In my readings today, I came across an additional source about why teachers should blog as well as why they should have their students blogging. I posted the article on Twitter, and given it attracted "favorites" and "retweets," thought I should share the information here. Among the reasons listed for teachers to introduce their students to blogging are these, in paraphrased format:
1) Encourage Collaboration Among Students
2) Teach Students How to Write Blogging Comments to Learn How to Give Feedback
This point reminded me of a video students in Linda Yollis created about how to write good blogging comments, which I am embedding here--a reminder for teachers when they respond to blog posts and a video to use with students once they are introduced to blogging.
3) Provide Evidence of Student Achievement
4) Encourage Students to Write and Gain Practice with Writing
To access the article, click on the word cloud above, which I found in the article, "How (And Why) Teachers Should Blog." Do you truly believe teachers should blog and that they should teach blogging principles to their students?
Additionally, this morning I came across an excellent blog post written by Lynn Hilt, a former K-6 elementary school principal and now the instructional technology coach for her school district. Click on the image to access the post:
Lynn offers links to a variety of resources in the post. Consider checking some of these out.
Will Chamberlain, an elementary school teacher maintains the blog, Comments4Kids, which is an excellent way for teachers and their students to respond to students who are blogging and to make global connections.
So, are you convinced teachers and students should be blogging?
And, last did you know October is Connected Educators' Month? No better way to connect than finding teachers who want to do cross-class blogging projects.
Perfect example for kids to see when launching blogging in your class! Those kids are adorable. These are great tips for writing as well. It would be a great way for students to remember how to interact with partners during a small group conference. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with these reasons. I did not really use blogging before now but I hope to get some of my reluctant writers onto a blog soon. I think it is also important for kids to collaborate with each other. This post would definately be perfect for introducing blogging.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is SO powerful! I never thought about how "blogging" could be such an amazing hook for our reluctant readers and writers. I think everyone could imagine even their most reluctant reader and/or writer wanting to go online to read blogs from other students about topics that interest them and then have an opportunity to respond. Not only is it engaging but "blogging" also provides students with an authentic experience of reading and writing for such a great purpose. I have to admit being that this is my first experience with "blogging" and posting I actually played the video about how to write a quality comment for myself! Thanks so much to the students in Linda Yollis' class. I am very interested in learning more about how you can use blogging as a collaborative tool amongst students. Is there a way outside of having students post messages to each other?
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