are now excited about writing and exploring the blog. What I am finding most helpful this week is how to sift through the details. Clearly it's not enough to just create a blog space; now I need to consider the best ways to use it and how to create guidelines for its use. Prior to this week, I was very hesitant to let students roam freely around our Ning. Almost immediately upon its creation, I had numerous students wanting to post their own pictures and personalize their page. My first response was "no" of course, fearing that they might post things that reveal too much personal information or might not be educational. But after reading the first three chapters, especially chapter 3, I see that it is important for students to take ownership of this space. Also, I have to remember, as the creator of our Ning, that I have ultimate control and can eliminate anything that crosses the line. I think also, as the safety section of the textbook reveals, that I need to get a policy together that assures parents and administration that our social network will be monitored no differently than their email and Internet use. I think the biggest challenge is that the majority of my parents and principal have no idea what a Ning or wiki is all about and so automatically assume they're recreational and danger zones. This is what will take the most time to overcome, but perhaps if I invite my parents and principal to join the Ning, the fears will be alleviated some. It also might be a great way to open the communication between all of us. I would love having parents comment on the same things that their kids are. And if I post regularly, regarding the things going on in class, then it would be another way to keep parents informed and updated. Finally, I would also like to establish a Ning for our faculty and staff as a way to share ideas and stay informed. Right now, there's way too much paper floating around with redundant messages. I would like very much to go paperless, and I would have a much easier time keeping track of things, as opposed to all the papers I now have to sift through. So what I once thought was a purely educational tool is now expanding in all sorts of directions.