Friday, September 21, 2007
Very Good Music
Having nothing to do with anything, may I say that my 8 year old and I are enormously enjoying The Parselmouths cd, Illegal Love Potion. You can listen to some of their stuff here.
Encourage some kids!
My middle schoolers are working on a blog! Some of the content is standard library fare, and some of it is purely student-driven. It would be awesome if people would read some of their posts and make encouraging comments. Thanks!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Well, guess what?
I am now a middle school librarian! In August, I made the switch to Greenfield Middle School. Now I get to read all that great YA stuff and call it 'work!'
Excitingly, I am working with a terrific group of kids who want to design the library website. We just started noodling around--in the next few days and weeks, they'll be deciding upon the look and content of the site. It's interesting (and a nice stretch for me) to relinquish control and allow the kids to do the thinking and planning. We'll see how it goes! We'll tackle blogs and wikis later in the school year.
Excitingly, I am working with a terrific group of kids who want to design the library website. We just started noodling around--in the next few days and weeks, they'll be deciding upon the look and content of the site. It's interesting (and a nice stretch for me) to relinquish control and allow the kids to do the thinking and planning. We'll see how it goes! We'll tackle blogs and wikis later in the school year.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Difference Between Blogs and Wikis
Here's a nice little quote that makes sense to me:
"Blogs and wikis strike me as polar opposites in terms of whom they work for. Blogs are for people who have something to say and want a place to say it, separate from other conversations. Wikis are for people who wish to contribute behind the scenes, building something organically. Both are great media; I find it interesting that they are so different in terms of the flavor of the contribution. Both permit, well, larger conversations; a blog is far less ephemeral than one's contributions on an email discussion group, and wikis accrete content with each modification. And both allow the reader to put the content in context."
Bates, Mary Ellen. "Communications two point oh!(info pro)(blogs, wikis as medium of expression for people)(Viewpoint essay)." EContent 30.5 (June 2007): 23(1). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Jones Library, Inc.. 26 July 2007
That said, I'm using this blog as a paperless place to file thoughts and ideas I want to be able to locate when I need them.
"Blogs and wikis strike me as polar opposites in terms of whom they work for. Blogs are for people who have something to say and want a place to say it, separate from other conversations. Wikis are for people who wish to contribute behind the scenes, building something organically. Both are great media; I find it interesting that they are so different in terms of the flavor of the contribution. Both permit, well, larger conversations; a blog is far less ephemeral than one's contributions on an email discussion group, and wikis accrete content with each modification. And both allow the reader to put the content in context."
Bates, Mary Ellen. "Communications two point oh!(info pro)(blogs, wikis as medium of expression for people)(Viewpoint essay)." EContent 30.5 (June 2007): 23(1). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Jones Library, Inc.. 26 July 2007
That said, I'm using this blog as a paperless place to file thoughts and ideas I want to be able to locate when I need them.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Proposal for School-Wide Vocabulary Wiki
Okay, so – I have been wildly distracted this week by the coming of HP & the Deathly Hallows and Wizardstock at Harvard Yard. I now have my book, though I cannot bring myself to read it; my children have grown up with Rowling’s characters. I could not bear it if awful things happened to Neville again, or if Hagrid is killed. In any case, it has ceased to become a work-stopping distraction.
Wikis!
Here is what a wiki is:
“The simplest online database that could possibly work.
Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.
Wiki is unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself.
Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users.”
Source: http://www.wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki
From Ward Cunningham, originator of the wiki concept
I wrote in an earlier post about using wikis for group vocabulary building. This is an expansion of that idea.
A brilliant colleague of mine, Kathleen Bridgewater, is always looking for wonderful and inspiring ways to raise up student learning. Earlier this year, she taught some professional development sessions for our staff at Erving Elementary School and presented some exciting, fabulous, and very do-able ideas.
One of Kathleen’s main concepts is the idea that vocabulary, in order to be meaningful, must be taught in context. Lists of vocabulary words to look up (and write sentences with) are not so very useful if our goal is to expand our students’ actual use lexicons. Instead, we need to show kids how words are used, in phrases, idioms, the quirks of our language. Some tools she showed us are the Collins Cobuild Dictionary and the Collins Concordance Sample website.
