Don’t ban the blog
Don’t ban the blog is an article published by Michael Shaw on the UK TES (The Times Educational Supplement). It speaks to the issue of blogs and chatrooms being banned in schools. It quotes research:
But a study by Futurelab, the educational software research centre in Bristol, urged teachers to explore the learning potential of chatrooms and blogs. Â
Hear, hear to their suggestion for “what to do”:
It suggested pupils could move beyond e-learning, towards c-learning, with the
“c†standing for communicative, community or collaborative. “If learning to learn, if collaboration, and if the personalisation of educational experiences are at the core of current educational agendas, we need to find ways of enabling young people to come into contact with, collaborate with, and learn from each other,†it said.Â
It continues with why blogs should not be banned:
“Schools should not expect students to leave the 21st century in the cloakroom,†the study said. “There is an imperative to teach appropriate use and behaviour for ICT. This should include protection of students’ own identities.†Â
Hats off to the UK! Now, I’m looking for more articles here in the USA! We could learn so much from Australia, UK, and Scotland. I’m sure from others, too but i am continually impressed with these particular three.
I like this newspaper. They provide links to more interesting blogs here. My Bloglines is on overload once again but there is so much good stuff coming out each day.
June 20th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
I came across your blog through your comments to David Muir regarding Flickr. regarding banning blogs, I made some very similar comments to yours in relation to the TES article. The reality is not as positive with many local authorities being really scared of what might happen if they allow blogging in schools. One of my main tasks at the moment is in relattion to piloting the use of blogging across a number of my schools. I have spent a fair amount of time searching for good examples of policies and real life examples. Your link to the Apaohue High policy is most welcome. There are some good examples in Scotland, but there is not a good understanding at the policy making level as yet. I think I have a long road to go before I make any real impact. If you want to see a brilliant example of blogging in Scotland then you should have a look at the East Lothian site (http://www.exc-el.org.uk/content/index.php).
Keep up the good work. I shall be keeping a track of your stuff from now on.
Gordon