Examples from 5th grade Blogs

Here is a link to my 5th grade blog site at Kidblog.org. Keep in mind I do not do any editing of their writing. Most of the responses to the blog that I posted for my Reading group were pretty thoughtful for this group of students. You can also look at some of the other blogs that students posted that linked to Glogster.com (another fun "bloglike" site). We were learning how to link to sites. Some of them also created Wordles from Wordle.net and learned how to upload images to their blogs. Earlier in the year when we first tried out blogging we did some things on the Winter Olympics and poetry. They loved being able to share some of the things they created! There isn't anything earth shattering to show, but I am proud of what we did! Let me know what you think!

Thoughts about Partnership for 21st Century Skills

The website Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) is an overwhelmingly large resource of ideas, blogs, articles, lessons, videos, etc. for educators and schools looking to join the movement towards getting our students ready for the innovations of the real world. The site offers insight into the importance of the three Rs (English, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography.) and four Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation) as well as a variety of tools and links to help educators understand what the Partnership is and how to support them through standards and curriculum. According to the website, the thinking behind this partnership stems from concerns of “a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21st century communities and workplaces.”

What information on the site surprised you?

I was surprised by some of the negative comments that were written in some of the blogs. A few people seemed to be defensive about the need for such a program and were not fully convinced that it was a feasible project with all the other standards schools must focus on. Not everyone seemed to understand that “integration” meant that we would incorporate the three Rs and 4 Cs into what we are already doing, making it a part of the curriculum, not something completely new. I was also surprised to learn how many states have already joined the partnership.

Did you disagree with anything on the site? Explain.

This Partnership is something pretty new to me, so I have little to disagree with right now. As I learn more about what it all means to schools and educators like myself, my opinions may change.

What are the implications for your students, and for you as a contemporary educator?

As a contemporary educator it is important for me to keep up with the ever changing world that will eventually be welcoming students from my classroom. This means that staying aware of the skills and innovations that are going on in the working world and how it relates to the skills that I am teaching in the classroom will be very important. I will have to integrate many of the skills that students will need to be efficient, collaborative, and resourceful into the lessons that I teach in order to help students be successful in life.

Thanks

Thanks to everyone that posted ideas! Just the other day I had my 5th graders practice linking sites to their blogs. I asked them to find a website that contained information about the water cycle (we are studying Lake Ecology). This was no easy task, even after I demonstrated how to do it on my own blog. It really made it clear that it is important to teach blogging in steps. If we had more time this year, I think we could really do a lot with it! I think we will continue to use it this year as a way to write reactions to ideas and questions about our last science unit. It seems to be a great way to hold their attention for these last few weeks!

Blogging Ideas

I just recently tried blogging with my 5^th grade language students. I have set up an account through kidblog.org. It is a site that is very user-friendly as well as kid-friendly. It allows me to change the settings so that I can approve of all posts and comments before they are posted on the web. The only people that can see the blogs are the students in my class, they must login with a password.

My first attempt at using http://www.kidblog.org/ involved giving the students a prompt on my own blog and then asking them to respond or “comment”. My prompt asked them, “What is blogging and what rules should there be?" It was a great way to get an idea of what they already know about blogging as well as a way to help them get comfortable using the website. I learned right away that although most students had heard of blogging, they had no idea how to respond correctly, much like what the teacher in the video mentioned (Laureate DVD, 2008). Following this first attempt we engaged in many conversations while I modeled how to comment on a blog. On our second attempt, I had students post a favorite poem they had written. They were asked to read two other poems and leave appropriate feedback. Students were quick to catch on and looked forward to checking back to see what others had written.

Another idea I would like to try with my students would involve using their blog as a place to gather and post information about their favorite author. I would like to have them engage in posting their favorite author as well as information about them. This might include pictures, book lists, and links to sites that contain information they found useful. I would then like others to respond to the information by reading a book by the same author and giving feedback about what book they chose to read and why. I think it would be a great way to create a sort of reading circle that would not only inspire students to read, but would be a way generate enthusiasm about a new author while utilizing the conversation to help gain stronger comprehension skills.

DVD: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Laureate Education, Inc. 2008

Hi! I am currently teaching 5th grade (only 17 days to go), but who knows what classroom I will be in next year. I am really motivated by technology and love trying out and learning new things, especially when it is something I can try out with my class. This year my fellow 5th grade teacher and I created a website to use with our students. It has turned out to be an extremely useful tool for lots of reasons. Parents love it because they can "see" into our classroom and look at schedules, homework, and pictures. Students love it because they can easily navigate sites that are pre-book marked. They also love seeing their work or pictures of things that they are doing in the classroom. Teachers love it for all of the same reasons. I have tried to entice others to try out a class website but I get the 'ol "I don't have time for that!" response. But I honestly think that if some of them gave it a try, they might get the "technology bug" too! Leave a post and tell me how what got you motivated to want to learn more about technology!