Kidblog is not just for kids

I had started using kidblog.org this school year. When I began to learn about using a blog in the classroom I had many concerns. I was not sure about the security of the blog, how I would use the blog, would it take away from the development of their literary skills and/or would the students like using it. These were just some of my concerns, I am sure there were several more but I can’t remember them now because I could not imagine not using a blog within the curriculum.

After researching several blogging platforms to use, I decided to test out kidblog.org. What I decided was that I wanted a blog where students could post their thoughts and learning without feeling like the whole world was reading them. I wanted the environment to be for the students within the course, not public. I also wanted it to be a platform that I could add images, links, video, and be able to embed information if I needed to. The other option I was looking for was for the students to be able to create and edit their own posts. I also wanted to be able to manage the information being posted before it went live. Besides the privacy and management concerns, I also needed a blog platform that did not require an email address from all students. I wanted this because some students may not have email accounts, and/or some parents may not want their students to use their accounts.  

 

This is how kidbolg.org came along for me. The kidblog.org platform allows me to do all of this. I was able to set up the students accounts for them with their first name and they picked their own password. Although I had saved their passwords, by having the students create their own they tend not to forget it. I also am able to insert images, videos, links and more. Kidblog.org provides several templates for you to choose your own look and allows for color changes and font changes to your liking. It is easy and simple to make these changes at any time. I had the students pick which template they would like the class to use. And as a side note, I use kidblog.org in the secondary level although it indicates on its homepage that it is geared for elementary and middle school teaching. Nothing about the blog interface indicates that it is for younger students.

The biggest success I had of understanding if using a blog in the classroom would interest the students was proven to me when I introduced the blog to the students toward the end of one class period. Right after I told them, I had posted a current event article with some questions. I posted this at 2:15. At 3:00 when I got home I checked the blog. All but three students had submitted a post. And by the next time the class met, all students had submitted a post. This showed me the interest the students had with using technology such as a blog. I began using the blog more and more in the class and I foresee that I will continue to use a blog for my future courses.  

Kidblog.org provides management pages, called the dashboard, that allow you to organize and monitor what is going on within the blog. The dashboard is straight forward and easy to navigate through. The dashboard allows you to set up the blog. You can monitor the blog posts before they post for all to read, as opposed to allowing posts to be published immediately. I had monitored the posts from the students at the infancy of the blog, so I could monitor their posts as well as direct them with appropriate language and manners if needed (digital citizenship, to read more about Digital Citizenship). And now I am at the point where the students post are immediately viewed. I got to the point where I feel comfortable that students are following the proper expectations. The dashboard also helps to keep track of who is posting and the time and date the students are posting. This is helpful if you give a deadline time for when the assignment is due. This area also lets you add and delete users, set up new accounts, and/or change passwords.

And kidblog.org is FREE!!!!

If you are worried about literacy skills, students are typing the same information they would in an essay if you set the expectations. Using the same method as you would for grading an essay can be applied to grading their blog posts. Although you cannot make private comments directly to the students and their work, you can copy and paste their posts into a document file and make comments that way. Or into an email and add the comments. Creating writing rubric will aid in this process. Make sure to add in appropriate on-line use and language within the rubric. Peer evaluations can also be incorporated by students replying to other student’s posts. This helps students learn how to give positive feedback to those that may need it. These replies were also monitored at the beginning of using them. Now students in my class post and comment freely. They have developed a respect for the blog as well as for each other.

Can you see using kidblog.org or another blogging tool in your classroom? How would you use it? What are your concerns? Do you use a blog now? What are the benefits of using a blog in class? How else do you see the connection to blogs and literacy skills?

  

Weebly wobble but it stands up strong

For a long time I had been searching for a way for my students to go to one location to access all the information needed to work within our class. The search actually started when I was continuously hearing from students, “I lost it. Do you have another one?” It is not that I did not believe that they did not lose it, it was that they then were waiting until the next class, when the assignment was due, to ask me for the directions to the assignment. The students were expecting to hand in the assignment the following class because they did not know what to do. So, I wanted a location that students could go to and find the information for the assignments. This got me to thinking that I could also post the information for those students that were missing class, posting the PowerPoint or notes for the day for those students who maybe cannot write as fast, or need a visual to comprehend and/or may be having a bad day and can comprehend the information at a later time. I also wanted to create links to the other on-line programs we are using in the class so students only have one location to go to.

Creating a website seemed like the right direction to go. I started working with Weebly.com, which basically is a drag and drop web design platform. The set up and the ease of using it worked great for my busy schedule. I had created websites in the past using Html language, but I had forgotten all of it and I did not have time to go back and relearn everything. And why should I have to when there are sites like Weebly.com that will do it for you.

Weebly.com is free to sign up and there is an upgrade package for a fee. The free version has a variety of features to begin a website that will allow you to create an appealing site. Both versions will allow you to load images, create a variety of pages, and insert assignment pages, contact forms, slideshow, photo gallery and more. The free version does not allow you to insert video and/or embed documents.

