It has been a challenge in my class to get my kids more responsible with their independent reading. Trying to manage them staying on task and making them more accountable for their work can be a struggle. I have decided to have the kids in my room use SeeSaw to blog about a current novel we are reading in class.
Setting this up seemed like a daunting task. They had to realize that what they will be posting is out on the internet for all to see. I provided all of the students rubrics to follow proper blog post guidelines. We will also be collaborating with Mr. Hall's class which hopefully, if it goes well, we can expand it to a distance learning type activity.
I have found that some students are very self aware of their writing abilities and can sometimes be embarrassed to post among their peers for fear of being made fun of for their writing ability. I am working with these specific students to build their confidence in their writing to be able to post confidently.
I'm hoping that expanding beyond paper and pencil will make my students more motivated to interact with text they are reading. I can see this being a valuable tool that would promote discussion and enhance their comprehension. Students will also, depending on the task given, some choice in their responses while also following the rubric.
It's been a slow process implementing this in the class and I hope in the coming weeks to have a much better grasp of the process.
Promoting discussion has always been a challenge for me when I have had students blog. They don't mind sharing but responding to others seems to need a lot of guidance. This is a very worth while focus.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that some of your students are aware of their weaknesses in writing. What a great opportunity to get them to work on those weaknesses. Good idea Charlie.
ReplyDeleteBud Not Buddy! Awesome book! That was one of my favorites to read every year with my kids. Seesaw is a good blogging source. I'm interested to see how you like it.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea. Hopefully you give lots of 'etiquette pointers' about responding to other bloggers. Maybe those who are very hesitant can write out their blog and share it with you first before sharing it on the actual blog.
ReplyDeleteI have my two highest readers reading Bud Not Buddy. I think it may be too intellectually high for them. I would love to connect them with your blog writers to maybe inspire them to keep on chugging along! Let me know!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Is there an app that will allow students who are self-conscious about their writing to speak and translate that into writing? This will require the student to speak clearly, and when he conferences with you, before he writes his post, you could go over the parts that weren't clear.
ReplyDeleteIf an app like that doesn't exist, then show these students how to use the edit features of Word, including spell (underlined in red) and grammar (underlined in green), check. You and the students can decide if blogs can be posted once nothing is underlined in red or green, or if errors should be included. Students can also collaborate with each other. Maybe those who are better at writing can be "assistant editors" that set aside a block of their work time to help others edit their work. Can't wait to read their blog!
Sounds like you are meeting a genuine need in your classroom with this project, and blogging is the perfect platform. Writing our thoughts helps clarify our thinking, but it's hard! You've taken on a big challenge that will take time to mature, but it seems like it will reap many benefits. Alba suggested possibly allowing struggling writers to initially speak their writing. Google Docs has that feature under tools < voice typing.
ReplyDeleteI had not thought of using seesaw as a blogging app. What a great way to get them engaged. I understand those hesitant about posting completely maybe if you read and help edit with them first they will feel more confident or perhaps pairing a high/low writer.
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