A New Writing Genre: Blogging

Blogging Resources All of today’s examples can be found at: Blogging at a Literacy Tool

What is blogging? Blogs in Plain English Created by Common Craft

What is blogging? Step #1 – Read something, anything Step #2 – Write your thoughts about what you read Step #3 – Support your thoughts with references Step #4 – Edit, edit, edit! Step #5 – Publish your writing to a blog Step #6 – Continue the conversation through comments

Why use in education? Starts with reading Requires critical thinking skills Includes the writer’s own reflections Must include accurate/trustworthy sources Constantly making editorial decisions Continues beyond the published article

Why use in education? EXAMPLE Student Notebook for AP Literature Post about The Sound and the Fury Faulkner Example

Why use in education? Did this post: 1. Start with reading? 2. Require critical thinking? 3. Include the writer’s own thinking? 4. Include accurate sources? 5. Appear to be edited? 6. Continue beyond the publishing? Back to web page

Ideas for Blogs Science/Math Experiments/problems run concurrently at different sites History Create resource sites for cultural study Foreign Language Create conversations with native speakers English Create writing portfolio where all student work is stored

Ideas for Blogs 5 th Grade Class chronicling their learning about writing The Write Weblog

Ideas for Blogs 6 th Grade Class trying to integrate blogging into their classroom Botkins Blog!!

Why blogs? According to Eide Neurolearning Blog, 2005 Blogs Can: –Promote critical and analytical thinking –Be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking –Promote analogical thinking –Be a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information –Combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction

Want More? Chilton Foley-Reynolds Blogging as a Literacy Tool