Sunday, June 7, 2009

Seeking 'experts'.....

Last week I started exploring avenues for finding 'experts' - primary classrooms that are using blogs as part of their teaching programme.

I have a few people that I have made initial contact with (and am still waiting to hear back from) - I'm unsure how many classrooms I would like to visit as part of this project, I guess I'll just have to see what is feasible in the time that I have.

But one certainty is a classroom at Fendalton Open Air school. Fendalton has a reputation as a school which values ICT integration in pedagogical practice. Here is a link to an article that was published in March this year on their innovative approach to the use of technology:



http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/1756615

I am excited to have the opportunity to see the way this school is integrating the technology into their classrooms.

I have been looking at a few lists of NZ classroom blog sites. One thing that has interested me has been the high number of rural schools that are listed. I was starting to wonder about the ways in which technology like blogs creates a new connectedness for these schools - and the possibilities for online partnerships and collaboration between schools. I guess when I was growing up you had things like pen-pals and school exchanges; these possibilities seem only to increase exponentially through online communication.

Another interesting area to explore (which is also beyond the scope of this project - but something to think about and be aware of while doing my research) - is the way in which blog sites allow for a high level of reflexivity about who we are 'as a person, as a classroom, as a school, as a community?' - what do the blogs that we create say about who we are? How can blogs be used to create a sense of identity, a sense of place? Maybe it's just that I am a cultural geographer and therefore questions about place and identity fascinate me, but it is something interesting to think about. We are active creators in the process of blogging? How do we decide what to include/what to exclude? How are we present in our blog? How do we interact with the world around us through the blog? What to we want people to think of us in our blog? So many questions........I'm not really wanting to answer these - but will try and provide a space in which to continue developing my thinking around these ideas over the next few weeks.

2 comments:

  1. Since writing this I have spoken with a teacher at Fendalton School and am going to visit her class to see how she uses blogs in her teaching. And I am also hoping to speak with the Principal of the school.

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  2. I have e-mailed the principal of Fendalton School today to see whether I can meet up with him (or correspond via e-mail) to discuss his experience of using ICT in the school community.

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