Blogical Minds

Let's blog!

How was the Halloween parade this morning? Were you scared? Did you enjoy the music? I know the Kindergarten children were excited as they marched around the halls!

Now we're ready to blog! The first thing you want to do today is check your comments and reply. Make sure to answer all of them. Remember to use the person's name so they will know you are writing back to them. You sure have some good comments going back and forth. Then try using a comment starter with one of your peers. Try to end your comments with good thought-provoking questions that will continue the dialog.

Then you will spend time on your news stories and maybe even some Halloween stories will be written. We are at a good point now and can really get into the practice of blogging. We'll learn how to add pictures and links. It's going to be fun!

Take a moment and review the task part of our webquest. I am going to be working with you one by one so you can see how easy it is to add to the class wiki. Take a very careful look at the guidelines and in particular the traits of a successful blogger. That's what you really need to think about and be pondering what you can add to the conversation.  I can't wait to see  what you will add to the wiki!

Six Traits Summation

We're in class now and you are busy as bees typing your posts. I thought I would do a quick post summarizing our thoughts on the six traits. I've combined your thoughts as well as those of Teacher A, Teacher B, and Teacher C.  Teamwork in action!

Ideas and Content

• Know what you want to get across to your reader and put your ideas together so they make sense.
• Give lots of interesting details that help readers see what you are thinking.
• Your paper has a reason to be written that gets across to your readers.
• Once you start reading, you will not want to quit.

Organization

• Grab your reader’s interest with the lead.
• Readers understand my writing because everything ties together.
• It works up to the good parts.
• You can follow it easily.
• At the end it feels finished and makes you think.

Voice

• It is almost like hearing you talk.
• Write about what you are thinking and feeling about the topic.
• You can tell that you have an interest in this topic.
• Invite your reader to think about what you wrote and when blogging you may use I wonder, I think, I wish….
• Also, in blogging write a thought-provoking question at the end to invite comments from your readers.
• You will want to read this to someone.

Word Choice

• Use vivid vocabulary so people will make pictures in their head.
• Strive to use new ways to say everyday things.
• Your verbs are strong.
• Keep thinking about the best way to say things and make sure your title will be a hook to make the reader want to read what you have written.

Sentence Fluency

• Some of your sentences are short.
• Some are long.
• It is clear and just sounds good as you read it aloud.
• Your sentences begin in different ways.
• When you start a new idea, you make a new paragraph.
• It flows.
• Your sentences are clear and one builds on another.

Conventions

• I check for mistakes in my paper.
• I make sure capitals are used correctly.
• Periods, commas, exclamation marks, and quotation marks are in the right places.

Blogging to be heard

We have had a busy few weeks! I want you to know how proud I am of all of you. You have listened well, been patient, helped your friends, and have taken to blogging like a duck takes to water! 

Today we will be finishing up the webquest and you are ready to post again! You’ve had your first taste of comments and are learning how to respond thoughtfully. There sure were some great comments going back and forth. We'll talk about some of those in class today.

 

   by  HowardLake 

 

We are going to review, brainstorm about writing and, respond to each other using the comment starters. We'll talk more about the Six Traits of Writing. It is going to be exciting as we get down to the business of blogging about what you are learning! Your voices will be heard!

 

Comments galore!

I just finished attending a K12 Online 2006 Fireside Chat with the preconference keynoter David Warlick. We used Eluminate Live software. This let educators from places all over the world gather in a virtual meeing place. It was cool. I would click on a little microphone to talk. My headset had an attached microphone that I used. Do you think it would be a good classroom activity to connect with a class, say in Canada or Scotland? What are some questions you might like to ask the students? What has been going on here in your class, town, county or state that you think would be worthwhile to share? Think about sharing, think about questioning.

 

   by  premasagar 

Post those thoughts on a comment to this post. Remember, you want to think of thought-provoking questions that would help us learn more about how students from other countries learn. If you comment about what you would share, try to think of topics that would be of high interest. We're going to talk more about this in class.

Wow! Have you all received the comments this week! I can't wait for you to read them. It will be fun answering them. We'll also discuss some aspects of commenting and how to make the most of it! I'll share some thoughts about commenting with you on a wiki! Also, I will point you to the comment starter samples on our webquest. So the first order of business is commenting!

Electricity in the air!

You are officially launched as bloggers! Everyone has written one or two posts. Your "I Am" poems are outstanding! I enjoyed reading every single one.

I could feel the electricity in the air as I watched you when you saw your very first post appear on the screen. It's a feeling that is hard to describe.

Right now we have all of you listed on the sidebar as blogician 1, 2, 3, etc. Be thinking this week about  the name of your blog and then I will change the names on the links. We are off to a very good start!

Remember the steps:

• We log onto Typepad by going to http://www.typepad.com
• Then you click on "Members Sign In" which is located in the top right corner
• Then you type in your User Name and Password and click on Log In
• Type in the Title of your post in the first box.
• Select a Category in the category box to the right of the title. Use the drop down box arrow to see the categories.
• Then type your post in the Post Body section.
• Use your Spell Check.
• Select and copy (just in case something happens!)
• Click Save.
• Your post will publish.

The above steps will help you when we review next week. We didn't get to the comments today. Boy, time flies when you're having fun!

Remember to create your jot notes for your topic next week. I can't wait to see you again!