Improvement/Rational - It is the modern age and online lessons are really 'cool' to the kids. We spend each year doing student book reviews and students reading picture books to their peers for the first part of the school year. Then the second half their are various lessons depending on the grade. When I was stuck for ideas on this project, I emailed my staff for ideas. One of the ideas was mentioned twice. Online book reviews. Well, I did do this last year, but I guess only the intermediate teachers knew about this and my blog was new last year, so I was still adding to it and still learning about all the great things I can do with a blog. This year's online book reviews have just started. So I can still include them in this assignment. I have the students from divisions 1-3 doing them now and divisions 4-6 to start them in the spring. Why do them? They are cool. Simple as that. Students get to write about a book they like and they get to see their own writing on the internet. Why do them from a teaching standpoint? The students are writing about books, they are excited about it, they now have tones of book reviews, so if they are lost for ideas on what to read there are suggestions and they are learning about blogs in the process.
Improvement - I just added all the new 'tabs' to my blog in the past 2 weeks. There is a tab for each grade. The lower grades will also get to post too, but it will be about their thoughts on spring or Mother's Day poems or something like that. My one music class just finished researching different bands on the net, so after spring break they will get to write about this band and post it and see their writing on the net.
Concerns - Just that they complete the assignments, do not use bad language or their full names. I have set up templates for some of them that have started (Div 1-3). The rest of the templates are still to come, so a little work is needed in order to point them in the direction I want them to go.
Communication - I show the kids the templates, discuss what is do be done and their expectations. I also tell them how it is for marks, so they take it seriously. The teachers love getting another mark they can use. I spend a block with each class going over all of the above rules and expectations and it seems to work with the older kids. With the younger kids who haven't started this yet or done it before, I'll have to spend lab time with them showing them how to do a posting, what it looks like, teaching them what to do, but they catch on quick. With the younger kids I will pair them together too as the ESL and low learners need the help. This could take a couple of library blocks to do this and of course trying to get free computer lab time. This is why the Apple TV and big screen tv will come in handy for the future lessons.
With the teachers, they ones that did this last year loved it. The ones who suggested it and did not know it was happening it will be a pleasant surprise for them. I will need to talk to these teachers and see what the posting will look like for them. It will probably be best if the other teacher and I are in the computer lab together to help the little ones for their postings.
Challenges - With the little kids, just getting them used to posting on the blog. There are so many ESL and learning disabilities in the classes now, so pairing them up to adjust for this will help. Making sure the older kids treat it seriously and complete the assignment. This will require a constant reminder in library for a few weeks and having the classroom teacher putting the posting topic into their homework if they do not do it during library or computer time.
To go and view the start of the posting projects and where the rest of them plan to go this year have a look at my school blog in the tabs section at the top -
Errington Library
http://erringtonlibrary.blogspot.com/
