Submitted by Jim R. Moulton (not verified) on February 15, 2008 - 04:25.
Bonnie -
As a former Grade Three teacher in a rural elementary school, I hear your voice clearly...
As I talk about in my Spiral Notebook post here it is critically important to balance the technical tool with a developmental or educational need. So... what if you took a topic that you are studying in Grade 3 - be it regions of the US, countries around the world, biomes, etc. - and then used a blog as a place to pull together all of the students' evidence of learning. In other words, you, the teacher, can build a collection of their published writing online.
Now you are, of course, going to treat confidentiality seriously, but what a great chance to discuss this important 21st century skill openly and with purpose! And the best part is that your kids will be writing for a real audience - not only family at home but also relatives who live in another city or state will be able to share in the excitement of seeing their niece or nephew's work online!
It gives lots of reasons to "get it right" and work harder to be the best writer one can be.
I would think a blog could also be a great place for you to post information and resources for your students. Look closely at the ideas given in the column above, and then scale them to your kids... Use the ideas to get inspired, use your experience to make the real... To get more ideas I would head here.
This tool will give your kids a chance to be involved as players in the online world. As far as making use of them, think evlutionary steps, not revolutionary... Start small, real small. The most important step, just as in your students' progress, is the first step! Good luck!
Use it with purpose...
Submitted by Jim R. Moulton (not verified) on February 15, 2008 - 04:25.
Bonnie -
As a former Grade Three teacher in a rural elementary school, I hear your voice clearly...
As I talk about in my Spiral Notebook post here it is critically important to balance the technical tool with a developmental or educational need. So... what if you took a topic that you are studying in Grade 3 - be it regions of the US, countries around the world, biomes, etc. - and then used a blog as a place to pull together all of the students' evidence of learning. In other words, you, the teacher, can build a collection of their published writing online.
Now you are, of course, going to treat confidentiality seriously, but what a great chance to discuss this important 21st century skill openly and with purpose! And the best part is that your kids will be writing for a real audience - not only family at home but also relatives who live in another city or state will be able to share in the excitement of seeing their niece or nephew's work online!
It gives lots of reasons to "get it right" and work harder to be the best writer one can be.
I would think a blog could also be a great place for you to post information and resources for your students. Look closely at the ideas given in the column above, and then scale them to your kids... Use the ideas to get inspired, use your experience to make the real... To get more ideas I would head here.
This tool will give your kids a chance to be involved as players in the online world. As far as making use of them, think evlutionary steps, not revolutionary... Start small, real small. The most important step, just as in your students' progress, is the first step! Good luck!
Jim