Journal 4

Tami Noorzay
EDU422Jour#4
“In Moderating and Ethics for the Classroom Instructional Blog”, Patricia Deubel makes clear that parameters must be set in advance for a classroom blog so that both the teacher, and subsequently, the students are aware of what the intention of the blog is. By establishing a safe environment for the class blog and outlining the standards and goals of the blog, the teacher gains clarity. By asking one question each week, reminding the students of the frequency and due dates of their posts as well as their response timeframe to other’s posts, and their code of ethics, the teacher has provided a good foundation for the class. Students are then able to weave their discussions and stay relatively on topic.
The most promising aspect of such a blog is its accessibility to students who don’t normally participate in class discussions for whatever reasons. Additionally, it gives all students an opportunity to share more fully than class time allows, or to bring up thoughts that may have occurred at a later time. Most of all, class blogs help build community and allow sharing from the privacy of the computer screen, which, these days seems to be the only place people interact on a very personal level.