SummercoreLearning2008

I have been thinking about how to introduce my 5th graders to blogging, and then I came upon this lesson plan on EdTech: Focus K-12

Creating Bloggers

Students study existing blogs to learn how to create their own

Lesson description: Start by having students become familiar with blogs and evaluate several existing sites. Students can use an evaluation sheet (see a sample at www.edtechmag.com/k12) to organize their thoughts. Introduce the concept of specialty blogs and discuss the possible benefits of creating or reading them. Exploring blogs also gives students the opportunity to make choices about what to read in order to reach their knowledge goals.

Next, allow students to pick topics for their blogs. This can be a homework assignment where they consult with friends and family. Before students write their first blog entry, introduce them to basic blog mechanics such as how to create a post, how to link to another site and how to comment. To finish the lesson, have students use their blog evaluation sheets as an outline for creating their first blog entry, which will describe some of the sites they have viewed. A printable worksheet, such as the sample at www.edtechmag.com/k12 (I could not find it… so I did not make a huperlink) can be a step-by-step guide to the assignment. When students have completed the lesson, they can visit other student blogs and leave constructive feedback.

Subject area: This assignment can be modified to apply to almost any subject area or age group.

Curriculum standards: This lesson addresses the following standards from the National Council of Teachers of English:

* Students will gain awareness of diverse literacy communities.
* Students will practice critical-thinking skills.
* Students will evaluate and comment on online literature.

This lesson also addresses these National Educational Technology Standards for Students:

* Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity.
* Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations.
* Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate and use information.

Resources:

* Adora’s Blog
* Blogging 101: An Introduction to Reading and Writing a Blog
* Blogging Tips for Beginners

Grading Rubric: This project introduces a unit and can be graded in conjunction with the final online portfolio or on its own. Students’ grades should be based on their ability to create their own blog, successfully post an entry and share their blog with others.

Adora Svitak is a 10-year-old internationally published author who wrote her first book, Flying Fingers: Mastering the Tools of Learning Through the Joy of Writing, when she was 7. She has since published a second book, Dancing Fingers, and has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News and CNN. She teaches several classes a week through videoconferencing.
Teaching Tips

* Before beginning this lesson, make sure your students understand standard web safety.
* If your school has web safety regulations and filters, you may want to clear the list of blogs students will read with a school administrator.
* Make your blog list long enough that students can choose not to evaluate certain blogs — explain that they get to choose which blogs to evaluate. The element of choice is essential.
* As long as they are age-appropriate, not every blog on your list needs to be exemplary — choosing a few duds allows students to flex their critical muscles.

I would like to experiment with podcasting with mu 5th graders this year, but I don’t know much about it.  I came across this lesson plan while browsing the Website: EdTech, Focus on K-12.  There are also many other links about podcasting on this site.

LESSON DESCRIPTION: Students create a podcast of what they’ve learned.

Radio WillowWeb is a Web site can collect students’ podcasts, and produce them for other students, educators and family members to listen to. Topics for podcasts may be selected by the teacher, but often are a result of student enthusiasm for a unit of study. Teachers follow these steps to create their podcasts:

* Students learn the format of a podcast and plan what content they will include.
* Working in small groups or with the whole class, students develop an outline.
* Students practice reading their scripts to other students.
* Recording takes place outside the classroom; the technology teacher edits the content and publishes it on the school’s Web site.

SUBJECT AREA: Reading and writing are the most obvious curricular connections. Depending on the topic, the podcast can include any other unit the students are studying.

RESOURCES: Students need access to the Web and print materials for research. Willowdale uses digital audio recording software to record and enhance podcasts. The only other necessary equipment is a USB headset microphone. To complete publishing, you need access to a Web server. A podcast requires a Web page and an RSS feed.

These Web sites include reference and tutorial assistance:

* Educational consultant Tony Vincent’s Web site has a download for the planning sheets used for Radio WillowWeb, as well as step-by-step instructions for creating podcasts.
* Educational author Dan Schmit provides general information about podcasting in the classroom.www.

Teaching Tips:

(from Cathy Greenwald, technology specialist at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Neb.)