Another of Kathleen’s awesome ideas is that vocabulary instruction can happen across the grades. She envisioned bulletin boards throughout the school, like a ribbon at 3rd-grader eye level, on which words that children were learning and using in their curriculum could be posted. The words, their definitions, the specific phrases in which they were encountered, and some visual representation of the meaning. While lining up for recess or bathroom trips, kids would be surrounded by useful words in useful context! Kathleen also envisioned days when everyone in the school, staff and kids, would wear words around their necks, like field day for vocabulary: People would be invited to stop in the halls and challenge one another to define the words. They could swap words, share words, talk about words! Kids might even stump teachers!
Here’s where the wikis come in. Earlier, I had written about classroom vocabulary wikis, updated daily by a designated student. I think that this could go school-wide. Words could be added for each subject area as they come up. Students will each get a turn to be their classroom’s daily word wiki recorder, entering the word, where they saw it, during what lesson, in what phrase, and the meaning that makes sense in that context. As the year goes on, students in other classes could add entries for the same words as they see them, with new phrases and shades of meaning. Everyone, including parents, could read the entries. One hope is that kids would become inspired to add words that they learn via their free-choice reading, too. The librarian (me) could oversee the project, making sure entries stayed true to the spirit of the project and school-worthy.
I think I would start by sharing the practicality of wikis with my colleagues in a professional development session. I might show them the pb wiki video clips that Dave shared with our class. I might also show them the UW videos, though we wouldn’t watch them together, as they’re too long for an afternoon professional development session! Next, I would show them the prototype vocabulary wiki that I have set up.
The biggest roadblock to vocabulary wiki success would probably be time. Teachers are so busy. They might like this idea or be inspired by this, but wonder where they are going to find the time to get comfortable with using the wiki so that they can turn around and show kids how to do it. I think the solution is for me, the librarian, to be the keeper of the wiki. I’ll set it up, I’ll maintain the content. I’ll train everyone during a professional development session so that they don’t have to carve out time to learn. All staff members will get printed directions, and we’ll make a link both to the wiki and to the use directions from the school web page. We’ll practice together for an afternoon. There might be some staff who will choose not to use this in their daily practice, and that’s okay. But I can already see in my mind’s eye who will get excited about this and begin using it right away. Once we have some substantial entries and begin sharing the link with parents, I think things will really take off.
There are so many benefits!
1—Vocabulary building. Students will get tuned into discovering new words during their lessons and reading. When they see new words, they will grab them instead of sliding over them and hoping they are not important.
2—Community building across grades. Students will have a chance to read one another’s entries. They will be encouraged to talk with one another about them, especially if kids find that they are reading and enjoying the same novels or have the same non fiction interest.
3—Friendly competition. How many common phrases can you find that use that word? How many distinct definitions?
4—Critical thinking. Students will be asked to use at least two different dictionaries when recording definitions for the words they post. Which dictionaries are easiest to use? Which have meanings for more of the words? Which are easiest to understand? Kids might even write dictionary reviews!
5—Community building across roles. Staff, students, and parents will all be invited to read and contribute. Parents will have a bigger window into how their children spend their days. Staff will learn more about their colleagues’ curricula. Staff will get a glimpse of the thinking and writing styles of the children that are coming their way in future years. Kids will get to contribute to something big and exciting.
6—Technology skills. Students will learn to use this technology.
7—Archive. The wiki can serve as an ongoing, always-accessible archive of vocabulary learning. Words can be revisited at any time, from any computer. This can be an incredible organizational tool for kids and staff alike.
8—Opportunities for kids with different learning styles. Kids can each work at their own speeds. The writing can be done at home or at school, during a designated class period or during any other time if kids need more time to reflect and choose their words. Kids will also have limitless opportunities to revisit and add to their entries. Such efforts can be tracked by the teacher via the page history archive and time stamp features. Kids can get credit for their enthusiasm, their effort, their time put in, as well as their final products.
Wikis!
Here is what a wiki is:
“The simplest online database that could possibly work.
Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.
Wiki is unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself.
Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users.”
