Blogging in the primary classroom ASLA11 – Using blogging and edmodo in the classroom and library → This post has been designed to supplement my presentation for the Australian School Librarian Conference on Tuesday October 4. Communicating for the 21st century: using tools such as Edmodo and student […] TeachMeet Sydney – from little things big things grow → I have been feeling guilty this year because I just haven’t made it to any TeachMeets yet. Out of the mouth of babes → The Australian school year is nearly over. Out of my comfort zone → Last Monday night I was interviewed by Tony and Darrel of the edtech crew for one of their regular podcasts. 10 Reasons Why I Want My Students to Blog - Getting Smart by Susan Lucille Davis - DigLN, edchat, EdTech Email Share October 22, 2012 - by Susan Lucille Davis 54 Email Share “ Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing there is a field. First of all, blogging is writing, 21 st -century style, plain and simple. 1. If you are looking for ways to have students write that reach real rather than “pretend” audiences, I can’t think of a better format than blogging. Ask any writer of blogs how it feels to connect with his first mystery readers about what matters to them. 2. Blogs are an immensely versatile, energizing medium. Jeff Dunn celebrates the passionate learning of students in “ 30 Incredible Blogs Written by Students,” featuring posts about sports, pets, traveling and attending museums, raising money for charity, and a host of other topics. In some ways, blogs are the new “show and tell,” allowing students to share their own very infectious love of learning. 3. As students unleash their passions, they must learn to respond to and learn from readers in the form of comments. 4. 5. 6. 7.
How to connect the dots SmartBlogs One of the biggest things I have learned in the past two years is that I don’t need to know the answer; I need only to know how to get the answer or point somebody to the answer. It’s a skill that I have developed since becoming a connected educator. Becoming a connected educator has helped me grow more than I could have imagined, and it’s allowed me to help educators in my district and far beyond. When I am faced with question, whether my own or somebody else’s, I go through several resources that help me connect the dots. This is no certain order. 1. 2. Local: I am blessed to work in a connected district. 3. Cybrary Man: I have never found a topic for which Cybrary Man doesn’t have a page. This is only a small portion of what I use to connect the dots. What do you use to connect the dots that I haven’t listed? Brett Clark (@Mr_Brett_Clark) is an e-learning coach in southern Indiana.
Blogfolio Learning Spaces: A Vision Coming to Life David Perkins said, “As educators, we can work to make thinking much more visible than it is in classrooms. When we do so, we are giving students more to build on and learn from. By making dancers visible, we are making it much easier to learn to dance.” And it is these ideas of making thinking public and f blogging that has had me thinking for years: one blog per student for four years, connective writing, making work public, assessing blogs, blogging not just writing on a blog, and on and on. Until now! All of this reading and writing has been part of ongoing discussions as part of a movement towards a learner-centered space where each student makes their thinking public and immerses themselves into a networked world. The Vision This is just a snapshot of the vision, but I’m excited by the work that has been done to arrive at this vision and to establish buy-in with this approach. Social Media Policy and Guidelines Why Google Blogger
How to Get a Classroom of Kids Blogging in Under 5 Minutes! Kidblog.org is a service designed by teachers for teachers. They have made the process of creating and monitoring a class blog safe and efficient. Sign-ups are fast and simple, making it easy to co-ordinate a whole class of new students. At the same time, the blog’s privacy and security is protected by default. This makes life incredibly easy for the teacher, allowing you to get straight in to the fun bit of blogging! The primary differences between Kidblog and any other free blogging platform is the default class-only privacy level and the superbly easy way of bulk-adding user accounts for students without requiring email addresses and confirmation of invites. Setting up a teacher account The teacher account is a straightforward sign-up: choose a password, add a few details and you’re in. Create a New Class The blog creation is controlled by “classes”. The class name is the blog name, which becomes part of the URL for the class blog too. Privacy and Security Add Users Groups For Kids Overview
