Here is my formal writeup:
For my classroom blog I would like to use it for a writing aide. Once a week (building up to twice some weeks) I will post a simple writing topic for my fourth graders, along with a one-minute timer. They will have to write down a response to the prompt in one minute, using the full time (eventually the time would be extended). They would then post this, and it would be sent to me for my approval before I allow it to be formally posted on the class site. The students would sign only their first names so we would all know who they were, and I could give them credit.As class went on, I would change the requirement to post their 1 minute response, and then the next week comment on 1-2 of their peers. This way they get work peer editing (a big focus in 4th grade at my school). Blogs would be SO helpful for this because they would inspire more creativity in my students. I believe my kids would look at this as “fun not work” and be more apt to try harder. Since I have never actually done this before, I would LOVE for you to play devil’s advocate and tell me how to improve this idea.
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8 years ago
Hi Erica,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea for blogging. I especially think the peer commenting is most valuable.
Based on what I am reading, it seems like you plan on having your students work on the blog post with the timer in school. Am I right?
I would be wary of network issues. I know sometimes when we have all of our students working on laptops at the same time, and all logging in at the same time, this slows down the network significantly. (This is assuming you have laptops, of course.)
What about having your students work on their posts at home? Or, out of curiosity, why time them? Could you just let them write for about 4-5 minutes? One minute seems short.
Let me know what you think!
Marcella,
ReplyDeleteI guess I didn't say "at home"...oops. I wanted to have the student do this at home (frankly, there isn't time in the day to do this once/week or more in class!).
The reason I want to start them with a one minute timer would be that in fourth grade their typing skills are still lacking. My students also have trouble thinking of ideas sometimes, so a shorter time period (at first) would help.
I actually got the idea from this blog: http://oneminutewriter.blogspot.com/
Maybe it helps to see it in action.
Thank you so much for your suggestions!
Erica
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I am always looking for ways that give the students a way to be more creative. The only problem I see would be the age of the students and would their parents allow them to do this. A teacher that I work with is doing something similar to this with her math class. She goes to the lab once a week and the students blog about the topic she gives them. However keep in mind, these are middle school students and she had to go through quite a bit to get permission from all the parents so the students could take part in this.
I love your idea (and may "steal' it :). Writing can become such a tedious task for some students, and I think that this would be a great way to keep them interested.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern about it would be whether or not all of your students have Internet access at home. You may want to have a time during the school day that students without Internet access could get to a computer and complete the assignment. Otherwise, great idea!
Erica,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. I also feel that teacher preparation courses need to teach the implementation of these 21st century skills into the classroom. I just graduated from college 5 years ago, and the only use of technology that we learned was how to make a power point presentation. As I think back, we may have had some courses that talked about using 21st century skills like problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration in the classroom. But overall it was not emphasized that much. And also none of the professors were using this in their instruction. As the nation as a whole begins to push for the use of these skills in our classrooms, they need to also start at universities. By giving the future teachers of this country the exposure to these skills, they are more likely to use them in the classroom. These teachers could them be a big help to other teachers in the building who are struggling in bringing these skills in the classroom. And finally, we need more professional development to show how to use these skills in the classroom. At our teacher meetings, they throw out these words, but they give no examples of how they could use them. I feel that teachers would make the changes necessary to help our students adapt as citizens and workers in the 21st century if they were exposed to some new methods.
One thing I also noticed from your blog was that you state (NJ) was one of the states on the Route 21 Project. My state of Ohio is not. Have you noticed any changes to your states standards, curriculum, or assessments from this? I think this is a great site, and I was wondering the affect it is currently having on Route 21 Project members.