Source: http://www.wiki.org/wiki.cgi?WhatIsWiki
From Ward Cunningham, originator of the wiki concept
I wrote in an earlier post about using wikis for group vocabulary building. This is an expansion of that idea.
A brilliant colleague of mine, Kathleen Bridgewater, is always looking for wonderful and inspiring ways to raise up student learning. Earlier this year, she taught some professional development sessions for our staff at Erving Elementary School and presented some exciting, fabulous, and very do-able ideas.
One of Kathleen’s main concepts is the idea that vocabulary, in order to be meaningful, must be taught in context. Lists of vocabulary words to look up (and write sentences with) are not so very useful if our goal is to expand our students’ actual use lexicons. Instead, we need to show kids how words are used, in phrases, idioms, the quirks of our language. Some tools she showed us are the Collins Cobuild Dictionary and the Collins Concordance Sample website.
Another of Kathleen’s awesome ideas is that vocabulary instruction can happen across the grades. She envisioned bulletin boards throughout the school, like a ribbon at 3rd-grader eye level, on which words that children were learning and using in their curriculum could be posted. The words, their definitions, the specific phrases in which they were encountered, and some visual representation of the meaning. While lining up for recess or bathroom trips, kids would be surrounded by useful words in useful context! Kathleen also envisioned days when everyone in the school, staff and kids, would wear words around their necks, like field day for vocabulary: People would be invited to stop in the halls and challenge one another to define the words. They could swap words, share words, talk about words! Kids might even stump teachers!
Here’s where the wikis come in. Earlier, I had written about classroom vocabulary wikis, updated daily by a designated student. I think that this could go school-wide. Words could be added for each subject area as they come up. Students will each get a turn to be their classroom’s daily word wiki recorder, entering the word, where they saw it, during what lesson, in what phrase, and the meaning that makes sense in that context. As the year goes on, students in other classes could add entries for the same words as they see them, with new phrases and shades of meaning. Everyone, including parents, could read the entries. One hope is that kids would become inspired to add words that they learn via their free-choice reading, too. The librarian (me) could oversee the project, making sure entries stayed true to the spirit of the project and school-worthy.
I think I would start by sharing the practicality of wikis with my colleagues in a professional development session. I might show them the pb wiki video clips that Dave shared with our class. I might also show them the UW videos, though we wouldn’t watch them together, as they’re too long for an afternoon professional development session! Next, I would show them the prototype vocabulary wiki that I have set up.
The biggest roadblock to vocabulary wiki success would probably be time. Teachers are so busy. They might like this idea or be inspired by this, but wonder where they are going to find the time to get comfortable with using the wiki so that they can turn around and show kids how to do it. I think the solution is for me, the librarian, to be the keeper of the wiki. I’ll set it up, I’ll maintain the content. I’ll train everyone during a professional development session so that they don’t have to carve out time to learn. All staff members will get printed directions, and we’ll make a link both to the wiki and to the use directions from the school web page. We’ll practice together for an afternoon. There might be some staff who will choose not to use this in their daily practice, and that’s okay. But I can already see in my mind’s eye who will get excited about this and begin using it right away. Once we have some substantial entries and begin sharing the link with parents, I think things will really take off.
There are so many benefits!
1—Vocabulary building. Students will get tuned into discovering new words during their lessons and reading. When they see new words, they will grab them instead of sliding over them and hoping they are not important.
2—Community building across grades. Students will have a chance to read one another’s entries. They will be encouraged to talk with one another about them, especially if kids find that they are reading and enjoying the same novels or have the same non fiction interest.
3—Friendly competition. How many common phrases can you find that use that word? How many distinct definitions?
4—Critical thinking. Students will be asked to use at least two different dictionaries when recording definitions for the words they post. Which dictionaries are easiest to use? Which have meanings for more of the words? Which are easiest to understand? Kids might even write dictionary reviews!
5—Community building across roles. Staff, students, and parents will all be invited to read and contribute. Parents will have a bigger window into how their children spend their days. Staff will learn more about their colleagues’ curricula. Staff will get a glimpse of the thinking and writing styles of the children that are coming their way in future years. Kids will get to contribute to something big and exciting.
