Teddy Bears go Blogging

                This is a great project and a wonderful use of technology.  In its basic form, it is a pen pal assignment.  However, with the use of technology it becomes a lot more.   The capability to allow the students to blog from home and others to see and post their own messages has the potential to open students’ minds.  In addition, having the ability to receive an e-mail copy and have the option to publish or reject the comment keep the project and the students safe.

                This article applies to all classroom and grade levels.  It shows that taking a simple project and adding technology with a little effort can enhance the learning experience.   As the article said, the blog can be used for discussions, uploading pictures and voice recordings.  The options you have with this are endless and it extends the learning outside the classroom to the home. 

                However, one concern would be the availability of technology to each student.  Even though public libraries have these tools available, low income neighborhoods and students with difficult family settings are at a disadvantage.  Also, the teacher needs the knowledge to fix and troubleshoot any problems that arise, or the time is spent fixing the technology and not on reading, writing, and exploring new and different cultures.