Blogging with Students supports Common Core Writing Standards (Part 1 of 2)

It appears that the Common Core ramped up our expectation in regards to writing, so how can we embrace technology, specifically blogs, to our advantage when teaching Common Core Writing standards.  Here are some key points for using blogging to support the common core writing standards.

For basic information about blogs, please go to the Tech PD website.

On that site, there are a few links to sample blog rubrics.  Scholastic also has a sample rubric as well as rules for student's blogging.

The key to successful blogging by students is the questions you ask them to respond to.  Blogging will not be as powerful if the questions you ask are not thinking questions.  The questions need to take students deeper into the content and make them think and reflect.

How can I get this started in my classroom?  Click here for Part 2 of this blog series.

How are you using or wanting to use blogs in your classroom?  
What subjects have you
used them in?

What are you blogging about?
Share your ideas and what you have tried.

How to Get Started with Blogging (Part 2 of 2)

So, how do I get started with blogging?
 

1. It is not about the tool, however, you will need a tool.  I suggest one of the following: Kid Blog, Weebly, Moodle Blogs, or Blogger

2.  Define you purpose for blogging.  What will you have students do?

3.  Preparing students to be bloggers and understand how to write this way and be an appropriate digital citizen.   How will students comment on the blog?
Example 1 & Example 2 

4.  Prepare your nearest audience (parents, grandparents).  This may be new to them.  How will you educate them?  Think bigger. This opens yourself and students up to a global audience.

5.  Jump and give it a try.....

Resources to help you get started:

• Tech PD Tools for Blogging  
• Langwitches Blog:  Check out this great blog post for more information about implementing blogging in your classroom

Explore Blogging in the Content Areas

• Sample Math Blog Post
• Sample Science Blog Post
• Sample Social Studies Blog Post

Reader's Response Blog Samples

• Mr. Purdon's Class Blog ~ Reading Response
• Our Class Reads Sample Blog Post

Class Dojo ~ Fun for Tracking Classroom Management

Many teacher K-8 have been having fun using Class Dojo to monitor their classroom student behaviors.  If you are interested in giving it a try, click here!







Here is a video that will give you the basic idea of how Class Dojo works in the classroom.

and a Prezi with even more information....

Resources to Help You Learn More:

• For more video tutorials about how to setup and use Class Dojo in the classroom, check out the ClassDojo channel on YouTube.

• An article from Edutopia about Class Dojo

• Class Dojo Blog ~ Teachers using Class Dojo

• Introducing Class Dojo Messaging

Have you used Class Dojo in your classroom? Share your experiences with others. Click on Post a Comment to Share your thoughts....

Keyboarding Skills Critical for Common Core and Smarter Balanced

I believe that the Common Core Standards have ramped up the necessity and importance of keyboarding instruction in the elementary grades.  As of Grade 3, Writing Standard W.CCR.6 states that with guidance and support from adults, students will use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills).... It ramps up in 4th grade to add the phrase "demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.  Then, 5th grade, change that to "...a minimum of two pages in a single setting."  And then, 6th grade, change it to "...a minimum of three pages in a single sitting."   Yikes!

Now, let me add another dimension to this conversation.  The Smarter Balanced assessment will require students starting in Grade 4 to type Constructed Responses and Performance Tasks.  It is the expectation that the students have a good handle on their technology skills so that doesn't impeded their work.  Are we ready?

DPI recommends that students type 5 words per minute (wpm) x grade level... so you do the math at your grade level....

So, what does this mean in regards to keyboarding and writing? First of all, we need to understand the importance of strong keyboarding skills at an early grade. If students are to be expected to keyboard responses to test questions in a single sitting, then we need to empower them with that ability. Keyboarding skills just became more critical, but it is even bigger than that. How do we build up their ability to type well and also their stamina at this young age? It is becoming the pressing question....

Check out these links for resources:

LabLinks : Keyboarding Links

 What strategies have you used for Keyboarding that you feel have been successful?  

What ideas do you have or would you like to try?

Integrating Web 2.0 Into the Common Core

I came upon these awesome videos today that gave some fabulous ideas for using technology to support common core standards.  The English / Language Arts video is a high school English teacher, but I think most if not all of her ideas are transferable to middle and upper elementary and middle grades.

Here is the ELA video:

I am really wanting to dig into these ideas and adapt them for our K-8 curriculum.  Stay tuned for more on that.  

Here also is the using technology to support Math common core standards. Again, while her students are high school aged, these ideas are relevant for younger students as well. 

What technology applications did you learn in these videos or do you use that support the Common Core Standards?

Google Docs Makes Feedback So Easy!

The next layer of awesomeness to Google Doc and other Google Tools is the ability for teachers and peers to give feedback to others.  The Common Core states that students should, with guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, or rewriting.  It also states that  students should use technology, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.   Google has built in capabilities to meet these standards. I am going to share three different ways for peers and teachers to provide others feedback in Google Documents specifically. 

1.  Comments

2.  Chat Feedback

(This video will show you how these two features work)

3.  Voice Comments(This video will show you how this works)

For even more detail about this Google App, watch this longer video....

We have learned the great value in providing students with feedback.  These are three excellent ways to do so within Google Apps.  Hope this helps!