6—Technology skills. Students will learn to use this technology.
7—Archive. The wiki can serve as an ongoing, always-accessible archive of vocabulary learning. Words can be revisited at any time, from any computer. This can be an incredible organizational tool for kids and staff alike.
8—Opportunities for kids with different learning styles. Kids can each work at their own speeds. The writing can be done at home or at school, during a designated class period or during any other time if kids need more time to reflect and choose their words. Kids will also have limitless opportunities to revisit and add to their entries. Such efforts can be tracked by the teacher via the page history archive and time stamp features. Kids can get credit for their enthusiasm, their effort, their time put in, as well as their final products.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Click Away!
Hooray! Double click on any word and you will see a pop-up window with a definition or article from answers.com. I think this is a very cool tool that students will enjoy using with their online writings. Let me know what you think.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Learning About Wikis
What follows are just some thoughts I'm having as I learn about wikis. Be patient with me, as I am starting from 0.1 (as opposed to zero) knowledge here.
So, I've learned what everybody else probably already knows: that "wiki" comes from the Hawaiian word for quick. And wikis are quick. They're quick to set up, quick to post to, and quick to search. Those all sound like good things.
The best thing about wikis is their potential for true collaboration among people with a shared goal. Wikis can be continuously evolving while at the same time preserving each generation of each page in an archive you can refer back to. That's powerful.
The worst thing about wikis is that people who have opposing or contradictory goals can post on the same wiki. Will they undo one another? From what I've gathered, there is a way to set up a wiki so that one person receives an e-mail alert each time the wiki is edited. That person can then review the edits and either leave them alone or edit over them. I need to know more about that.
This year, when we Union 28 librarians began blogging with our students about MCBA nominees, we realized partway through that it would have been nice if we could have organized the blog by book title. That way, all of the students writing about a particular book could have their posts grouped together, rather than having the posts organized by posting date. Would a wiki solve this problem? I plan to look into this for next winter. I also want to look into whether we can have a wiki that is restricted to registered users, those users being students, staff, and parents at our four schools.
There were two kinds of wikis mentioned in our course lesson for this week that particularly intrigued me: A townwide wiki and an "institutional memory" wiki. As our school has undergone many changes over the last year, I love the idea of a place for members of our school community to post what's important to them about that community. Similarly, I could envision the townwide wiki as a way for us to share vital information, something that's not always easy in a rural place with no central gathering spot. (Caveat: I was in love with the idea of the town wiki and then -- I clicked on one of the contributors' "about me" links and was taken directly to pictures of the citizen in her underwear. Not quite the civic-minded use I had envisioned.)
So, I've learned what everybody else probably already knows: that "wiki" comes from the Hawaiian word for quick. And wikis are quick. They're quick to set up, quick to post to, and quick to search. Those all sound like good things.
The best thing about wikis is their potential for true collaboration among people with a shared goal. Wikis can be continuously evolving while at the same time preserving each generation of each page in an archive you can refer back to. That's powerful.
The worst thing about wikis is that people who have opposing or contradictory goals can post on the same wiki. Will they undo one another? From what I've gathered, there is a way to set up a wiki so that one person receives an e-mail alert each time the wiki is edited. That person can then review the edits and either leave them alone or edit over them. I need to know more about that.
This year, when we Union 28 librarians began blogging with our students about MCBA nominees, we realized partway through that it would have been nice if we could have organized the blog by book title. That way, all of the students writing about a particular book could have their posts grouped together, rather than having the posts organized by posting date. Would a wiki solve this problem? I plan to look into this for next winter. I also want to look into whether we can have a wiki that is restricted to registered users, those users being students, staff, and parents at our four schools.
There were two kinds of wikis mentioned in our course lesson for this week that particularly intrigued me: A townwide wiki and an "institutional memory" wiki. As our school has undergone many changes over the last year, I love the idea of a place for members of our school community to post what's important to them about that community. Similarly, I could envision the townwide wiki as a way for us to share vital information, something that's not always easy in a rural place with no central gathering spot. (Caveat: I was in love with the idea of the town wiki and then -- I clicked on one of the contributors' "about me" links and was taken directly to pictures of the citizen in her underwear. Not quite the civic-minded use I had envisioned.)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Notes from Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts
For this course, we are reading Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson (Corwin Press 2006). In it, Richardson has a very nice, concise list of great reasons to use blogs with kids in school. I'm paraphrasing it here as a way of filing it for easy access so I can find it when pitching this idea to my colleagues at school come fall.
