Group items tagged

So you have heard about blogging with your students and you are considering taking the plunge but just not sure what or how to do it? I am here to tell you; blogging with my students has been one of the most enriching educational experiences we have had this year, and that says a lot. So to get you started, here is what I have learned:

Blogs as E-PortfoliosThis is a featured page 8:00 - 9:00 - Welcome - Download Blogs as E-Portfolios PDF - What is a Blog? - Why Blog?

one might question, what do you want the students to get out of this project? How will it help them? Are the benefits academic and or social? Listed below are the goals and benefits of student blogs.

To blog, you can't always allow yourself to be burdened by overthinking. At times this will lead you to a scary place. A place without a safety net. A place full of prat falls. Because to blog is to teach yourself what you think. And sometimes what we think embarrasses us and we must then confront our thoughts and consider whether there are alternatives. This is real maturity.

What is your life as a reader like? Do you read for work, pleasure, instructions or emails? What is your favorite author and/or genre? What is your favorite reading spot? What did you like to read when you were the age of your students?

I decided that I need to ramp up my blogging with a challenge. A challenge to myself to blog regularly and a challenge to the teachers I coach to think about different topics to blog about and to provide posts that they maybe hadn't thought about writing about on their blog.

...one phrase I saw in those documents some 20 years ago stuck with me. Reflective Practitioner. I sort of understood the concept but other than simply thinking about what you did in the classroom, I wasn't at all sure what to do with this term. PS. The only people allowed to criticize or challenge this idea are people who have blogged for at least one year and written at least 50 posts. The rest of you can ask questions but you can't dismiss it.

With a nod to the ever-brilliant-and-willing-to-share Kim Cofino, here is the rubric I've lately begun to use in my classroom for grading student blog posts. This is an experiment in action and depending on how this tool works, it is very likely that it will come under some revision.

I've been working on another assessment to help students think about the connections and global understandings they are establishing. I've developed a rubric and a checklist to use in a classroom with middle school students.

Dear Parents, Sometimes, I get to witness some pretty exciting "Aha!" moments with the students. It's a thrill for me to be present as they have these experiences. I've just assumed they bring these moments home to you but I'm often surprised when I ask the students if they share what we are doing in class and too many of them respond with "I forgot" or "I was busy."

Apart from that, writing comments forces us to pay more attention to what we are reading and develop our own ideas further. Sometimes when  I decide to write a short  comment, I end up writing long and complex comments dealing with lots of issues, and I just don't know how I got there...To sum up, quality comments help us to become better bloggers and strengthen community links.

1. Demonstrate how conversations in blog comments provides greater knowledge gain for all involved, because each individual sees a different perspective of the task - giving everyone greater "food for thought!" 2. Model personal learning networks in action!

So here's 10 tips to help you write better blog posts. Great advice from @suewaters!

I write because if I left this post for later, you may never see the like of it again. I write and publish to make sure that words will not be marred by my over thinking and prevent me from being faithful to my draft conversation style with you, dear readers, as I do now and today.