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Sunday, August 5, 2012

Help Students Learn from Their Peers

If you are looking for ways to connect with other classrooms, check out my article about using Skype in the classroom. Skype has been a great tool for breaking down the classroom walls. If you are like my school and lack the funds for field trips, Skype can be a great resource for you.

My students even had the change to talk with our state governor. They were so excited to learn all about him and see that he is a real person just like them.


Help Students Learn from Their Peers in Other Schools and States with Skype

 

Blogs Create Digital Portfolios

When considering a blog to implement into your classroom, you may be perplexed on which platform would be best for your students. My first year incorporating blog writing with my first graders, I tried the platform of Blogmeister. This is a blogging platform created by David Warlick. This was created for utilization in the classroom setting. It allows teachers to monitor posts/comments. You can upload images as well as manage student rosters with little ease.
The second year of having part of my writing curriculum centered on blog posting, I learned about a platform called Kidblog. I have been using this platform ever since. It is very similar to Blogmeister but provides a few more options for students when creating posts.
I have even played around with Edmodo as a tool for blogging. However, considering my goal for students posting online, a blog was more suited to my needs. There are probably other platforms that are out there but I have found Kidblog to be the most user friendly and appropriate for my class needs.

How have I used the blog....
  1. Pen Pals--I had a pen pal class that used the same blogging platform. My students practiced letter writing, collaborative stories, sharing movies, pictures and much more with their pen pals. 
  2. Stories--My students used the blog as a vehicle to share their creative stories. This allowed all my students to read and comment on the stories versus having one student come up in front of the class at a time to share. 
  3. Parent Involvement--I encouraged parents to comment on the blog. This created some genuine conversation between students and their parents. 
  4. Digital audio/video vehicle--Any digital projects my students created using audio or video programs were posted to the blog. 
  5. Assessment--I have posted math questions and students would respond in the comments with their answers. I have also listed an external link for them to view a digital book then use the blog to write a summary or answer questions. 
  6. Writing Portfolio--Starting from early in the school year until the end, writing was saved on the blog to allow change to be seen over the course of the year. 
I know a lot of teachers do not really see how they could effectively implement a blog into the classroom. In addition, you might think your students are too young to use blogs. My first graders do a lot of one finger typing but progress so much with their typing skills. I have had great success with this digital tool.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me.