1 -- Blogs are truly constructivist. Students are creating content which adds to the world's body of knowledge.
2 -- A blog invites the world's participation in your students' learning.
3 -- A blog can serve as an archive of students' work. Progress over time is easily demonstrated.
4 -- Blogging supports children's differing learning styles. Someone who might not raise a hand in class might ponder and write in a blog.
5 -- Blogging encourages the development of expertise.
6 -- Blogging can help students learn how to research, organize their thoughts, and synthesize ideas.
1 -- Blogs are truly constructivist. Students are creating content which adds to the world's body of knowledge.
2 -- A blog invites the world's participation in your students' learning.
3 -- A blog can serve as an archive of students' work. Progress over time is easily demonstrated.
4 -- Blogging supports children's differing learning styles. Someone who might not raise a hand in class might ponder and write in a blog.
5 -- Blogging encourages the development of expertise.
6 -- Blogging can help students learn how to research, organize their thoughts, and synthesize ideas.
Blog as Study Aid
When I was in graduate school, I spent many hours typing over class notes. I didn't necessarily read those notes once I printed them out; the act of typing and organizing the notes helped cement the facts and concepts in my mind.
This may have some application for classrooms. Last year, when taking the Skillful Teacher course offered by RBT, a classroom log notebook was one of the strategies introduced. Kids would take turns being responsible for writing in a shared notebook what went on in each lesson. (Today in science we looked at rocks and how to identify them . . .the most fun part was . . .new science words we learned today . . .) This is easily transferable to a blog. It could remain a classroom tool with rotating contributors or, possibly, each child could have a learning journal in which he or she would have 5 - 10 minutes daily to reflect and remember what they learned that day. The teacher could easily correct any misunderstandings, and parents could really see what was being taught.
This may have some application for classrooms. Last year, when taking the Skillful Teacher course offered by RBT, a classroom log notebook was one of the strategies introduced. Kids would take turns being responsible for writing in a shared notebook what went on in each lesson. (Today in science we looked at rocks and how to identify them . . .the most fun part was . . .new science words we learned today . . .) This is easily transferable to a blog. It could remain a classroom tool with rotating contributors or, possibly, each child could have a learning journal in which he or she would have 5 - 10 minutes daily to reflect and remember what they learned that day. The teacher could easily correct any misunderstandings, and parents could really see what was being taught.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Really Great Wiki Ideas
Don't hate me for saying so, but I think I might be sorry that the school year is at an end. I just read some great ideas for creating wikis with students and I wish we had time to try them now!
First, I should come clean and say that I have been skeptical about wikis. I can get excited about most new technologies, but I have been prejudiced against wikis. As an elementary school librarian, I work hard to teach kids about authorship and authority, to learn about their sources of information. Wikipedia gets under my skin. However, I do have some classroom teacher colleagues who are quite excited about wikis. So, I'm getting up to speed!
I just finished reading Classroom Blogging: A Teacher's Guide to the Blogosphere by David F. Warlick (Landmark Project 2005). On pages 68 - 70, Warlick lists some great ideas for using wikis with kids in schools. I hope it's okay to write about them here.
The first one that got me feeling enthusiastic after dinner is the "Classroom Dictionary." I immediately see applications for this with our current first and sixth graders. In both classes, vocabulary building is prominent. Warlick's idea is that students could post new vocabulary words as they come up, throughout the year. This has great application in my library classes (all grades) as well. New words come up constantly in read-alouds; if we could have a laptop at the ready, the day's chosen student could type in the word, the meaning, and the context in which we learned it. It would be a great tool for reminding children of words they've encountered. Parents, too, could look in and see (and maybe drop some of those words into conversation at home!).
