I have a "writing block", and sometimes my kids write during the block, and sometimes they don't. But, my students write all day. A "writing block" is not required to teach writing, writing is required. I am sure we are all in agreement, our students have to write!
There are so many ways to incorporate writing into the curriculum, but my favorite tool is blogging. I use Kidblog because it is simple to set up, kid and teacher friendly, and safe. My students love the ability to have an audience on Kidblog. What better way to motivate students to write well, then to know other people, all over the world, will read what you have posted? An authentic audience creates an authentic writer!(Quadblogging , Comments4Kids, and my TwitterPLN provide an excellent audience)
Of course, this doesn't happen automatically. But as time goes on, and they receive more comments, they begin to take ownership of what they post on their page. I sent the link to their parents in order to allow them to become invested in their child's writing. I have a student who edits over the weekend, the weekend! She edited 5 of her posts in one weekend.
Every day, during at least one subject, my students write. They write in their notebooks first, this gives me a chance to have a conference, if necessary. It gives them a chance to edit and proofread. They might write to explain how to solve a Math problem, tell a story using their Word Sort words, research a topic, give their opinion on an article from Tweentribune, there are numerous opportunities.
But what I love the most, is the question, "Can I post this on my blog?" My blog. They can post wherever they have Internet access. Our PLVRoom8 is my writer's motivator! Every student in my class has at least one post so far, but the school year has just begun. I'm looking forward to finding the author in all of them.
Write on, kids, write on! :)
I just started Kidblog this past week (yes it is summer vacation) and notified the parents of the students I will have next year. 7 students are already on and blogging about what they're reading over the summer. I cannot believe the power of the blog!
ReplyDeleteThat is great Remer! One year, I had a student create a SuperHero series on his blog. Students would write in asking him to finish it.They love blogging!:)
ReplyDeleteHow did you select Kidblog? over Edublog? From the outside, it looks like the right choice, but the proof is in the using.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa.
@Jacqui, Actually I use both. I use Edublogs for my class page. I thought about using it for my student blogs, but the whole process of setting them up two years ago was too much for me. (It's a lot easier now) I have used Kidblog for the last two years, and have never had a problem! Who knows, maybe I will give Edublogs a try this year. :)
ReplyDeleteI just found kidblog. The students helped me 'test drive' it the last couple of weeks of school. I hope to really utilize it this upcoming school year. I also hope to get it UNBlOCKED from our school district (sigh). I like kidblog, because I can use the wordpress app on my ios devices to edit on the fly. It's similar to Wordpress.
ReplyDeleteWhy would they block Kidblog? Make sure you tell them you can moderate the comments! I found that if I ask to have things unblocked, and prove they're safe, my district usually goes along with me.
ReplyDeleteI used kidblog last year. I would be interested in any rules other teachers have used for posts. I found it easy enough to set up, and I liked it closed so no creepy-crawlies from the public could make any contact with us. I guess I need to look into edublog.
ReplyDelete