ipad Training

I'm really looking forward to getting some cool literacy tips and hopefully meeting for lunch!!! xx

Blogging

Very impressed at how blogging has taken off in BDS- We love http://www.fodey.com/! All classes now have a blog- now I just need to make sure they are regulary updated- A way i'm trying to that is to set commenting as part of homework- and getting the kids to visit other class blogs and leave a positive comment.
Tonight we're showing our Solo maps from class- looking forward to grabbing more ideas x

Blogging Buddies

So proud of my class blog! Yes BDS has decided to make blogs compulsory this year- for many reasons here are 21 super ones!!!

1. It is FUN! Fun!….. I hear your sceptical exclamation!! However, it is wonderful when students think they are having so much fun, they forget that they are actually learning. authentic audience – no longer working for a teacher who checks and evalutes work but  a potential global audience.
2. Suits all learning styles – special education students- needs and abilities.
3. Increased motivation for writing – all students are happy to write and complete aspects of the post topic.
4. Many will add to it in their own time- motivational homework reading and responding to others.
5. Increased motivation for reading – students will happily spend a lot of time browsing through fellow student posts and their global counterparts. Many have linked their friends onto their blogroll for quick access. Many make comments.
6. Improved confidence levels –  Students can share their strengths and upload areas of interest or units of work eg personal digital photography, their pets, hobbies etc
7. Staff are given an often rare insight into what some students are good at. We find talents that were otherwise unknown and it allows us to work on those strengths. It allows staff to often gain insight to how students are feeling and thinking.
8. Pride in their work – students want their blogs to look good in both terms of presentation and content. Blogs allow text, multimedia, widgets, audio and images – all items that digital natives want to use
9. Increased proofreading and validation skills
10. Improved awareness of possible dangers that may confront them in the real world, whilst in a sheltered classroom environment
11. Ability to share – part of the conceptual revolution that we are entering. They can share with each other, staff, their parents, the community, and the globe.
12. Mutual learning between students and staff and students.
13. Parents with internet access can view their child’s work and writings – an important element in the parent partnership with the classroom. Grandparents from somewhere like England may have made comments on student posts.
14. Blogs may be used for digital portfolios and all the benefits this entails
15. Work is permanently stored, easily accessed and valuable comparisons can be made over time for assessment and evaluation purposes
16. Students are digital natives - blogging is a natural element of this.
17. Gives students a chance  to show responsibility and trustworthiness and promotes independence.
18. Prepares students for digital citizenship as they learn cybersafety .
19. Fosters peer to peer mentoring. Students are happy to share, learn from and teach their peers (and this, often not their usual social groups)
20. Allows student led professional development and one more……
21. Students set the topics for posts – leads to deeper thinking activities

This is surely powerful learning!!

Check out my class blog http://www.room20bds2011.blogspot.com/

Website information recieved from 02/03/2011: http://murcha.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/20-reasons-why-students-should-blog/