Blogging about blogging!
I have discovered something. Kids love to blog. They want to share what they know or don't know. They like to share. They also want to comment. We spent sometime blogging in the school computer lab on Friday and blogging was easy for them.
But here is the rub. They don't blog very well. This is not to say they don't have interesting content or that for the most part their blogging is engaging. As with most good writing, they write from what they know and it is from the heart. One of my students is writing about being married to Justin Bieber. This is definitely from the heart!
What they need is to practice good writing. The fundamentals of writing is our next step. They need to use correct capitals, punctuation and spelling. They need to vary their sentences. This will increase their focus and emphasis on their message. This is not discouraging. It is why we are blogging.
We are applying classroom learning for all to see. It has been discovered that, "Students who lack the reading and writing skills they need to succeed also may lack the motivation to practice those skills. Many are motivated, however, to chat virtually with their friends.(Jackson, 2011)". So that is another big reason why we are blogging to engage reluctant writers.
So on Monday, we will look at the grammar and sentence structure of our blogs. The ideas are there. They just need refining.
Take a look at Grade 5/6G class blog.
Reference:
Jackson, L. Education World® Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web. Education World: The Educator's Best Friend. from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial037print.shtml
Blogging Rules – Proper Etiquette
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