Blogs as Assessments

22/Jan/2011 03:27 PM

I’m not a blogger by nature, but I am one by assignment. I guess I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to read what I have to say. And for the bazillions of blogs out there, just because someone does have something to say, it doesn’t mean it’s worthy of being said. With that understanding, we spent the past week in class reading and discussing how a blog can be used for assessment purposes.

I have to admit that prior to this week I did not see any real advantage to using a blog in a classroom, especially for assessment. If you read my previous post, you might get the feeling that that last sentence was quite contradictory to my constructivist views. It took a bit of persuading for me to see the advantages and power that a classroom blog can bring to student learning. I think the greatest benefit of using a blog is that students are able to build on their own knowledge and understanding. Then they can take it further through the interactions and clarifications with peers who can “speak” in the same language.

For many teachers, the mindset of the student in charge of his or her own learning can be difficult and threatening. Not for me though. I have always embraced it and now I’ve added another tool to my belt.

Tags: blog, assessment, learner-centered

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Blogs as Assessments