Hello everyone!
Welcome back to a new semester! This semester I am going to keep a blog to keep everyone updated. I realize some are not fans of blogs, but this will be for the student’s sake. There are many benefits of keeping a blog and you will learn some of them throughout this post. This blog is not just meant to keep my students updated but the parents or guardians as well.
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Technology has become more advanced over the last 30-40 years. We now have internet, cell phones, iPads, tablets, and many more. Blogs are an example of this new technology, and they are used in many different ways. In the classroom it is very important to use this kind of technology because it familiarizes students with technology they may be using in college or at a future job.
What are the benefits of blogs to students?
I will be posting an overview of what will be done in class each week. The students will know what to expect in class that week. If there is a project that will be worked on in class, then I can add a reminder so that they may bring the proper supplies. This will give my students expectations of each week. It will also help them know what is due and when or if there is a test or quiz coming up.
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This blog will be used to post required homework and additional resources, such as websites that were used in class or other websites for extra information. This will help my students to better understand the content we learned in class or if they are interested in learning more. A .pdf of the homework will be on here as well as the syllabus. This will help my students keep track of their homework so that they are able to get the points for those assignments. If a student forgets to bring an assignment home they will have access to it on my blog. This will help students avoid poor scores on their assignments if they forget to bring them home.
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This blog will remind students of upcoming events relating to my class, the school, or events nearby that they may find enjoyable. This will help inform students who want to be more active in the community. As a high school student, it is important to experience new, interesting things. This part of my blog will benefit my students because it may help them decide what major they will choose in college. Also, it could help students become well-rounded, informed individuals. It is also good because my students can network and connect with potential employers. Parents and guardians may also be interested in the events I post as potential family activities or date nights. For example, “This is a reminder that we will be going to see To Kill a Mockingbird on Thursday, February 12th. Do not forget to dress up because we are going to Indianapolis Repertory Theatre, and dress appropriately dressed for weather.”
This blog will post discussion questions that will be related to what we have read in class. I will remind my students when the questions will be posted and when the discussion will occur. I will expect everyone to participate in these discussions so come to class ready to discuss. This will help my students have a deeper understanding of the text and to get to know their classmates better. It will also help my students look at the text in a different way and from that interpret it how they feel is right. This will help my students be engaged in what they are reading. When it comes time for a quiz, we will have heavily discussed a text in class. This will make my students more comfortable with the questions that are being asked.
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This blog will be kept for students interacting with each other. If I post a question, I will expect each student to respond, and then respond to each other. These questions may ask about the student and what experiences have made them think this way. These discussions will be monitored. The purpose of these discussions are to get to know each other better. I will ask that each student responds to another student’s blog post. This interaction will also be used as peer review. Students whose paper is getting reviewed benefit from external critique of their mistakes. There are also benefits to those reviewing the paper. Those reviewing the paper may like word choice or structure that the author used, or they may want to try something different. It could also help the reviewer become more aware of grammatical mistakes in their writing.
Lastly, this blog will have my contact information if any student or parent needs to get ahold of me. I will be happy to answer any questions you have. If you are concerned about your student do not hesitate to contact me. As your student’s teacher, I feel that it is my right to help my students in any way I can.
Do not forget to check back weekly for more updates.
~Ms. Bekah
msbekahseducationblog 
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