Implementation

Initially, exposing students to blogging will be a gradual and delicate process. However, as students gain comfortability with the medium, blogging will be used more frequently. I will be following the scaffolding model below to introduce my students to blogging.

Through the class blog, Students will be introduced to blogging process. Initially, posts in the class blog will teacher written. The class blog will highlight topics the students are learning, and the day-to-day activities within our third grade classroom. This blog will highlight the learning we do in our classroom, and teach students about content related to what we are learning. There will be opportunities for the students to help the teacher write the blog posts as a class.

Students will learn about the importance of reciprocal feedback, and how to write a quality comment. An activity used to help students further practice write and comment on blog posts is making a Paper Blog. In this activity, students design their own blogs on a stock piece of paper, write a sample post, and also practice commenting using post-it notes. Students will be given a rubric with criteria and tips for writing meaningful comments. This hands on activity will help students understand the process of writing comments and engaging in discussion.

Once the teacher has reviewed the quality of the paper posts, and the students feel comfortable with their commenting ability, he or she will comment on the class blog posts. The class will practice writing thoughtful feedback to engage in an online discussion.

Next, students will create and design blogs of their own that reflect their individual  personalities. The students will learn how to make a blog page that is easy to read and navigate. Students will express themselves through their own posts, and develop as their classmates and parents provide comments and feedback. For each blog post assignment, general guidelines will be provided so students gain practice in writing an eclectic assortment of genres. Students will be given freedom to write about topics of interest to them. Futher more, students will be encouraged to incorporate different writing conventions from writer’s workshops, into his or her blog posts.

To extend the audience of our blog, I will be teaming up with other classes through a program called QuadBlogging. Quadblogging is a system that connects 4 classrooms throughout the world to ensure that a cooperative audience and enthusiastic commenters participating on your class blog. Each classroom will have a week to be the "focus blog", while the other three classes visit and comment during that week. This process will be repeated so each class will have a chance to be the "focus blog" numerous times. Throughout the year, students will be writing new posts on a weekly basis and commenting on a day to day basis.

Over time, students will build his or her audience and establish relationships with other bloggers. This development will help students feel more comfortable with the blogging process. As students practice their writing and receive quality feedback, he or she will develop his or her own voice within each piece of writing. By the end of the school year, students will become experts in effective online communication.