Saturday, October 25, 2008

Blogging Buddies!

It's time for the K12 Online Conference! In case you are new to this one, it is a conference for teachers by teachers, where presenters put together 15-20 minute talks that can be viewed or downloaded. I enjoy it because I gets tons of great ideas, for free, from the comfort of my living room!

After viewing “We Like Our Blogging Buddies: The Write Stuff with Blogging Mentors” my mind started to spin! First graders were paired with college students (aspiring teachers) and they became blogging buddies. First graders blogged, college students commented on their blogs. It was a positive learning experience for all involved.

Last year I had my third graders blogging, but in small groups. We used blogging as a reflection/reporting tool. I could see some real possibilities for collaboration here! This would be a wonderful opportunity for students in a practical writing class! The high school students who typically struggle with writing could actually become mentors for younger students. In this way, everyone is writing for a real audience, with an authentic purpose, bonds are being formed, and, everyone is learning! This could be an opportunity for some struggling learners to feel helpful and needed.

In the presentation each student had his or her own buddy and they exchanged pictures. I think I would have my students describe themselves to their buddies and vice versa. They could draw pictures of each other, and then do a meet up on skype. In my future elementary classroom there are 3 laptops so this could be done with a learning center approach, after modeling and guided practice.

The high school students could also benefit from this revising, editing, and commenting process because it could be a great opportunity for review lessons on specific skills. hmmmmmmmmmm

Until I get a chance to try this out, I might have to attempt to recruit a friend or two. I would love to see this in action! Well, back to the conference!