Pacing

I've discovered pacing is an important part of the blogging process. By having several small assignments prepared with a future deadline in mind, students can work at their own pace. Assignments will eventually overlap, but this provides individual goals in a differentiated classroom.

Student Blogs

I have moved on from a shared class blog to individual accounts. Today the students set up their own blogs. They'll use my blog, our class blog, to check in occasionally for assignments. Their first post today was a Chapter 31 summary. Some were able to put their summaries into Wordle. They got a kick out of that.

The experiment begins...

Tomorrow I'll be using Blogger in the classroom. I'd like the students to set up their own accounts. I'll be posting assignments on our class blog. As a way of going paperless, I'll have them post their responses on their blogs to some questions regarding the literature. I'll use the comment section to post their grade, if they allow me. If not, I'll let them know discreetly.

I'm sure there are better programs for this kind of experiment, but I'll use it as an opportunity to "get my feet wet."

Believer

I am a believer in Twitter. A teacher's network is a fantastic idea. Follow me at BillSLRHS.