BLOGS

This past fall I was hired at Wyoming Middle School to run the drama program after-school for grades 5-8.  I was hired after the school year began and was not previously connected to the school district.  Once I was hired, the principal sent out an email to all the parents who had worked with the drama program and had students who were still in junior high.  He used this opportunity to introduce me, as well as give me an email list of about 100 parents within the school district.  I sent a follow-up email  to all the parents, but I felt like email would not be the best way to communicate once the school year began.  With not being at the school during the day, I had no access to a way to connect with families before auditions began other than sending out blast emails.  My solution was to create a blog.  I created flyers to put around the school with the blog address to receive all information needed rotating around the drama program and let the administration know my plan.

I found this blog very well received.  I was told that from the moment I introduced myself to the mention of the blog, parents were hooked.  They knew I was going to be a "go-getter" and use every avenue to communicate with them about my plans within the drama program.  I joined Blogger and tried to update the blog at least 4 times a week.  After auditions, I held a parent meeting with all the parents with students in the program and explained to them how I planned to use the blog.  Once I informed them that this was how I was going to communicate with them (as opposed to email blasts), they got into the habit of checking it daily.

Here are some of the ways I used my blog in this educational setting:

• Instant communication.  As soon as I placed a message onto the blog, it was visible to anyone who had the blog address.  There was no delay or worrying if I sent an email to the correct parent or email address.  It helped ease the stress of communicating and actually became a tool that I could not live without while managing an after-school program
• Electronic copies of all handouts.  Any handout, poster, or flyer I passed out to the students at rehearsals was put on the blog.  As an educator, I know that not everything I hand out makes it home to the parents.  Uploading all of these documents electronically gave parents instant access.
• Great use of technology.  By the end of the year, I saw parents pulling up the blog on their phones and even their iPads.  Wyoming is a very technology-savvy school district that puts an emphasis on technology.  Posting all information to the blog was accepted and easily accessible.

Having started out with 30 students and their families but growing to over 121 students and their families, a blog was the perfect way to communicate with my Wyoming families.  Managing that many students while not being on school campus during the day would have been very tough without the use of the blog. 

Feel free to check out my Wyoming Middle School Blog:  wmstheater.blogspot.com

There are also several opportunities for me to encourage students to use blogs in their education:

• Journaling - Language Arts teachers encourage students to write in their journals, as it is a great way to brainstorm and practice their creative writing.  A blog can be used in the same way.  Each student could create his/her own blog and type exactly what they would write in the journals.  It is the same thought process, just a different form of communication.
• Self Reflections - I have found that sometimes students just need to write their way through major decisions or need an avenue that lets them just start writing without focusing on format or grammar.  A blog is a great tool for reflecting about themselves while typing their way through their thought processess.  A blog is a great resource to use as an avenue of reflection. 

I have enjoyed using a blog as an educator and has seen its many advantages.  I also think that there are several benefits of implementing this tool for student use within the classroom.  A blog is a great way to communicate and keep all your thoughts organized.