Course 3, Post 1 Evolution of Teaching

Digital tools have allowed me to embrace new media to both initiate and extend classroom dialogue. They have strengthened the quality of student discussion and encouraged further examination of ideas.

The examples are endless, but two recent examples include shelfari and good old fashioned student blogs. In the first example, my team and I decided to use shelfari as a core medium for our students' independent reading work. As students read, they share their ideas and opinions about what they have read. While this basic concept is in no way new, shelfari allows students to extend their discussion beyond the classroom. For those who are interested, and there are quite a few, the medium allows them to 'talk' about books (and, I hope, eventually literature) outside of what school requires of them. The quality of their dialogue and comments increases and allows us to start our classroom discussion in a more sophisticated place.

I use shelfari in class and for homework and see room for students to pursue a new direction in their reading and greater depth in their understanding of what they read. Without the guidance of the classroom, few would use the site for anything other than a social gathering around books, but it complements well our academic goals for our students as critical readers.

Regular blogging offers some similar advantages. My students have a ready record of their work, and especially their writing. The ability to easily see growth (or lack of it) is a hugely powerful tool. When compared to a folder hanging on a rack in the corner that students occasionally shuffle through, there is no comparison.

Perhaps most importantly, students have much greater opportunity to view and evaluate the work of their peers. With one simple homework assignment, I can have students reading the ideas and opinions of other students. This informs their own opinions, whether through agreement or disagreement, and encourages more independent reflection.