Blogging as a Teaching Tool?!

As I read through the blogs from different elementary classes, A Duck with a Blog caught my attention. I have never heard of blogging to help students learn, but while looking through various posts from different classes, I see how beneficial blogging can be. I believe that the more opportunities a child has to learn to use technology, the better. Learning to be technology savvy early in life will make it easier for them to keep up with the fast-pace world we live in today. Not only will it help students by teaching them new things, but it's also fun!!
The blog I chose is about a momma duck deciding to lay her eggs on the playground of an elementary school. The teacher has posted pictures the children have drawn, short stories, etc. throughout the page. The children were also asked to give the duck advice as to where they think she should lay her eggs. Their drawings and suggestions were done by computer by using paint and typing up the words. This helps children learn the letters on a keyboard and how to use some of the most basic applications a computer has to offer.
As for the NETS for teachers, I believe that it applies to many, but i chose only two for this assignment:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
(ex. drawing pictures and ideas to help the mother duck)

b. engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
(ex. solving the problem by giving their suggestions, and using computers instead of writing it down on paper.)

Another reason I chose this blog is because of the memories I've had doing a classroom project like this. Every kindergarten class in my school raised baby ducklings from eggs using an incubator. We gave the ducklings away after they had hatched, but recorded the growth of them, and the progress of the eggs throughout the project. Allowing children to raise a living thing like an animal from birth, or a plant from a seed gives them a sense of responsibility and a feeling of being in charge. When I have my own classroom, I will definitely use blogging as a teaching tool. I think it will be a fun, new way to help my students learn.

Link to A Duck with a Blog: http://duckdiaries.edublogs.org/