"It's just one more thing to do!"

Coming out of the in-service, someone came to me and said they were excited about the idea of blogging, but indeed, it was just one more thing to do. And that person is right. It is another thing to do. It does take time. BUT, it can change the way we work with our students, and this is a good thing. Change for the sake of change isn't necessarily good, but when the change is most likely going to engage our students and help them rethink writing and thinking in general - well, that's good change to, at least to me.

She was also concerned about not knowing how to truly 'do' technology, how to keep up with the blog, how to grade it (should it be graded?), and what to put in it. We talked about ePals and hooking up with another school to help edit work and having standards set before the blog started.

I will address each of these concerns below:
"I don't really know how to 'do' technology":
Trust me, I know that giving up control of even the smallest aspects of our classrooms makes the best of us a little leery; however, our students won't let us down, as long as we set the right standards. You don't need to be an expert with technology. Trust that there are a few students who know how to do what you want to do, and have them show you. I've learned a lot from my students this year with regards to how to do something, because there is no way on green Earth I can know everything there is about every technology I use. I know a lot, but I also don't have the time to play with technology the way they do. And I have to trust that they can teach me as they explore, and they absolutely have. I guess my point is this - Set clear, concise standards students must follow with regards to the use of a blog in the classroom, and they will respond.

How to Keep up with & Grade a Blog:
The easiest way to keep up with a blog in the classroom is to engage the students. Allow class time each day or a few days a week and have the students moderate the blog. Have students rotate moderating. Again, you will have to set clear, concise standards and model how to moderate, but if there is a grade affixed, this is decent motivation for students to promote active and appropriate conversation. The standard in my classes for my Master's, and it seems for most classes as I discovered through some Internet research, is:
1) An initial post by the teacher and/or weekly moderator each week
2) Each student must respond to the initial posting, and to TWO other students in the class

**The teacher affixs the points for each post.
**The teacher deems what is a worthwhile post. i.e. Each response must be between 3-5 sentences and further the discussion through outside examples or direct reference to the text

Obviously, this will work better for discussion based classes, but it can be incorporated into all classes with whatever standards & grades you affix. The reality as I know it is teachers who have started blogs have found that once the students get hooked, they will keep the discussion going, grade or not. You can throw out extra credit options... As with the types of blogs that are out there - you're only limited to your own imagination.

What Do I Put in My Class Blog?
Well, if you go back to the blogging presentation, I list multiple things you can do in any given class setting. Remember, the idea is to inform and/or engage. If you want to run or further a discussion, a blog is a great way to incorporate technology into your curriculum, and you can showcase what the students are doing/thinking to the parents. This might actually be a positive motivator for a student who might be slacking in class...If he/she knows his/her parents might look at his/her words online...

If you want to offer extra credit challenges that pertain to ideas presented in class, a blog would be a good way to do this. Offer multiple challenges each week, and have the challenges set to a 'first come first served' idea. Set the standards so that the students have to offer their rationale to their answer. Offer points for students who challenge another students' answer.

Set up your blog to engage various classes within the building. What if the seniors worked with the freshman to edit their writing? What if your CP & Honors class are reading the same text? What if students who took the class 1st semester could engage with students who read a book in the 2nd semester? What if extra help was offered in Algebra from students in Calculus (I'm getting into unfamiliar territory here - I don't actually know if that could happen, that's how dense in Math I am). What if there were activities that crossed over from one science to the next, and the classes could be connected and engaged in a blog forum? These are all just ideas. You have to make them reality. I can help you with both the ideas and the reality, but you have to want to make it happen and come see me :)

ePals
This is a great site. Under the search button, click on whatever topic you want - I chose 'high school writing.' epals will list all the schools in the country and around the world which are looking for other schools with whom to partner. It gives contact info, project description, best means of communication, etc. Many say email. Why not contact the teacher and suggest setting up a blog with that teacher's class. I haven't gone down the "Join Now" path, but if you have a project that could benefit from engagement from another class in another part of the country or world... well, join! See what bites you get.

In short, there are endless possibilities to what can be done with a blog in the class. There are endless ways to set it up, grade it, and engage the students. Like I said, you just need to want to do it, and be willing to maintain it. Yes, from the onset, it seems like just another thing, but when you incorporate it and make it a part of the class culture (like homework), then students will do it. Perhaps just for the grade at first, but over time, it will seem less burdensome to all. It needn't be a burden to anyone if the work is put in on the forefront (standards & grading rubric, student moderation, etc).