Posted July 13, 2010 by Sheri Edwards Goals

Timid to Blog? Try this:

Today, July 13, 2010

Today at the first ever English Companion Ning Webstitute, Bud Hunt gave us homework after his keynote: Share an awesome educational story. Why is it important?

This story is awesome because it is a start towards application of reform for teaching and learning within one classroom. Remember that: start.

My Story

I’m the geek teacher who learns on her own, basically to keep up with my grandkids and so I can be prepared for my students. As the main geek at school, I tread lightly, but boldly. You can too!

Wiki work started us out: class writing, revising, critiquing, publishing. What about blogging? The kids know that blogs are open to public comment. How do we step into this?

I’ve blogged my hesitations and my journey in three phases (listed below), and you can link to follow our story.

The Importance

If you are timid to start blogging, this path may provide the tips to set you and your students on their way. The important thing is: learn about it, then do it your way. That’s my story, with help from my Personal/Professional Learning Network (PLN) in Twitter and Edublogs. You don’t need to start big; I didn’t. Just start where your objectives lead you, one page in your story at a time.

Please let me know how your story’s pages turned. Here’s mine:

Starting with Comments;

Blogging Begins

From Comments to Blogs:

Blogging: From comments to blogs

Problems Considered:

Blogging in Writing Class

This fall, these same kids will probably bounce in the door with, “Did you get our user names on our blog yet?” They don’t forget; is summer loss really true?

My goal expands from improving student writing and voice when we blog and comment to now include writing authenticity as we share blog connections with other classes in the world. In other words, to help my students grow their PLN while traveling down their writing road.

Remember to review the EC Ning Webstitute to learn from the archives from your new PLN — here are links to their work:

Alan Sitomer — http://vimeo.com/13234710 Project-based learning

Bud Hunt — http://budtheteacher.com/ Purposeful Transparency as Professional Development

William Kist — http://englishcompanion.ning.com/video/william-kist-social-networking

Laura Nicosia — Archive of presentation

Dawn Hogue — http://www.mshogue.com/ Web Tools in the Language Arts Classroom

Kelly Hines — http://blip.tv/file/3849007 Going Global in Elementary School with Web 2.0

Meredith Stewart– http://englishcompanion.ning.com/group/ecningsummerwebstitute2010/forum/topics/day-1-meredith-stewart-deep About Blogging

Paul Hankins http://prezi.com/enutyhqkhd_8/raw-ink-online-reading-and-writing-in-kentuckiana/ RAW Ink: Reading and Writing online

Thanks to Jim Burke for leading us here. He’s been an inspiration since before computer technology changed the world of teaching and learning…