* To create PC podcasts, the free software Audacity is recommended for recording. Making the music requires additional software.
* Publicize your podcast by advertising it on your school’s home page. Expand your audience by submitting the Web address of your RSS feed to podcast directories.
* Try to keep the podcast 10 minutes or shorter, especially if your audience is elementary school students.
http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/april-may-2007/lesson-plans-i.html
http://snipurl.com/3ftmo

1. Do You Know Your Teacher?

Create a Who Is Your Teacher? bulletin board to use with your introduction.

In a small school with a close-knit community I “know” the students in my class prior to them actually being in my class, and in turn they think they “know” me.

As an icebreaker/opening activity we do a tried and true activity, KWL, with the topic being “Mrs. Krause.” For those unfamiliar with the activity, the students make a list of things they already “K”now about the topic, things they “W”ant to know about the topic and after the “lesson” the students list what they have “L”earned about the topic. We generally get a pretty good list going about what they know about me (common knowledge) …. I drive a Toyota Highlander, I have three kids, I like to run…. Then we get a list of what they want to know… in the past, the students have wanted to know what do I do for fun, what kinds of music do I listen to, and if have I ever met anyone famous ….

Now for the lesson… I prepare a list of facts about myself, ranging from where I was born to I Have run six marathons, and other similarly “interesting” facts.. I fold each one and put them all in my fact jar. I have a large piece of white butcher paper taped to the board with my name circled in the center. (This introduces the free-form concept mapping activity I use regularly in class.) I ask for volunteers and one by one the students illustrate the fact and students guess what it is… when someone gets in right, they illustrate the next fact! I tell them that they will need to learn this valuable information about me.

The next day – I leave the class map of me up, and pass out a 20 question “quiz” in multiple choice format, and tell them to feel free to use the “visual resource” on the wall. Auughhhh a quiz on the second day, they groan…. good news for them is that after I “grade” the quizzes, I return them the next day with a coupon attached… I grade the quiz based on 10 questions and for every question they get right over the 10, they get a coupon worth that many extra credit points on a real quiz!

We then go back to the KWL list and I have the students contribute things they learned about me… So now, the mysterious teacher at the front of the class seems to be more like a real person to everyone, and for homework they are to create their own free-form concept of themselves (7-10 facts illustrated on a 81/2X11 unlined paper), and viola, I have great “stuff” for a bulletin board just in time for open house.

2. Fun Ways To Learn Classroom Rules

Create a crossword puzzle using classroom rules as the clues. The Criss-Cross Puzzle at Discovery School’s Puzzlemaker will make the puzzle for you; you just need to enter the information.

Create a different word search puzzle with a hidden message for each student. The hidden messages can be rules or policies for your classroom or positive words of encouragement for the new year. The Hidden Message Word Search Puzzle at Discovery School’s Puzzlemaker will make the puzzle for you. You tell it what the message is to be and what words you want the students to find.

Vodpod

BLOGGING: IT’S ELEMENTARY!
This webquest is designed to introduce elementary students to blogging. Its intention is to get teachers and students thinking about using blogging to develop literacies in the elementary school.  The goal is to use blogs to engage students in thinking and blogging about their learning and what it means to them. Topics for the blogging posts will be pulled from the classroom curriculum.

The teacher should maintain a class blog to model the process for students, and to celebrate these new opportunities to demonstrate responsible and appropriate educational  use of blogs by elementary students. Reflections will be written by both the teacher and students and used as learning strategies to think more thoughtfully and apply what they are learning to the every day world.

From a responsible “commenter“:

A free exchange of ideas is important. At the same time, words or access to some information can be of harm to others, intentionally or unintentionally. As a commenter, I therefore aspire to participate responsibly in the great online conversation by:

* treating all bloggers with respect.

* seeking first to understand what is being said.

* celebrating another’s accomplishments.

* using school appropriate language.

* rephrasing ideas in the blog that made me think, made me feel, or helped me learn to let the blogger know his/her voice has been heard.

* commenting specifically and positively, without criticism. If I disagree, I will comment appropriately, politely stating my perspective.

* being mindful always that I may be a role model to my audience, especially if they are younger than I.

* making no reference to, link to, and/or giving access to any information that may be inappropriate for a school setting.

