Great way to help foreign language students build their language skills & creativity!
Community Review for Fanschool
My Take
I think there are so many possibilities with blogging besides just creating with the language and working on the writing skills, students can peer review and work on their reading skills as well. I like that it is so quick to start, easy for students to use, they can respond on their phones, at any time, and so it is very accessible.
As a teacher, I want to promote student ownership of their learning, let them have a choice in how they show what they have learned and can do, and to be creative as well. it makes it more exciting for me to read their stories, whether they be real or imaginary, and I get to learn more about them personally as well as their needs with the content being covered.
Blogging can serve so many purposes, in any level, and is something that can benefit all students, but also the teachers as well because it is another way to assess students in a manner that is more authentic. it gives students more empowerment and hopefully more engagement and motivation in their learning.
How I Use It
I have used Kidblog for my blogging platform with my students in Spanish 2, 3 and 4 as a way to encourage them to write using the language and to practice the vocabulary and verbs/grammar that we are currently working on in class. I also enjoy using it as a way to promote their choices in what they write about, be creative and have some fun with the writing, depending on the prompts that I give them for their weekly writing. Sometimes I use it as a way to have them make up a story in a certain context, verb tense, or reflecting on their work. Other times I want them to retell a story, summarize something we read, or make up a new storyline, for example.
Students can post to the class or to the teacher and the settings can always be changed. There are lots of backgrounds and avatars and other ways that the students can personalized their blog space. My responses to them can be made private and I also have used my feedback as a way to encourage them to practice writing a bit more.
It has been a great way to let them create with the language and have fun.