Beyond the Walls...

John Franklin, in his article "Using Blogs in the Classroom" (ASCD Curriculum Technology Quarterly, 2005) stated that "blogs offer a powerful voice for students who might normally be too shy to speak up in class." “Sometimes, students who are very quiet will write pages on a blog,” says Elizabeth Beagle, an English teacher at Landstown Technology Academy in Virginia Beach, Va. Sound familiar? Sara Kajder, in her book Bringing the Outside In, hit on the same concept when she talked about Ensui and Gus. Blogging is an online medium that is already familiar to most students and is an avenue in which reading and writing is authentic and purposeful.

We all have had Gus, Ensui, Trappier, Rai, and Rochelle in our classrooms and have struggled with how to motivate them, instill in them the "love of reading", get them beyond the "I don't know what to write." syndrome. Yet, have we looked beyond the classroom for any evidence of reading and writing? If we have found evidence, have we accepted it or have we said, "But I don't see it taking place in my classroom."? As teachers our focus has been held to what is taking place within the walls of the classroom - the school. Technology has challenged us to look beyond those walls.