Safely blogging your way to Deutsche Fähigkeit

I think that using a blog in an educational setting is something that facilitates deeper learning associated with the subject involved, as well as more student involvement in that particular subject. I would like to teach second languages in high school (I will focus on German in this entry). I think that blogs have an excellent place in these subject areas.

One idea for things to include on a second language blog would be resources. Through my studies, I have found many resources that would be beneficial for someone using a second language. Things like dictionaries, thesauri, and grammar websites can help a student with their reading comprehension, writing and definitely their speech. Second languages lend themselves especially to this kind of online resource library because they have information that most students are unlikely to be familiar with or have immediate access to at home.

Cultural aspects of the language could be introduced as well in the form of quick cultural facts, history website links, pictures from my (and others') travels. I found an excellent blog online that exemplifies this kind of cultural approach to language learning. It is a Spanish learner/teacher website, but the same concepts apply:
http://www.spanish-teaching.com/blog

There are other websites out there that have interesting ways to practice the language. For example, the link below is to Brothers Grimm fairytales that are presented with the German text alongside English translations.
http://www.fln.vcu.edu/grimm/

There are also German newspapers and online magazines that could be provided as links.

To take this deep learning to another step, I think an amazing thing to do would be to make contact with a class in a German-speaking country and exchange blog addresses. In Clarence Fisher's “Remote Access” blog, here:
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2006/05/blogs_invitatio.html
he talks about using Blogs as a tool to connect to other cultures and other “lives”. This is a great way to show the practicality and the amazing potential of learning another language by getting to know people that speak it.

On a more personal note, blogs can be used for a teacher to connect with their students and vice versa. What comes to mind for me is keeping a journal of German literature/media that the teacher and students personally consume. This can model life-long learning on the teacher's side and help the relationships between teachers and students by creating a positive interaction.

There are also many practical uses for blogs to help the mechanical aspects of classes – such as assignment dates, chapter reviews, handouts and schedules. The link below leads to a site where the writer summarizes these practical uses nicely:
http://crookedtimber.org/2003/09/15/the-street-finds-its-own-use-for-things

Now, blogs do not come without dangers. Luckily, when one is dealing with students of the high school age, they can usually grasp what these dangers entail. Many of the dangers inherent in student and teacher blogging revolve around privacy issues and respect issues (one has to be sure that both teachers and students are being respectful of each other at all times to maintain the positive blog experience) The link below not only details many of the dangers, but offers tips for creating safe blogs:
http://www.isafe.org/imgs/pdf/education/Blogging.pdf
Some of these tips are about abstaining from including any personal information that would help someone dangerous find you. Others revolve around avoiding slander and gossip about fellow students.

Though there are inherent dangers in using online technology such as blogs (especially if it is kept open for something like blog sharing with another class) if proper steps are taken to protect student and teacher safety, privacy and mutual respect, it can be a wonderful tool to deepen student's learning and facilitate necessary classroom mechanics.

My name is Meaghan. I live with my boyfriend and my little one Hermes (he's a cat – I'm not so cruel that I would give that name to a child – he would never make it through elementary school). I have a bachelor's degree in German from the University of Calgary and have moved on to the University of Lethbridge to get my Education degree. I want to teach Junior/Senior High School languages (German, French and English) and would love the opportunity to tackle an art class. I'm most passionate about the German language/cannon (I like French but I am IN LOVE with German), coming in tied for close seconds though are travel, drawing, dance, interior design and costume design. My best qualities are my intelligence and my ability to find joy in small things. My worst qualities are a lack of self control and being too demanding of others and myself. At present, I am a little nervous but also excited about my impending future as an educator!

Now...about this blogging business. There are negatives associated with Weblogs (as with any new technology), but many of the negatives can be countered by proper instruction of the dangers and conventions involved, which can help students be more critical when encountering such technology in their own lives. There is however, some great potential for teaching. One of the best aspects that I see is the ability to connect students, teachers and parents in a very real way outside of the classroom. It can be an easy way for parents to know what their children are studying in school, what homework and assignments they have, upcoming important dates and to find out if there is any way that they can help their child or their classroom. Basically, it could help parents get more involved with their child's schooling. For students, it can be a way for them to express opinions and ideas in a low-pressure environment to both their teacher and fellow students, creating more close-knit relationships in the class. It can be a way for students to keep up to date on assignments and to ask questions that may arise while out of the classroom. Teachers could post study guides, additional reading, helpful links and any other tidbits that may be useful to their students. It could also be a great forum for teachers to get to know their students outside of school and vice-versa.