Project Description:

     With the move to a Common Core curriculum and a math program that emphasizes problem solving and reflection on thinking our teachers are having students do a lot more writing in math and reading. They are encouraging students to explain how they solve problems, their thoughts about their reading and much more.  Also incorporated in these standards are expectations that students use technology in a variety of ways. Blogging presents a perfect opportunity to combine these expectations with an authentic activity.

     I started this process by having students create Google document about what math is and when it is used. They shared the documents with students in another classroom who responded with comments offering additional thoughts and ideas. We also created rubrics so students could assess their blog entries and their comments.

As students became more comfortable and excited about the idea of writing in this type of forum I introduced them to Kidblog, a simple to use student blogging resource. I introduced them to the program and they were immediately excited about the opportunity.

 

​

Objectives/importance:

     My plan was to use this forum to motivate student writing and for students to share their work and thinking with each other, me, other teachers, our principal and, eventually, even students in schools in other parts of the world.  I knew that writing about math was only the tip of the iceburg and hoped students would become engaged enough they would want to write about many other subjects and even write entries at home!

     The opportunity to give students a forum for authentic publication and commentary, along with a chance to critiqye each other’s thinking is inherent in this sort of an activity.



Modifications for the future:

     Since this was my first attempt to have students blog in class, there are many opportunities for improvement. I am very happy with using  Kidblog as the platform for this project. It is easy to log in and it has all the basic features to add images and links, change text styles and so on. I also have a very simple interface so students are not distracted by all of the extras that many other blogs have. I also have complete control over moderation of comments and posts.

     The changes I will be considering come in the implementation of the project. Some are things I can control, others will take a bit more thought and planning.

     First, I am not sure it was necessary to start with Google docs. Jumping right into the actual blog  would likely energize students from the start and take away the need to teach student about a different resource at the beginning of the year when things are so hectic. Additionally, since the blog site is so visually exciting students may be even more excited about getting started. Also, opening the project by letting students blog about their own topics likely will encourage them to “buy into” the idea more quickly and enthusiastically.

     A second area I have to look at differently is student ability to write about their thinking in math. I began the year having students solve word problems and write about the steps they took to find their solution. The students stepped up and were able to clearly explain their steps. But when it came to more open-ended problems they ran into more difficulty and became stymied with their blog posts. Clearly, the solution will be to work with students on writing about their thinking. Some clearer prompts to get them started will be a help.  And, having students write in their math journals at the beginning of the year instead of just jumping onto the computers. Students have to think so hard about their keyboarding that it is extremely difficult for them to also think about the content. If they can write their thoughts out on paper first and just type them into the blog it may be easier for them at first. As they get more familiar with the keyboarding aspects, they can transition over to directly tying their thoughts onto the blog.

     Two other issues cropped up that I also did not fully anticipate. One involves the keyboarding skills of students and the other the use very old computers that do not work consistently. When I joined the staff of my district I knew there had been a very competent technology integrator at the school for many years. I knew in past years he had worked with students on keyboarding and assumed that students would be somewhat familiar and relatively accomplished (for 3rd graders anyway). What I did not know is that over the past several years he had dropped keyboarding from his curriculum, so students were coming in with low skills and only slightly familiar with the keyboard. While students adapted fairly quickly it was time that I had not factored into my plans.

     Even more difficult, however, was the state of the hardware we were using. I knew it was old and somewhat difficult to use, but after several weeks of trying and students regularly spending our entire time trying to get a computer to work I realized I needed to approach it differently. I would be able to have two students work on the couple of newer computers each day, but to use it as a learning center clearly was not going to be practical without making a change. Rolling in a computer cart, which had computers that were slightly more reliable, would work as long as no one else needed them. When I begin this project again I will have to look more carefully at the resources available and plan accordingly.

 

Update: Another year of blogging has passed.. This past year I allowed students to write about whatever they wanted along with some open ended required topics. We started the year by blogging about the Global Read Aloud we were working on, whcih got students started. They liked the idea of being able to write about anything of interest. Our hardware is much better since we received 1:1 netbooks (used, but better). Typing skills are still an issue, but talk about integrating that into the k-4 computer lab curriculum is happening. In the meantime, I am offering time for students to practice.

     When the new school year begin, I have several ideas I plan to try.

• Begin by blogging as a class. We will wrtie blog posts as a class so we can see what makes a good post.

• We will create a collaborative idea map that all students can access for ideas.

• Create paper blogs before beginning their own online blog. Students work better on paper at 3rd grade, so this will help make the transition.

• Look at other student blogs and score them on a student created rubric.

• Suggest topics such as book reviews.

• Have one student a week write a weekly summary of our student learning. This, of course, would begin after we have written several as a class. I will have a spot in the room for students to put in ideas for inclusion.