1. Blogging in the Classroom Becca John and Jyotsna Nanda

2. Why Blog???

3. Skills being taught and practiced: Proofreading and editing skillsProofreading and editing skills Commenting and feedback skills (Teacher and peers)Commenting and feedback skills (Teacher and peers) Communication skillsCommunication skills Peer coaching and peer monitoringPeer coaching and peer monitoring Technology skillsTechnology skills Internet safety skillsInternet safety skills Paraphrasing skills (increased motivation not to plagiarize)Paraphrasing skills (increased motivation not to plagiarize) Social skillsSocial skills Learning communityLearning community Worldwide connectionsWorldwide connections

4. Additional student benefits to blogging Absent students can still be involvedAbsent students can still be involved Students who leave/move can still be involvedStudents who leave/move can still be involved Equal opportunity for all kids to contribute (ESL)Equal opportunity for all kids to contribute (ESL) Increased motivation for students because they know more people are going to see it (authentic assignments)Increased motivation for students because they know more people are going to see it (authentic assignments) More accountability for what they writeMore accountability for what they write Social preparation for the online social world (answering comments)Social preparation for the online social world (answering comments) Immediate response from peersImmediate response from peers Can give a voice to the quieter/shier studentCan give a voice to the quieter/shier student Parents can see student work and are more in touch with the curriculumParents can see student work and are more in touch with the curriculum

5. Blog type: edublogs.org More optionsMore options Better presentationBetter presentation Built for educatorsBuilt for educators

6. Can only be seen with a password Easier to use Good for primary grades Spell checker included

7. Classblogmeister.com

8. Sharing our experiences with blogging in the classroom

9. First attempts: Publishing writing to an authentic audience, allowed the students to comment on each other’s work, get immediate feedback, and get comments from family members and other people

15. Other projects: Curriculum Reflection Essays with Multimedia Components Book Reviews

16. Audio assignments

17. More ideas: Uploading artwork Vocabulary Activities Posting Homework etc. Global connections with other classes…

18. Getting Started

19. Introducing Blogging to Your Classroom Teaching your kids internet safety Don’t use full names Don’t give away our location Don’t say the school’s name Don’t put pictures of yourself Informing the parents Classroom letter informing them Getting them excited to go on and be involved Make link available to them (Teacherweb) As long as names and pictures are not on, you do not need signed permission Setting up your blog Blogging in the classroom before expecting the students to do it at home

20. Challenges We’ve Faced Setting it up is time consuming (Melissa can assist) Internet connection at home Media uploading limit Monitoring all the comments (enthusiastic participation) Monitoring internet usage (safety rules)

21. Links to our Old Blogs Jyotsna’s Blog http://www.nanda4b.edublogs.org Rebecca’s Blog http://www.mrsjohn5c.edublogs.org

22. Invitation If you are interested in blogging this year, please let us know. We can work together to brainstorm project ideas and collaboration across grades. If people are interested, we can set up a monthly (?) meeting to give feedback to each other and share ideas of what worked etc.