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At school our big focus on CBL and Inquiry Based Learning has led to conversations around how to scaffold and teach students skills relating to researching on the web. It's my opinion that Primary School students should not be left to do open searches Google - there is simply too much information to sort through. (This doesn't mean we don't teach them how and give them opportunities to practise, it just means we don't set them Challenges and let them 'go for it' on the open web) Instead, teachers need to find relevant websites for students to search for information from, and post them on their class Site or Blog. This limits the amount of information students need to search through, and guides their searches to appropriate websites for their reading level etc.

"On the heels of Blogging is NOT Analog Writing in Digital Spaces, I decided to re-create the sketchnote of  There is More to Blogging with Your Students. I added Reading in Digital Spaces to the Mix."

A great example of how student blogs can be used to create a student eportfolio. This example amazingly is all done through an iPad. Imagine having a couple of class sets of iPads to share across P-2?

Blogging is an excellent way of motivating students to develop a lifelong love of learning. Writing is a process, and when they learn this they will be able to apply the skills to other aspects of their schooling. It also teaches children critical thinking skills which will help them as they progress through school. Along with the development of critical thinking skills, students will learn how to conduct research. This is particularly important both in school and in the workplace they will one day take part in.

How blogging could possibly look at Bell PS. Would like to align this document with Ausvels and Australian Curriculum ICT Competencies. These competencies could all be easily covered through student blogging and other Web2.0 online collaborative spaces. 

Edublogs is built on WordPress - which was once just for blogs. But now, WordPress is used for way more than blogs and powers around 20% of the entire web! It never stops amazing us when we see all of the different ways that educators are using Edublogs and we don't get to share them all often enough. So, here's a rundown of ten of the most common, along with some examples for inspiration and ideas!

If your blog is starting to draw an audience from overseas or you want to collaborate with other schools around the world, you'll want to find a way to translate your blog into multiple languages.

21st century classroom is a classroom that is multimodally structured in such a way that students, teachers and parents are engaged in synchronous and asynchronous communicational pathways throughout the school year and beyond. Such a classroom is not restricted by geographical and temporal bounds

"Why not start the school year with a Tagxedo of each student in your class? Add the final image to your class blog as a "getting to know you" activity."

I consciously overplan the first few days. The worst possible first-day scenario is to arrive unprepared. Over the years, I've collected a number of first-day activity ideas - far too many to use. I've pared down the activities based on the following considerations: My first goal is to build classroom community, making all students feel comfortable and successful. My second goal is to establish routine. My third goal is to formatively assess students' current levels in all subject areas. It's never too early to begin thinking about parent night. I choose activities that accomplish at least two of the goals stated above.

My first year teaching a literacy coach came to observe my classroom. After the students left, she commented on how I asked the whole class a question, would wait just a few seconds, and then answer it myself. "It's cute," she added. Um, I don't think she thought it was so cute. I think she was treading lightly on the ever-so shaky ego of a brand-new teacher while still giving me some very necessary feedback.

A great info graphic with some interesting ideas on how to promote your blog.

   1 Kathleen Morris, January 2013,http://primarytech.global2.vic.edu.au   Getting Started with Global2 This guide will help you begin a blog using Global2 (http://global2.vic.edu.au).Further instructions can be found at http://help.edublogs.org

53 Ways to Check for Understanding Some useful prompts and ideas for checking student understanding when on the fly.

It seems that every school is considering purchasing iPads these days, and Apple has reported that iPad sales to schools are currently outselling MacBook sales by a very large margin. However, the rush to purchase iPads often precedes the careful planning and preparation that's so crucial to their success as educational tools. Technology alone is never the answer. Instead, iPad use needs to be integrated within a holistic approach to 21st-century education that encompasses a thorough and ongoing review of the skills and competencies required in our rapidly changing society and the educational processes that best help students acquire them.

A great site created by the Oz Gov that discusses cyber safety. Should be included on any class blog. 

"The greatest software invented for human safety is the human brain. It's time that we start using those brains. We must mix head knowledge with action. In my classroom, I use two essential approaches in the digital citizenship curriculum that I teach: proactive knowledge and experiential knowledge. "