Goal #2: Student Bloggers

Last week when I was researching blogs created by teachers and blogs created for teachers, I stumbled upon the idea of using blogs in the classroom in a different way.

Let the kids blog!

I instantly knew this was something I wanted to do with my 6th graders. I think 6th grade is the perfect age for this because they are incredibly digitally savvy, are obsessed with social networking, and are often just plain sick of writing....with paper and pencil, that is.

I immediately began researching websites that I could use to allow my students to have a blog in a safe and secure environment....that I could control :) I decided I really liked the looks of the website

KidBlog

Kid blog reminded me of other teacher-led websites that I have used like IXL and That Quiz. I think it is really important when kids are using the web, that the teacher has some control over the sites they are on, and MOST importantly, has a way to track their work and progress.

So, how do I see this being used in my classroom? My kids write A LOT! They write about their reading, they write about their math, they write about their lives, they write stories and essays....they are writing, writing, writing, every day! Throughout the year, their complaints about writing increase, and really, can I blame them? I think incorporating a blog will give them a new, exciting, and fresh way to share their thinking. I am also hoping that this will provide a platform for students to discuss their classmates thinking and have meaningful and engaging discussions (much like the ones I have with my classmates during my masters work).

I'm going to do more exploring on KidBlog this summer and fine-tune exactly how I see it incorporated into my English Language Arts curriculum. I will keep you updated on how it goes!! 

Goal #1: Be a blogging teacher!

I have to confess something....

When I interviewed for my position at my current school, I had all these grandiose ideas that I spouted out about the many benefits of teacher blogs. I told my principal about awesome examples of blogs I had seen (from random teaching blogs I had come across on the internet AND blogs created by personal friends and colleagues) and how I was going to incorporate all these amazing ideas into a blog of my own that would benefit my students and their families.

Well, I got the job (hopefully not JUST because of my blogging ideas).... and September came, then October, then before I knew it, it was Christmas.....and that amazing blog that I dreamt up never happened. To cut myself some slack, I was teaching a new grade in a new school and with everything that came along with my new responsibilities, I just never found the time or energy to create a class blog.

This year will be different!

That leads me to goal number one (out of many technology-related goals that I have set [and will blog about!] for myself and my classroom this upcoming year), which is inspired by the Web 2.0 class that I am taking this term at Lesley University. I want to find the most effective way to create and utilize a classroom blog for the upcoming school year. So the idea and intention are there, now the real work begins. I imagine the most important thing I need to do is determine a purpose for my blog. So far, this is what I have:

1) Provide effective communication about classroom assignments and expectation to families.

2) Provide a resource for my students when working on any given assignment in class.

3) Document the happenings of Ms. Carlyle's class for students, their families, and other staff members.

My next step is going to be spending quite a bit of time reading classroom blogs (particularly 6th grade) and decide what I think will work best for my students and me. I'm going to start out combing through one of my greatest inspirations (both the blog and the person) which is a classroom blog written by Stephanie Tjaden at Emerald Park Elementary in Kent, WA. (You can find her blog here).I have a feeling I will also get suggestions for blogs to look at through my peers at Lesley University and where else but Pinterest! So for now faithful readers (all two of you... Hi Grandma!), I am off to find what makes a good classroom blog!