- Share a photograph of your classroom. Explain about the different parts of it and how it is being used. Invite other teachers and classes to write a similar blog post explaining about their classroom. Encourage children from your class to leave comments about what they like about it or even suggestions for changes they would like to see.
- Publish children’s work. Don’t just post work that is flawless but also invite comments and suggestions on work that can be improved.
- Publish your shared writing. As you produce writing with the class in your lessons, post it to your blog and invite the class or blog visitors to improve something and to comment.
- Share your classroom rules or charter. This can be done at the beginning of the year and is a good way to share your class agreement with the wider community.
- Share a photograph of a classroom display.
- Post a video of SMARTBoard or IWB session during a maths lesson. For example the written methods for multiplication are included, the children can use it as a revision aid – the parents get to see how the school wants it set out AND the children get to comment on their favoured method.
- Posting images from a digital microscope for the children to comment on. “What is under our microscope?” – or even asking for people to guess what the image is and to comment on the suggestions.
- Posting homework tasks every week – eg. maths problems, children to comment as their task.
- Art gallery. Post pictures of all of the artwork created in a session, make a gallery or slideshow.
- Post Concept Cartoons for science prior to a lesson or a week of work. Children are asked to comment on what they think will happen and then these can be used as a start to the first lesson or as an intitial assessment.
I have started a new Interesting Ways resource which includes these classroom blogging ideas –
Please feel free to add your ideas, however simple or complex, to help develop the resource.
hi this your mitesh how are you
class
ooh really good
We’ve been aggregating Scots Edu blogs (including pupil ones) at http://www.scotedublogs.org.uk for a while
I just figured out yesterday how to upload a story we used in class for my beginner kids. We used the cartoon strips of the story to engage kids into the topic, did some listen and act. Listen and act in random order, then made a mask, etc.
I feel like these are especially relevant. Thanks for sharing and we will cross post the ideas to twitter as well!
Tom, I love these ideas! And the comments also bring up some more issues. In light of the #edchat topic yesterday, I feel like these are especially relevant. Thanks for sharing and we will cross post the ideas to twitter as well!
Listen and act in random order, then made a mask, etc. Then after the lesson I recored the story I told them in class (connected to Halloween) audacity, imported it into MP3 and managed to upload it onto the class-blog for kids to listen to.
I just figured out yesterday how to upload a story we used in class for my beginner kids. We used the cartoon strips of the story to engage kids into the topic, did some listen and act. Listen and act in random order, then made a mask, etc. Then after the lesson I recored the story I told them in class (connected to Halloween) audacity, imported it into MP3 and managed to upload it onto the class-blog for kids to listen to. (Kids will actually, have to scare their parents with the masks we made and tell us next time how it went). NExt lesson we’ll share our scare-stroies, recast them, draw them, and hopefully upload them again to the class-blog. 🙂
This can be useful for reflective writing, they can write
great post today
If I want them to write online as part of a homework task I have been using a wiki for a class where they all have their own page. This can be useful for reflective writing, they can write
From the feeback I got from teachers they found this letter very important step as parents need to know why and how this “new teaching tool”, i.e. a class blog is used.
From the feeback I got from teachers they found this letter very important step as parents need to know why and how this “new teaching tool”, i.e. a class blog is used.
hi, this looks great! can u please tell me how to post concept cartoons on the blog though?
As someone who visits class blogs there are some great (& might I say they look easy to arrange) ideas here. It would be great to see the children commenting to & perhaps setting up a dialogue with commentators.
I could translate it to Eng and post that too. From the feeback I got from teachers they found this letter very important step as parents need to know why and how this “new teaching tool”, i.e. a class blog is used.
If I want them to write online as part of a homework task I have been using a wiki for a class where they all have their own page. This can be useful for reflective writing, they can write about how they have learned as well as what they have learned. They can also use the discussion page to comment on each others’ pages.
Previously I’d written an e-mail to parents about the aims of the blog, so they contribute as much as possible and are truly part of the learning team. (posted this letter in HUngarian for teachers to be able to use this
You can also give them feedback on their work using voicethread, in L1 AND English if they are beginner EFL learners (www.fun-class.blogspot.com launched after fours lessons with my beginner lower primar group). Previously I’d written an e-mail to parents about the aims of the blog, so they contribute as much as possible and are truly part of the learning team. (posted this letter in HUngarian for teachers to be able to use this on http://www.angoltanaroknak.blogpsot.com). If you think it would be useful, I could translate it to Eng and post that too. From the feeback I got from teachers they found this letter very important step as parents need to know why and how this “new teaching tool”, i.e. a class blog is used.
Erika
Re 8 this is an excellent idea – I have used a WordPress blog for the last year where all my classes (11-18) can go to check their homework details.
If I want them to write online as part of a homework task I have been using a wiki for a class where they all have their own page. This can be useful for reflective writing, they can write about how they have learned as well as what they have learned. They can also use the discussion page to comment on each others’ pages.
hi, this looks great! can u please tell me how to post concept cartoons on the blog though?
As someone who visits class blogs there are some great (& might I say they look easy to arrange) ideas here. It would be great to see the children commenting to & perhaps setting up a dialogue with commentators.
These links / resources may be useful
http://mclear.co.uk/2009/10/17/one-aggregated-rss-feed-of-all-the-primary-school-blogs/ <-- real examples of all the UK class blog posts. http://www.spectives.com/primary <-- visual way of following primary school blogs (examples of) http://primaryblogger.co.uk <-- free blog service for primary schools