The Second Week Reflections

I can't believe that 2 weeks of class are already finished. Time is going so quickly. There is always so much to absorb that I feel like I haven't grasped all the nuances and implications of the strategies yet. I will freely admit that although I created a blog for Dennis' class I had not gone back to it since class ended. In setting up a blog for this class I decided that I wanted to try a different venue and so chose Blogger. It was relatively easy to set up and manage. I'm even setting aside some time to add new blogs on a fairly consistent basis.

The reflective nature of a blog was fairly evident from my first exposure. Even though I've used a variety of reflective and personal response logs and journals in my f2f classes as a means of assessment, it never occurred to me to make the transition to the online environment through blogs. It seems to me now that I've had some time to work with the tools and to think through its uses, that my learning disabled students could especially benefit from the use of blogs. First of all writing is always a chore for them usually due to their poor mechanics. The computer would help with spell check and grammar check to alleviate some of their concerns. Additionally poor motor skills can make the actual physical writing process difficult and typing could address that concern. Last but not least, the fact that blogs are published on the Internet means that there is an immediate real world audience out there that could provide feedback. This is a more authentic audience than simply the teacher in the classroom.