Student Blogs: Learning to Write in Digital Spaces Student blogging is not a project, but a process. We are continuously striving to refine, improve and re-evaluate. As I am meeting with teachers individually, I can’t stress enough the importance of READING other blogs (professional, student, blogs about your hobby, blogs about other interests you have etc.). I am trying to filter and funnel quality blogs in education, their grade level and areas of interest to them as I come across them, so they can build a quality RSS Reader. BUT.. we need their help in having a basic understanding of blogs, its pedagogical uses, as a platform of a new writing genre (digital writing) and how our blogfolios fit into your curriculum and the BIG PICTURE of LEARNING. The blogfolios are not a platform to use only for a particular subject, but should give evidence of learning for each student. Creating the platform and the username and password and teaching the kids to log in is the EASY part. The focus needs to be in using the platform to guide students to :
Nets Standards Education technology standards to transform learning and teaching The time for major change in education is now. In a world where rapid advances in technology have a profound impact on the ways we work, communicate and live, education has struggled to keep pace. The ISTE Standards work together to support educators, students and leaders with clear guidelines for the skills and knowledge necessary to move away from the factory model. These are not the typical boxes educators need to check. They provide a framework for rethinking education, adapting to a constantly changing technological landscape and preparing students to enter an increasingly global economy. Empowering connected learners in a connected world As educators, we are preparing students for a future that we cannot yet imagine. Want to know more? How can the ISTE Standards be used? Visit permissions and licensing.
Blogging Rights and Responsibilities Thanks to a Creative Commons license from photographer Håkan Dahlström, I'm able to use his work in this blog post without violating his rights--or the law. With all of the talk recently about PIPA and SOPA legislation clamping down on a free internet, it’s a good time to review our rights as online student journalists as well as our responsibilities. Both laws aim to restrict copyright violations with comprehensive rules about what can and can’t be published/downloaded online. The criticism of these laws has been that they are TOO restrictive and would end up, allegedly, restricting free speech and legitimate criticism, parody and journalism. But what constitutes “fair use” when quoting writers, or posting images or video created by others? And conversely, how should you and your staff protect your intellectual property like short stories in a literary magazine, or photos shot by staff photographers? This organization fights for the protection of a free and open internet. Happy blogging!
Tips and Topics for Student Bloggers Posted by Mrs Kathleen Morris on Thursday, August 2nd 2012 Recently, I wrote two posts about quality student blogs. You can find them here and here. I have also written a guide to setting up student blogs here. A new group of students in my class are almost ready to earn their own blogs. Below is a poster with tips for student bloggers. I have also made a document with 20 ideas for blog post topics. Do you have any tips to add to the poster? What other ideas for student blog post topics could you offer?
7 Reasons Your Students should be Blogging in 2013 One of the best things about blogging in the classroom is that it is a cross-curricular activity that can be used to teach any subject and develop just about any skills, from reading and writing to math, geography and everything in between. If you are still unsure about how blogging can benefit your students, here are seven reasons that might be able to persuade you as a teacher to get on board with blogging in the classroom this year. Blogging motivates students to read and write The best way to get students to read and write is to offer them things that they are interested in reading and writing about – things that relate to them and their peers. Blogging gives students a larger audience As a teacher, it is your duty to grade and critique the work of a student, but getting a second, third or fiftieth opinion never hurts either. Blogging gives students confidence Blogging enables students to create a virtual portfolio Blogging allows teachers to discover a student’s true talents
Learnist: A Helpful Tool on the Road to Inquiry The meaningful and careful use of technology is one of the most significant conversations in education today. When educators offer students greater access to knowledge through technology, and encourage them to use that knowledge to inquire about the world around them and beyond, they are providing students a chance to succeed in even the toughest conditions. I teach eighth- and tenth-grade English and sixth-grade Speech/Drama for Stockton Collegiate International Schools. Although our school is only in its third year, we are already making a mark on the community. A Pinterest-Like Tool for Educators This summer I discovered the website Learnist. I gathered infographics for my mass media unit, study guides for documentaries, articles to demonstrate themes from 1984, and TED Talks to model speaking skills to sixth graders. Now, I hope to start uploading my own curriculum in order to inspire and support others in the teaching community and fully represent the depth of my units.