Blog Sustainability
I found a really good article today by Monica Glewa and Margret Bogan(2007) on improving childrens literacy while promoting digital fluency. They talked about the steps needed in the growth towards literacy, with specific reference to developing digital fluency. Basically digital fluency isn’t just going to happen, but needs to be taught to students, just as we would any other literacy. I think this is a really valid point and maybe one that is overlooked a bit when deciding to introduce the likes of a classroom blog. Glewa and Bogan maintain that schools play a critical role in developing children’s digital literacy development and that we need to offer students opportunities to practice digital fluency within our classrooms. The students in this class explored the basics of writing in sentences and paragraphs and writing for an audience through setting up a class blog on Surviving a Hurricane. As these children had all experienced a hurricane firsthand, the context was really powerful and the students felt they had contributed useful knowledge to the wider community. Their comments also reflected the need to write well for an audience “I don’t want to do a blog unless it is good”. In implementing any new technology, it is important to think about the skills students need to use it effectively. I believe this is a timely reminder about how using technology can enhance our existing programmes and be a strong motivator for success and quality work.