Weebly.com education version provides the same features but also has a protected environment where you can have your students create a website. As a teacher you are able to manage and can password protect your entire student’s websites. You are allowed up to 40 sites. For each additional 10 students there is a $10 charge. The platform also provides a blogging feature which is great to post assignments, class information, and/or news for students and parents. You are also able to buy your domain name if it is available. The weebly.com extension will not be on your URL address.

Creating websites for your class or having your students create websites on a topic can be a powerful tool for learning. Students are able to be creative with design as well as how they present their information. Weebly.com allows students to work at an idividual level or they are able to collaborate with one other or several students. The wonderful part about using a web 2.0 tool is that students do not have to be in one location. They can be from other classes within the school, within the state, country and/or world.

For teachers you can create a site for the course, on a topic, or for a specific assignment such as for a web quest. Weebly.com can also be used to create a portfolio of your work or for your curriculum vitae.

Here are some great examples of how weebly.com web creator are being used –

http://33359123.nhd.weebly.com/  - this site was created by a 6^th grade student for a project

http://depaolawebquest.weebly.com/  - a webquest created for elementary school but can be adapted for any grade level

http://www.merciermagic.com/ - an teacher that is using it for her class where there are an abundant of information located within this site. Notice how she had embedded the use of other technology tools within her site.

http://jenniferfariello.weebly.com/index.html  and http://www.michaellahammond.com/index.html   both have created their educational portfolios.

And here is the website ecbacon.weebly.com that I have created and use in my class.

I have enjoyed using weebly.com for a central location for my students to go to. They are able to go to our class site find information about assignments, notes from class, Power Points, due dates, contact information, as well as links to other tools we are using such as kidblog.com , voki.com and to our class wiki page. The only negative I have found was the formatting tools are temperamental at times. There are times when I copy and paste and have to spend time adjusting the formatting. This is typical with any web-based program, and it does depend on your computer and internet speed, but I have found it to happen more often than not. That being said, it is nothing that would deter me from continuing to use weebly.com.

And the other great thing about creating a website is that it continues to be a never ending work in progress.

Just remember when you are signing up for this free website creator tool (weebly.com) that you click on the education version which is located on the top blue tool bar.

Can you think how you would use weebly.com in your class? What lesson do you have now that the students could create a website rather than using another tool? What are your concerns about using a website creator? If you already use weebly.com, can you share your experience with us, good and bad? What do you think about using weebly.com?

Digital Story - Myths about Childhood

I hope you enjoy my digital story of Myths about Childhood. This digital story will be used in my classroom to introduce the realities of childhood. The story may seem dark and depressing at times but the intent is to expose students to the realities that many children face in today’s world; hungry, homeless, abuse, etc.

When I was deciding what to choose I tried to find some topic that I could use to teach the students. I was looking at several ideas that would help enhance what they were learning. I remembered that we introduce Myths of Childhood briefly at the beginning of the semester. This usually is a one day lesson with some quick activities. That is always what the intention is but the lesson always seems to take up a lot of time for something that was to be just a brief discussion. Using the PowerPoint presentation to discuss the topic took up a lot of time. Our department had talked about taking this out of the curriculum but I argued that it is important for students to understand that there are real issues going on with children outside of their immediate understanding of the world. And the activities after the PowerPoint bring home the understanding that these facts are happening right outside their door. This is how I came to choose Myths of Childhood as my digital story project. I am pleased with the outcome of the project but realize that I can work to enhance it as I become more familiar with iMovie. I am also very pleased that what would have taken me 20 to 25 minutes as a lesson, now will take less than 4 minutes. Not only will the digital story have a stronger impact on the students understanding, it will also engage the students toward the learning as opposed to them having to listen to me talk about it.  

What do you think? If you were a student in my class, would this digital story help you to understand Myths about Childhood? What message do you take from watching this video?

Digital Story Draft

Digital Story about Childhood Myths

Here is my draft of my digital story. It is a definite work in progress. This has taken me longer then expected. This is mostly due to learning how to use iMovie. I am so use to using a PC that it has taken many hours just to get this. I still have to do a lot of fixes to it. Let me know what you think. I know I have issues right now with how it looks and the graphics. I need to figure them out. My voiceover may need some help also. Any tips on the voiceover. 

This may seem a little depressing. The unfortunate thing is that with Child Development you sometimes have to talk about the depressing things related to children. This digital story is about the myths of childhood. Students are very colored with the idea that childhood is bliss for all. The media paints a pretty picture for them which they tend to believe. They also have the notion that things happen to other people in other far away lands, not to them and those within their communities. This digital story is for part of a three part intro of the course. Students will view this video and then break off into work groups. There are four areas where activities for each of the myths are discussed. This video will make it easier for me because I will not have to spend a lot of time telling them the information which will allow them to have more time to work on the activities.