Classroom Blogging Anyone?

The click-curious visitor to this page will notice that the archive goes back to 2005. I was teaching Math and Science to 5th graders that year. I was having a blast in the Spring when my work-sister, Liz Canales, came in one afternoon and said that we were being told to stop teaching Science and I had to pick up a Writer's Workshop block.  Teachers learn to roll with the punches.

I love to teach the writing process and had been trained in the New Jersey Writing Project, so I wasn't afraid of it at all. But I wanted to try "different" out.  I had dabbled in blogging and tried it with my students. It was a rather life-changing experience.

Not my students. From Dr.Wesley Fryer. 
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3780/9073676538_c794cda35c.jpg

My students used this blog, named differently back then, to read my daily prompt and then respond to it in the comments.  It took very little training, even back then. I had non-enthused students actually running to the blog center during that time in workshop. I couldn't get much on paper from some students who maintained great effort to write their ideas online. I had good students evolve into personal bloggers at home. (Yes, fifth graders in 2005.)

We had rules, of course. The first post was all about our Guidelines. There were to follow the rules or Mr Martin would rain fury down upon them. Well, that was my face-to-face comment, but I learned that it was not needed at all.  They learned by doing. They self-policed.

"Don't use any names or identifying information." "Don't use bad language." One day, a student posted a comment with questionable language. Soon after, you read a comment from another student, "bob, you aren't supposed to .."  That post fueled another student to share, "AC, you aren't supposed to post names!" I sat back and watched with pride.

Fifth graders learned the etiquette of NOT TYPING IN ALL CAPS and not repeating characters for graphic effect!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a progression of improvement that they bought into.

Students will often surprise the teacher when given a chance to do something new that is engaging and they find worth in. Want to start blogging? There are some great ways to step into that great student-empowering environment. Let's talk. I will be sharing some blogging-specific tools here in the near future.

Have you blogged with students? I'd love to hear about your experience or have you share the URL in the comments below!