Clifton Hills teacher Delk uses blog to strengthen education

Some believe the Internet is making society less personal and connected in meaningful ways, but Clifton Hills Elementary School first-grade teacher Jocelyn Delk is challenging that notion through her daily education blogs.

photo Clifton Hills Elementary School first-grade teacher Jocelyn Delk, in back, leads her class across the new crosswalk.

Her blog at generaldelksarmy.blogspot.com/ helps her 17 first-grade students with literacy, math, poetry, reading, science, social studies, vocabulary and writing.

"Even on Saturday, students can go to the blog and have a teacher read to them online," said Delk, adding all students do is click on "Celebrity Story Saturday" to access it. "They think it is fun because the teachers read stories just for them. I also try to post in-class photos of what my students are doing so parents can see."

The site is also meant to help parents connect with their children and stay involved in their educational evolution.

"I've noticed more focus with the kids because they know people are watching them on the blog," said Delk. "My blog is geared to help parents see what's going on in the classroom and to help parents with helpful study tips."

She said she puts parent study tips on the sidebar along with links to other blogs for parents to look at for teaching tools.

Delk said her goal is to keep the blog as helpful and upbeat as possible. At the top of the screen, parents and students can click on various school subjects to bring up all the related posts.

"I've talked about struggles we have in math," she said. "If teachers could give us math tips ... that would be great."

Delk said she encourages the students to look at the blog by using the school computer lab or the library computers.

"I post extra credit on the blog to see whose looking and whose not," she said. "I would love to have blog comments."

Delk said she began the blog this fall after being docked a point in technology on a teacher evaluation last school year. Feedback from school administration prompted her to find a way to reach out to her students' parents through technology to both improve her technology score and to improve parental participation in the students' education process.

She credits learning how to establish a blog to a Public Education Foundation blogging course she took years ago. She began a blog about her family prior to starting one about her classroom.

Delk began teaching at Clifton Hills seven years ago at the beginning of her teaching career.

"I love our faculty," said Delk. "I think we all work well together. Our administration is absolutely wonderful."

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