Blogging as an Educational Activity

Students who have trouble learning certain material by traditional methods may benefit from a lesson designed around blogging. You may increase a student’s attention in a particular subject or lesson plan with blogging because it has the draw of being an online activity. In fact, with proper boundaries and rules set out, blogging can serve as a constructive and worthwhile educational activity. Plus, working on a computer may distract your student from the fact that they’re doing something educational!

The setup for an educational blog couldn’t be easier: create a blog using a free service like Blogger or Wordpress, following their user-friendly instructions. Restrict full access to the teacher and change the blog’s settings so that students can sign on as users who can only post and view blog entries. From there it’s up to you to decide how best to start a student blogging for educational purposes. Below are a few ideas for possible educational blogging activities.

Writing Exercises
Your student could compose writing exercises to be submitted as posts to your blog. These exercises could vary from practice in formal/informal writing styles to lessons in basic syntax and grammar. The blog could substitute as your student’s workbook whereby it becomes an interactive space for all their writing assignments. And these assignments don’t have to exclude traditionally non-writing courses; you can have your student draft or solve math/science problems on their blog post as well. A blog’s greatest asset is its endless versatility.

Use blogging as a means to reinvigorate your student’s interest in a subject that they may not otherwise take to. In the case of writing, think of blogging as a way to disarm your students who show a strong aversion to the subject by presenting it in a different context.

Research Project

If you want to make the blogging experience more comprehensive, you could have your students use it as a place to document a research project. Basic research projects are a fun exercise for younger students because it helps them grasp how concepts they learn in class relate to the real world. You could assign a topic to your student—say covering a current event or the researching of key term in a lesson—and instruct them to post their findings about the topic on the blog. Encourage the student to elaborate on their findings in their blog post. If they find an interesting news article about their topic—details about a newly discovered star, for example—have them write a brief synopsis of the article and write about how it relates to the lesson that they’re researching. If the student protests the amount of writing, remind them that research projects are all about tying your findings back to the original topic.


Journaling

You could also design the blog as a space for journaling. If need be, adjust the privacy settings on your blog to ensure that it’s a safe space for your student to journal. The student could write reflections on their daily school activities or simply maintain a diary-style account of whatever interests them. Emphasize to the student that the blog/journal is their own project where they have the freedom to write about anything. Unless they write about questionable content, refrain from offering any major criticism on their journal entries. Blogging as a journaling activity can serve as a constructive creative outlet for your student; it fosters expression in a way that could warm students up to the writing process. Hindering that expression could discourage them from further writing.

Author Bio:
This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

Fun and practice with Roman Numerals

Someone asked me recently whether I include Roman Numerals in Math Mammoth. Yes, I do... they are in the 3rd grade materials, but the section is not extensive.

For some extra fun, learning, and practice with them, check out these web resources:


Roman Numeras Tutorial
Good explanations of how numbers are formed using Roman Numerals, such as when to "add" or "subtract" the symbols. The page allows interactivity where the student can self-check his/her understanding.

Roman Matching Game
Drag the Roman numerals to the corresponding Arabic numerals. If you win the next game will be faster. See if you can beat the clock!

Roman Numerals Worksheets
Generate worksheets for converting Roman numerals to normal (Arabic) ones, or normal numbers to Roman numerals, or do easy addition and subtraction problems with Roman numerals.

Roman Numerals Dot-to-Dots
Some dot-to-dot worksheets with animal themes that use Roman Numerals.

Roman Numerals - Wikipedia
An article explaining the usage, origin, and a chart of Roman numerals.

Quia: Easy Roman Numerals
Translate Roman numerals into Arabic (covers I, V, and X only). Matching game, concentration, or word search.

Roman Numerals - A Maths Webquest
A set of web pages where you can learn all about roman numerals: how they originated, how to read & write the numerals, and places we still use the Roman number system today.

Roman Sequence Game
See how fast you can put these Roman numerals in the correct sequence.

Times Tales DVD giveaway

Folks at Triggery Memory Systems are generously offering THREE copies of their new Times Tales DVD program for me to give away (for free!). Everyone is welcome to participate, no matter where you live on this planet. Shipping outside US will be by USPS First Class Mail.

This Giveaway is now closed! 

The winners are:

Wes Ryan, Virginia,

Eileen Flater, Iowa, and

Erica Potter, Ohio.

Congratulations!

Winners are chosen randomly using the random number generator at Random.org. The giveaway will run UNTIL I have at least 150 responses, or till September 12, whichever comes first.

What is Times Tales?

Times Tales is a mnemonic-based program for learning multiplication and division tables. It uses simple stories to provide students with a "memory peg", allowing them to quickly
recall the facts.