I am thrilled to be back for year 2 of the blogging project (especially since we are given more time to work on our blogs). The kids are very excited to create their individual blogs and I feel more comfortable leading through the process of setting them up this year. I have also enjoyed helping the Gr. 4/5 class at my school begin blogs too. It will be interesting to see what those students are doing when they enter Grade 6.
Since attending George Couros’ workshop on blogging, I am being more adventurous in the posting of student photos (and now show more than the back of their heads). We are still spending LOTS of time on digital responsibility and keep that at the forefront of every discussion we have about our blogs. I hope that the learning about responsibility students gain this year will remain with them when they leave my classroom.
I hope that posting their learning to their blog will become second nature to my students and that I will be able to use their blogs when I assess their work. I hope that the feedback given by myself and others will help students continually improve their skills and challenge their thinking. I also hope that it gives my students more opportunities to share their learning outside the classroom. It will allow myself and their classmates opportunities to get to know the “whole” student. Hopefully the public nature of the classroom blogs will allow students to make connections that open doors to more learning.
Leigh Cassell Consulting 