For more information about how to provide feedback within Google, please check out this link:

Feedback in Google Docs

Please share how you provide students with feedback in Google Drive.

Has this made the process easier, better, and/or more valuable?

Using Google Docs for Writing Collaboratively (It's in the Core!)

Writing is very important for our students to master and in my mind, and Common Core ramps up its importance.  For example, Common Core Writing standard 6 states, "Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others".  For a more in depth look at how this breaks down per grade level, click here for a Common Core grade level progression.

Google Docs is a great tool for students to use to both write on a computer, but also it allows students to be collaborative with others and publish their work easily to the world. It, frankly, is one of the most powerful 21st century tools because it is accessible anywhere you have internet and your work can be shared with anyone who has internet. And all this is done with ease.  A big shift from the Microsoft Words days..... where you saved on your computer and then couldn't get to it until you returned to that computer OR you could email it to yourself and work that way.

To learn more about how you can use Google Docs (word processing) with your students, visit Tech PD for help, links and more information.   

How to Login to Google Apps

How Students Login to Google Apps

Google Documents Help

Google Drive Templates Help

How have you or could you use Google Docs in your classroom with students?  Share your lesson and classroom application ideas here. 

Comment now!

Supporting the Reading Common Core Standards

When I spent time this spring looking deeper at the Common Core Reading standards, a few things stood out for me. First, reading is bigger than reading books. It also includes reading digital text.  These words are actually in the Common Core.  I also began to realize that many, many websites could constitute or be categorized as informational text.  I researched that idea a bit and this is what I came up with: http://lablinks.weebly.com/informational-text.html

Then, in talking with my Reading Specialist friend, she stated that while such sites are definitely good for informational text reading, it is important that kids be reading at their level.  Yikes!   These sites don't come leveled, like our classroom books.  Then, we both simultaneously found this cool tool that determines readability of websites.  This tool, http://www.read-able.com/bookmarklet.html, determines a sites's readability by number of words, sentences, and number of syllables in words.  While not as complex as we may use in the classroom, it is definitely something.  Give it a try!  I think it is a great tool to help kids and teachers find sites that are within a student's readability ballpark.  

Tell me what you think about the Readability tool or if you have any other sites that you think we could add to our Informational Text collection.....  Comment now!

Sir Ken Always Says It So Well....

Here is some food for thought.  

And so, what are you thinking after watching this?

Tools for the Teacher's Toolbox

Here are some of my favorite tools this summer.  

What tools do you have in your toolbox? Share by adding a comment to this blog post!

The Blueberry Story

If you haven't heard the blueberry story and why schools aren't businesses, this is a gem!  I first heard it in my summer Politics class where we watched a phenomenal video of Jamie Vollmer telling the blueberry story. (read the story here....)

I also came upon it this week in my twitter feed, so I absolutely had to share it with you.  Take a few minutes.  You will appreciate its message.  ~ Washington Post article.

Remind 101 ~ A great tool for communicating with parents and students

Remind 101 is a great tool for communicating with parents and students (who text... ok that is most of them over the age of ______, I'd like to say 12, but it might be younger.)

As a teacher, you set up a free account at Remind101.  Then, you share the sign up directions with parents and/or students.  They are able to sign up to receive your notifications either via text message or via email.  Check it out!  Great tool!

Here are a few more links to help you learn more about Remind 101:

• The Remind 101 Blog
• Add Attachments to Remind 101

Here is how it works:

Remind101 from remind101 on Vimeo.

To share a top ten list from Teacher Blogger Jennifer Roberts on How Do I Love Remind 101...Let Me Count the Ways.  Here they are: 

1. I can set up multiple classes and text them separately or in combination. 

2. My students and parents can opt for text or email messages or both. 

3. I can schedule my messages ahead of time. 

4. I never have to know student phone numbers. 

5. They never have to know mine. 

6. I can send messages from the web or from my phone with the app. 

7. There is a record of every message I send. 

8. There is a widget to display those messages on my blog. 

9. My students love getting important info via text. 

10. They can't text back. 

How have you found this tool to be useful in your classroom?  Share how you have used this tool.

TechPD Course ~ Learning New Stuff

As I prepare for the summer session of the Tech PD course, it is my goal to find and showcase as many cool tools and ways to integrate technology into the classroom in a purposeful, thought-filled way.  There are an insane amount of tools ~ but finding tools that truly transform what we do with students...... that is my goal.  My following blog posts will highlight some of the techniques and tools we explored this summer.

Continuing the Transformation

I have come upon a valuable resource today, a website called Powerful Learning Practice that has sooo much awesome stuff, that I can barely contain my excitement.  Stay focused........

In continuing the transformative thought of It is not about the tools, here is an excellent article posted on that site which, in short form, outlines how to get yourself to think about the transformation of your classroom different.  Read it here..

What thought jumps out at you as you
transform your practice?

Making Good Technology Choices

I firmly believe that at the end of the day, it is not about the technology tool.  I say that frequently.  I know that this is not always a popular stance, but really using a vast number of tools does not make you a good teacher.  This blog post conveys this message so much better than i can, and so I share it with you.  It's main point:  Let's start looking at the characteristics of good teaching before we even start to think about good technology tools.  Read and share your thoughts.


Making Good Technology Choices : the Tempered Radical