Week Two Part One

This week on LM_NET I found a couple of interesting posts concerning library administration.  The first one was about using blogging for educational purposes. Since I'm new to the blogging world, I have been recently been considering how to use more technology in my own classroom. The concern with blogging though is how to monitor the students use of it and making sure it is used as an educational tool and not to hurt other students.  I think blogging would be an interesting tool to use for middle schoolers because of their entirely social nature. It would give them a chance to share their ideas on the web (which they would love) and perhaps interact with others outside of the school which could broaden their horizons. I do agree that the teacher would have to monitor the blogs religiously in order to make sure all was well.

Another post on LM_NET caught my attention. Someone was asking about bringing in an author for discussions and maybe a mini lesson.  I think bringing in an author would be the best way to maximize a somewhat tight budget (since most schools are in that predicament). The author could see many students or teams at once and students could get one-on-one time with someone who they have read. I see it done a couple of times and even reluctant readers seem to always get something positive out of the experience.