Blogs In The Classroom

I think a blog would be an excellent resource in a math classroom. Many students (and people in general) think math is purely formulaic. They think it's all about memorizing formulas and plugging in numbers. But math is so much more. I think a blog can help students explore the creative side of math. One of the more creative assignments I completed in a math class was a blog assignment.

The assignment was simple: write something I learned about from our experience creating a Menger Sponge. While I originally started the blog post as a sarcastic explanation of how much of a waste the project was, I was able to investigate something that I was actually curious about and I got to apply a lot of knowledge. I started adding images, videos, and jokes into the blog, and this creative expression helped me think through math problems creatively; I was soon extending the the project beyond my initial question and looking into new problems.

This was a great learning experience and I want every student to have a learning experience like it. Giving students a general topic to write about allows the students to apply their mathematical understanding, make connections between the real world and mathematical concepts, and start to see how creative math can be. The benefit of using a blog is that it can create a consistent experience for the students. Students keep coming back to their blogs and building on their previous work.