Reflections on how to best Integrate Blogs into my classroom

As I consider the ways in which I can use a blog in my classroom I think of the applications as they tie to the curriculum. Teaching in a middle school level reading and literacy classroom, for students who are not reading and writing at grade level, presents a great opportunity for them to connect with text in a more authentic manner. Certainly, I can have students create a novel blog for their novels. They could do a variety of posts as the character of their choosing. They could create a novel blog, highlighting key literary features of their book, character, character motives, tone, conflicts and resolution, and predictions.I could have them connect to unknown vocabulary by typing the sentence where the unknown word might be and then finding a dictionary definition in an online dictionary. Finally they revisit that same blog post and add new unknown words, building their own vocabublog posting of key vocabulary of their novels.

They could be a reporter following the story line of the novel as if it is actually happening. I could have them write newspaper reports of the happenings and teach them the process for identifying and building a news story around : Who, What, Where, When, How and Why. They could also do a weather report of one plot event or setting in the story.

There are so many applications to text that they can explore in a blog, offering their ideas, feeling, thoughts, and beliefs to the world regarding the novel and how that novel has elements of the real world. Connecting to text and making real world connections, making recipes that their character might enjoy eating, taking trips their character might go on, and going out to lunch where their character might go. 

An ongoing novel blog that they can create, modify and manage, and work on throughout the year as an ongoing conversation in the study of their novels under study is a great way to add a reality base to their reading. The opportunity to share their blog can even raise the level of importance and validity as they might welcome the authentic audience for their writing.

A New Direction.....

One of my students doing a scan quiz-using a QR code scan linked to a google form-quiz I set up. These are a quick and easy way to assess students in a fun way.
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My career seems to be taking a turn and I am just going to travel in that new direction for now and see where it takes me. I know in my heart, that integrating technology into my reading and literacy middle school classroom has been life changing for my students. They might not say it, but I can see it. No, they are not always on board. Yes, they have days where they still say, "I don't want to read for an hour". They are middle school aged students,  after all. However, my students engagement has grown exponentially. Technology is the 'key' to open that elusive  door to learning with passion. It not only makes  perfect sense to me, but technology integration has been recognized by those who  are 'in the know',  so to speak. 

"Concurrent with this range of literacy needs, many schools are not engaging students. In addition,
students are less motivated to read in later grades.While these problems may coexist with any of the difficulties cited above, a lack of incentive and engagement also explains why even skilled readers and writers often do not progress in reading and academic achievement in middle and high schools.The proportion of students who are not engaged or motivated by their school experiences grows at every grade level and reaches epidemic proportions in high school." (Reading Next—A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy: A Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York)

The  plain truth is, I have seen a more present and receptive  group  sitting before me. They are able to work on laptops. They read on ipads using the kindle books application. They go up to my smart board and highlight the main ideas of an informational article I have copied and pasted, for size and content for enhanced understanding, into a Google document. They read and note take and use apps on the ipad like Popplet where they can design their notes  into a pattern, unique to them. This one element helps them  to engage at a higher level.  For me, to see them move from writing one or two words in each Popplet bubble to advancing  and  note taking  with lots of bubbles; a  layout which is almost scientific in it's specific structure and the addition of pictures and  color coded bubbles; and a quest to let  others see their work is mind boggling.

The Journey Begins

As I evaluate the technology rich environment I am creating in my classroom, I try not to be myopic. There is a big picture and as educators, we may flit around from new technology opportunities to the next new technology opportunity without a focus. I understand that as I present each new site to my students, I also need to be cognizant of the end in mind. Backward design tells us that we begin instruction with the end in mind. Like taking a road trip, and knowing where you will arrive, rather than setting out without a real destination. Both are interesting and both ideas can take you to interesting places. However, you could lose your way if you aren't guided by where you want your students to arrive at the end of the line. Perhaps some of them will go further, and others might not make the destination, but will find value in places along the way that you never even contemplated. We have to think about where they each need to build skills as we introduce them to the technology rich environments that we continually explore. Perhaps allowing them the exploration also, can help them feel empowered. For example, as a way to demonstrate their learning, I exposed my students to Powerpoint, Sliderocket, and Prezi. Then, I offer them a choice in what they would like to use for another presentation. Having used each of them for other projects, they have a choice to determine their own path in the next project. When we expose our students to the latest and greatest out there in technology, we share with them the possibilities for their own singular expression. Each path can be a little varied and such it is with differentiated learning. Having a variety of tools, and knowing how to use them to make each learning experience valuable for each learner, well that is the key to everything, isn't it?