Blogging Why should our classes blog at Holy Holy Family

The Blockbuster Tour

Reflect What technology has changed in the last ten years?

ICON It is an expectation that the spaces in Ultranet will be used to create collaborative learning spaces. Global 2 (edublogs) Blogging is a tool that can simply drop straight into a collaborative learning space on Ultranet. The CEO are telling us to prepare staff for ICON by setting up blogs. Digital portfolios will be an expectation.

Why should we blog? Literacy Skills ICT Skills Audience and Purpose Collaboration Developing Inquiry Feedback Sharing Successes Cybersafety Making Learning Visual Engagement

Cybersafety Building a positive digital footprint Modelling appropriate online behaviours Effective digital citizenship

ICT Skills Students and teachers learn ICT skills through creating blog posts They use ICT tools involving images, videos, audio, presenting information, etc A lot of the ICT curriculum standards are covered through blogging

Sharing Successes When students succeed at something they can share it with a wider audience Parents, peers, school community, global community

Collaboration Students can collaborate with other students or classes on projects Parents can be involved in their child’s learning The global community can become part of the learning process Classes can be part of world wide projects (eg. World Read Aloud Day/Feb 29th)

Engagement Students are engaged as they have a clear purpose for their work and are sharing it with an audience Students are often engaged when working with ICT tools Students are creating Students receive feedback on their posts

Literacy Skills Leaving comments teaches students to think carefully about what they write and revise Students read their own blog as well as others Writing for a purpose motivates students to write better Publishing audio and video increases oral language skills Blogs give you authentic reasons to model many literacy skills

Feedback Peers Parents Teachers Classes from around Australia/world Experts

Audience and Purpose Everything is produced for a purpose with an audience in mind Having a clear purpose increases motivation and engagement Writing now has an audience. Work is not left in books it is published for the world to see!

Developing Inquiry Connecting with experts Taking action that matters Researching Sharing understandings Can be used as an inquiry wall

Making Learning Visible A window into the classroom Parents can access the blog at anytime day or night and see what is happening in class Use past posts to draw conclusions and reflect on learning Use the blog as assessment of learning An archive of learning

Resources -Kathleen Morris: Integrating Technology in the Classroom -Celia Coffa: Presentation at St Luke’s Blackburn South -Jenny Luca: reasons-why-kids-should-know-how-to-blog/ reasons-why-kids-should-know-how-to-blog/

STAGES OF BLOGGING

Stage One Read Blogs Comment on Blogs

Stage Two Contribute to the Holy Family practice blog Build skills in a safe and supported environment Support each other as we learn

Stage Three Start your own class blog Class blog - teacher controlled/ student centred Class blog - students take more control

Grade 4 Girl’s First Ski Jump

Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still. Chinese Proverb

What to do next? Explore and comment on some of the blogs in the Collect four ideas that can be used for practise blog posts next PLT These could include – photos, samples of students work (we can take the photos in the PLT), videos, topics

Something to think about… How are you making learning visible? How are you contributing to the learning of others outside your own classroom?