Blogging and internet access...

Blogging is a tech concept that has made original content creators out of literally millions of people. The capacity for people to publish their thoughts and ideas, and actually develop an audience for them is one that has endless possibilities. Perhaps most importantly, it is a tool to make the world "smaller". When people have connectivity to one another across the world, and learn about others directly from them instead of through the filter of various media outlets, a greater understanding of our world is the result.

On Tuesday of this week, a team from Grosse Pointe visited Bloomfield Hills Andover and attended a presentation on Smart Boards (Phenomenal technology by the way...). During our visit, we discussed the access their students have to the internet. They not only have access to wikipedia and blogs, but students are encouraged to set up RSS feeds which allow them to have a kind of customized electronic newspaper of blogs. RSS feeds allow individuals to receive posts from blogs on topics of interest. Other school districts, such as Walled Lake, have free wi-fi for students on school grounds so that students can access the internet from anywhere within a school building on their own laptop. Our teachers have begun exploring many ways through which blogs might be used to enhance instruction. For instance, a teacher might create a course blog, post a topic question or reading selection, and ask students to comment online at home. In this way, students are completing meaningful homework, and doing it in a way that makes it likely that they will complete assignments because they are formatted in the digital world in which our students operate.

Currently our district policy blocks access to commonly used resource sites such as wikipedia, and also blocks access by students of blogs and wikis. For example, students cannot access this blog from school. I have added a survey to this page regarding internet access at school. Please respond with your opinions regarding opening access for students to some of these opportunities. We want to provide the best possible educational experience for our students.