Blogging in the Classroom

Now that I have an understanding of blogging, and how it works, I can think of many ways to use it in the classroom. I would like to someday have a classroom blog where parents can log onto the Internet and check out what we are doing in the classroom. I think this would be a great way to build a stronger connection between home and school.
I could also have (older)students read a story, and journal about it in a blog format. This way, students can view one another's entries and comment on them.
I also think it would be really exciting to blog with another classroom, or even another school. This would give students the chance to hear the views of others outside of their own classroom.

On the note of Digital Storytelling, I hope everyone is doing well with their stories. I am finding that coming up with what I am going to say is a difficult task. I am creating a story on Jewish history, so the research aspect makes it more difficult as well. I can't wait to get to the actual movie making!

Deubel

The Duebel article was a great refresher on how to select quality software for students. The guidelines were clear, and got me thinking about how I should evaluate the software I give to my students. As soon as I find time, I plan on going through the software in my classroom, playing it, and evaluating it based on the guidelines in the article. I want my students to benefit from the software, and not just play it without knowing "why" they are playing it.
I was also thinking of bringing in my laptop and having the children paint/type/play games because the classroom computer is a bit outdated.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know of any good read-aloud stories/chapter books for Pre-K, (4 and 5 year-old) children, (besides Junie B)? I am trying to find something with substance, yet fun and silly.

Digital Storytelling

As we talk more about digital storytelling, the whole process makes more sense to me. The activity we completed in class really helped me to understand that a digital story is more then just digital pictures; it tells a story, rather than simply displaying pictures.
I liked Amanda’s idea of documenting the process of an activity that the children do, and creating a digital story from that.
I continue to struggle to fit everything that I want to do with the children, as we are currently focusing on letters, (Handwriting Without Tears), social skills, and name writing. However, I am going to be thinking about the upcoming activities and how I can incorporate a digital story.

Seventh Entry

The idea of using digital storytelling with students is an exciting one. It is such an engaging and fun activity, that would get students excited about both storytelling and technology. I am inching to do something like this in my room, but I am struggling to find time to do it. We are talking about pumpkins this week, and I would like to, (after they have painted and decorated their pumpkins) have them pose with their pumpkins and dictate a story about it. I would then like to put the picture with the text and let them share with one another.
My students are starting to get more into reading and writing as the year goes along, and I think that adding the technology component and actually having students publish stories will get them more excited about reading and the writing process.

Sixth Entry

When I first learned about asking and generating 'fat' and 'skinny' questions, I have been really interested in the subject. I can only imagine how bored students would get if they were only asked the 'skinny' questions, and never asked to generate questions of their own. I believe that there are some times when the 'skinny' questions are appropriate, but the 'fat' questions are the ones that really get the students thinking, and should be used as often as possible. Allowing the students to generate their own 'fat' questions is more engaging, and gets them more involved in their learning.

I also liked the Webquest that I looked over. I enjoyed creating one for a University course, and I think they are a very useful tool for teachers. I like that they go step-by-step and include a rubric for students to reference while working.