DAY ONE - To Blog Or Not To Blog

Quick Notes: 

- Simpler site layout is better for users with lower bandwidths.

- Digital literacy comes first, fluency comes second. 

- "Security through obscurity"

Today's Reflection:

I really enjoyed learning how to create my own blog. I have a small business that relies heavily on online content and I think using this type of platform will make it much easier for my clients to access what they need in one place. Though I've thought about creating a website many times, I always thought it was too hard or expensive so I'm grateful to know now that Blogger is a free, user-friendly option for creating online content. 

I also think it will be a great tool for compiling all the online or digital resources that I have been collecting over the course of my studies and teaching placements. Up until this point I have been relying heavily on saving digital content using Chrome bookmarks, but my bookmarks tabs are becoming too long. When you mentioned that blogs are a great way of creating e-portfolios, it was a huge lightbulb moment for me. 

In terms of how I would use this as a teacher, this would be a great asset to blended, remote and in-class learning. Students are often working on their writing and printing in class, but being able to navigate editing, proofreading, publishing skills online is another extremely useful skill to develop. It also opens the doorway for teaching about internet security and professional communication, something we worked on a lot with students this year considering they were often communicating with teachers or submitting assignments from home. For our school specifically, the middle years classes struggle with using technology since we only have access to outdated Google Chromebooks. Our division has recently purchased Microsoft TEAMS as the new official remote learning platform, but the program is not compatible for use with the Chromebooks. Since we often run into issues trying to find software that is easily accessed and user-friendly for students at all levels, I can definitely see the benefits of this platform since it can be accessed from any type of device, and allows for students to comment and interact with each other. This allows for social constructivism in those times when students may feel too shy to speak up in class, or for those instances where learning is happening remotely or asynchronously. Like you said, creating digital artifacts is a great way for students to take ownership of their learning, track their progress throughout the school year, develop computer literacy, access their work anytime from anywhere, and provides additional opportunities for social interaction with their peers.