I also really liked Warlick's "Story Starters." Our school regularly participates in a school-wide writing prompt. In "story starters," each student has his or her own page on which he or she begins writing in response to a prompting sentence. After a defined period of time, students switch pages, read one another's work, and continue telling a story from a classmate's beginning! I can see this working at many grade levels. I can also see this being very fun for kids.
If anyone reading has other great wiki ideas to share, please do!
First, I should come clean and say that I have been skeptical about wikis. I can get excited about most new technologies, but I have been prejudiced against wikis. As an elementary school librarian, I work hard to teach kids about authorship and authority, to learn about their sources of information. Wikipedia gets under my skin. However, I do have some classroom teacher colleagues who are quite excited about wikis. So, I'm getting up to speed!
I just finished reading Classroom Blogging: A Teacher's Guide to the Blogosphere by David F. Warlick (Landmark Project 2005). On pages 68 - 70, Warlick lists some great ideas for using wikis with kids in schools. I hope it's okay to write about them here.
The first one that got me feeling enthusiastic after dinner is the "Classroom Dictionary." I immediately see applications for this with our current first and sixth graders. In both classes, vocabulary building is prominent. Warlick's idea is that students could post new vocabulary words as they come up, throughout the year. This has great application in my library classes (all grades) as well. New words come up constantly in read-alouds; if we could have a laptop at the ready, the day's chosen student could type in the word, the meaning, and the context in which we learned it. It would be a great tool for reminding children of words they've encountered. Parents, too, could look in and see (and maybe drop some of those words into conversation at home!).
I also really liked Warlick's "Story Starters." Our school regularly participates in a school-wide writing prompt. In "story starters," each student has his or her own page on which he or she begins writing in response to a prompting sentence. After a defined period of time, students switch pages, read one another's work, and continue telling a story from a classmate's beginning! I can see this working at many grade levels. I can also see this being very fun for kids.
If anyone reading has other great wiki ideas to share, please do!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Summertime Strategies
How do you get your students to participate over the summer?
For those of you who have your students participate in summer reading discussions on your blog, how do you coordinate it? How do you get them to commit to reading and writing? How do you inspire them? Is blogging tied to their fall grades? How do you keep control of posts and comments (keeping them school-worthy)?
I am thrilled by the idea of kids engaging one another in literary discussions over the summer, but wonder about the details.
For those of you who have your students participate in summer reading discussions on your blog, how do you coordinate it? How do you get them to commit to reading and writing? How do you inspire them? Is blogging tied to their fall grades? How do you keep control of posts and comments (keeping them school-worthy)?
I am thrilled by the idea of kids engaging one another in literary discussions over the summer, but wonder about the details.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Great ideas wanted
If you have used blogs and wikis (or other new & exciting formats) in your teaching with elementary school children, please share your ideas! I would like to provide links to innovative or especially useful (to the students) projects.
Why this blog?
Hello!
This blog has been created as part of the course requirements for URI EDC 921 "Using Blogs and Wikis to Foster Literacy." What I really want to do is learn about ways to use these tools to truly help kids deepen their thinking and learning.
I have been lucky enough to blog before, with kids in my school:
http://blogallbooks.blogspot.com/
in collaboration with the four other school librarians in our school union:
http://union28.blogspot.com/
and in collaboration with a classroom teacher in my school:
http://ervingfirst.blogspot.com/
Each of these blogs has been successful as a means of sharing student successes with our wider community (especially parents). The Union 28 blog was especially exciting, as children from 4 very different schools began to communicate with one another about literature.
This blog has been created as part of the course requirements for URI EDC 921 "Using Blogs and Wikis to Foster Literacy." What I really want to do is learn about ways to use these tools to truly help kids deepen their thinking and learning.
I have been lucky enough to blog before, with kids in my school:
http://blogallbooks.blogspot.com/
in collaboration with the four other school librarians in our school union:
http://union28.blogspot.com/
and in collaboration with a classroom teacher in my school:
http://ervingfirst.blogspot.com/
Each of these blogs has been successful as a means of sharing student successes with our wider community (especially parents). The Union 28 blog was especially exciting, as children from 4 very different schools began to communicate with one another about literature.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)