I am really excited to incorporate kidblog.org into my classroom. I have discussed blogging with my students, but I have not officially started. I plan on setting up my class once I finish this blog. We are going to start reading the book "The Contender" and I think blogging will be a great addition to our book conversations. I plan on splitting the time and having the students read to themselves and listen to me read. I think having an ongoing conversation about the characters, setting, plot and other story elements will help aid in comprehension. I will also ask my students to react to certain parts in the book and make inferences. A blog can be a wonderful tool because unlike a conversation it is documentation of a students comprehension and shows whether or not the student has a particular skill, which can help when writing students IEP's and progress reports.
I really want to spend more time exploring my resources and new technology. It is difficult because I want to feel comfortable with the technology before I introduce it to my students. I feel like I never have enough hours in the day to explore and then apply to my teaching. This class has helped because it has offered me many different resources and I feel like I have a better understanding of how I can incorporate different activities into my classroom.
Meredith~
ReplyDeleteAny time we can connect literature to students is a win win situation. I think the blogging will be highly beneficial with your students'. The skills you are involving are vital to comprehension and the understanding of the story.
I also feel your frustration when it comes to time and understanding of new technology. I feel just when I found a new site or new way to utilize a tool something new comes up. I guess I take one new item at a time and give it a whirl in the classroom. Luck in your blog!
Hi Meredith
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in a blog for my classroom when we read the novel "Frankenstein" next month. Like you my students will need to read at home, and having them respond in a blog will help create dialogue after/around certain points in the plot. I think it will provide motivation for completing their homework reading so that they can add to the conversation! I agree with you about the time factor. Every blog that I've read has a comment about not enough time! I almost can't wait for summer not so that we have a break, but so that I will have more time to research and work on adding technology to units!
Meredith,
ReplyDeleteTo bring the blogs into the classroom, you can also bring some of their posts/responses into the classroom discussion. For example, if you have an LCD projector, you can pull the blog up and highlight the part you want to discuss. "I want to talk about what John posted about the ___________. I think ________________." Or something like that. This would especially good for the insightful, yet shy students that don't say much during a discussion.
I find that most students read a book for the words only, and lack thinking about it. No matter how much we stress and instruct them in using reading strategies, many still don't use them. Incorporating a blog into a literature discussion will be very motivational to students and will encourage them to use their strategies.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!