* asking at least one question in my comment with the hopes of continuing a conversation and deepening thinking.

* using a triple check before submitting any comment: Would I be happy to have my mother read this comment? My grandmother? My favorite teacher?

Step One: Start Small
The more manageable it starts out, the more open everyone will be to adding more exciting pieces to the puzzle. One blog, one username, one password, one e-mail account – simple, simple, simple.

Step Two: Introduce the Project
Take several classes to introduce this project. Start with an adaptation of Anne Davis’ fantastic WebQuest: Blogging: It’s Elementary!

Lesson One
Read the ABC’s of Blogging blook in small groups or partners.Have each student pick a favorite letter and read only that page and then come together to discuss what everyone has learned. Then, create a class Inspiration mind map of the big ideas learned from the Blook – later, this will be posted on the class blog for commenting by students and parents.

Lesson Two
Take a look at some student blogs; start with the selection listed on the WebQuest. The focus will be figuring out the different parts of a blog – what are the pieces that make up a good blog (titles, posts, comments, date of entry, links, calendar, etc). Make sure students understand how to navigate a blog so that they can find their way around the partner class blogs when they’re ready.

Lesson Three
Discuss online safety and appropriate behavior. Use the Think Before You Post video. The first time around pause the video every few seconds to make sure the students understand what’s happening – there’s a lot going on in this video! Watch it a few times with pauses and a few times all the way through. This will lead to a discussion about what is safe to put online and a class guidelines for online safety – which should be posted on the class blog.

Next discuss appropriate behaviors online.Talk a little bit about cyber-bullying (video on cyber-bulling) so that the students understand that behavior expectations online are exactly the same as behavior expectations in class with the teacher present. Discuss how, when and where to share our feelings. Everything  discussed can be added to the Inspiration map at the end of the lesson.

Lesson Four
One more introductory lesson:experiment with learnerblogs by learning about the basics of posting (basic formatting, inserting images and links), the category function, and how to find their partner blogs. There will also be one teacher-written post for the entire class to comment on for the first step (this could be the post with the Inspiration map and class guidelines for online safety).

Step Three: Begin and Maintain a Routine
Once the introductory steps all mapped out – the students understand what’s happening, the teacher is comfortable with the technology tools, and the parents are all on board -  begin to blog regularly as part of the normal classroom routine. Making time once a week to read a partner class blog and leave comments is a great way to connect with other students on issues and ideas that they can relate to.

Step Four: Build
After a few months of writing, students should be ready to add in more exciting elements. Perhaps start some podcasting or some VoiceThread that the kids can share. This project can grow into something bigger over time. At the very least, it becomes an integral part of school-home communication and that parents, students and teachers see the value in this ongoing conversation about learning.

The ABCs of Blogging

Here is a comprehensive interactive tutorial on blogging by and for kids. It is the creation of 5th graders!  Below is the instructor’s explanation of this ambitious project and tremendous learning tool. A critical understanding for me is that kids need to be explicitly taught how to use blogs responsibly.

Introduction
This book was written by a group of fifth grade students from J. H. House Elementary school in Conyers, Georgia. I have worked with this group on a weblog project combining a group of ESL students and their native English-speaking classmates. Students developed their abilities as speakers, listeners, readers, writers, and thinkers using weblogs to write about topics of interest to them. You can view the class weblog at http://anvil.gsu.edu/wrinkles.

This book is a way for us to celebrate our learning journey. Students brainstormed words that came to their minds about blogging. Then they added idioms to the list. We had so much fun incorporating them into our writings on our weblogs.  See our “Idioms Are Fun” weblog located at http://anned.tblog.com.

I’d like to explain how we came up with the title “Our ABC Blook on Blogging.” One day as everyone was working diligently on our ABC Weblog book, Derrick came up with a great new word. The word is blook. He said we were making an ABC book on blogs so the name should be blook!  We all agreed and hence, the creative title.

Anne Davis
Instructional Technology Specialist
Instructional Technology Center
Georgia State University
adavis@gsu.edu

MyStudiyo is a fun way to create quizzes.  I tried it out with a 5th grade-level computation skills quiz.