Telling our Stories . . . The Power of Blogging with Students!

By Linda Ashida

The other day I was checking my Tweetdeck columns and I came across a couple of my favorite tweets of the week from my colleague Dean Burrier Sanchis.  The tweets share the interview his AP Spanish Literature students did with Literature professor and author David Arbesú.

A couple of things stood out to me.  First I thought, what a great activity for students to apply their learning in such a meaningful experience, interviewing the professor who had translated from Spanish to English the work of literature they had just read in class; a great example of extending learning beyond the classroom walls!

I also thought how great it was that they shared their experience with their blog post. I wonder if the students even realize the impact of their interview and blog post on their readers.  As I read the post, I learned from and was inspired by their experience.  They inspired me to re-read the works that were cited in the interview!

Their post reminded me of the power of sharing our stories with others.  When we write, we learn more deeply from our own reflection, and we inspire learning in others, multiplying learning opportunities, especially when we write for an authentic audience; a live, and potentially world-wide, audience! Furthermore, the class blog is a great way to share with parents and the community to give them a glimpse of what learning looks like with our students.

Here is the link to their blog post.  Check it out!


Even if you cannot read Spanish, you can appreciate and be inspired by their work. You will notice that all of the students participated in the interview, they shared a transcript of the interview, and, together in collaboration with their teacher, they are all listed as authors on their class blog. Check out the archives of their blog, too, to see earlier posts by these student authors. Consider leaving them a comment on their posts. Think how excited the students would be to hear from their readers!

In addition to blogging, the class also uses Twitter, as a microblog, with their class hashtag #EGHSLAE to share their learning experiences.  Check that out too!

Perhaps the work of Dean Burrier Sanchis' students will inspire you to consider blogging with your own students.  And if you do, please share with us!  We'd love to learn from your examples too!

If you are interested in getting started, please check in with us at the Collab Lab! We'd be happy to help.

And here are a few resources on blogging that might inspire you:

• "Empowering Students through Blogging: by Eric Patnoudes

On Making Mistakes & Learning in a 1:1 Classroom

By Kim Miklusak

This has been a year of uncharted territory for many of us.  Although I had worked with iPads and technology prior to this year, it was my first year teaching in a full 1:1 classroom.  I have to say I was nervous--especially working with people who had been in iPad pilot programs for a few years.  I was nervous that people would ask me questions that I may not immediately know the answer to.  I was nervous that I would try things out in my classroom and they wouldn't work.  I was nervous that I would take time to make something only to find a better way to do it later.

And you know what?  All of those things happened.  But because of the general support structure at  EGHS--and throughout the district as a whole--as well as the specific support structure of the CollabLab and my peers, I was able to learn and grow alongside those I was helping--and alongside my students!  I appreciate the willingness to share in our school, and I appreciate the instructional conversations we can have in our departments and across departments.  I've learned as much from teachers in other subjects as I have from teachers in my own!  Additionally I've learned so much from connecting with people on Twitter and at EdCamps.

I know the shift in instructional technology is a big one, and we are all in different places with it.  The mindset at our school is so important: move at a pace that is comfortable for you.  For some that means considering the SAMR model and working first with substitution as we digitize curricula.  For some that means trying out one thing such as doing entrance or exit slips on the iPad each day.  For others that could be doing one project on the iPad.  And still for others that means transforming as many pieces of the curriculum as possible.

The key is always, however, to realize that whatever we do for the first time, we may (we will!) find more effective and efficient ways to do it in the future--especially if we share our successes and missteps with others.  As long as our instructional focus comes first and technology comes second, the technology will be there to enhance as oppose to diminish what we do in our classrooms for our students.

Reflections from the Anti-Blogger

By: Rachel Barry

At the beginning of second semester, our Instructional Technology Team decided to post daily blogs.  This meant that each of the four of us would write a post one day of the week, and we would collaborate or bring in a guest blogger for the fifth day.  I will readily admit that I was not nearly as excited as the rest of the team with this decision.  What will I write about?  When will I find the time?  Who wants to read what I have to say?  Needless to say, I tip-toed into this new world of blogging with a sense of apprehension.

I decided to first post about what I know, which I now see as "matter of fact" posts.  This is how I introduce content to my students, this is how I assess my students, this is how I use data to drive instruction, etc.  In these posts, I walked teachers through the reasoning behind using a specific technology resource over another, and sometimes provided "how-to" directions to help a teacher just starting with the process.  Eventually I moved into more philosophical education topics, such as the role a teacher plays in the classroom or the meaning of a letter grade.  With the elimination of my self-doubt, I soon found was that I was actually enjoying this process!

Blogging has forced me to reflect on my teaching.  We educators don't always take the time to reflect on our practices because we are caught up in the assessment that needs to be edited, the quizzes that need to be graded, and the parent needs to be contacted.  At first, it felt like another thing to add to my list of things to do, however, now I find myself reflecting over my teaching at odd times.  I use these thoughts, as well as my conversations with coworkers, in brainstorming future blog posts.

I used to believe that I spent a lot of time reflecting on my teaching.  I am an avid runner and spend a lot of time commuting, so I felt that I was taking the appropriate amount of time between these two activities contemplating how my lessons went that day.  I have found, though, that physically writing down my thought processes has had a significant impact on the way I think about my lessons and the modes of implementing curriculum.   I articulate things differently when I am explaining to an audience.  I think about my practices from multiple angles -- I play devil's advocate with myself.  Why did I implement that topic that way?  Was it the best use of time?  Did students learn the content accurately and fully?  Does the app I chose best support my learning goal?  Ultimately, blogging makes me think about why we educators do what we do, and more specifically why I do what I do.

Blogging as Professional Learning: D214 Highlights!

Written by Linda Ashida

In the Collab Lab, our work is guided first and foremost by our goal to transform learning; learning for students and staff.  We continually strive to foster connections to multiply our learning. Over the course of this year we have been reminded over and over again about the tremendous impact that blogging can have on professional learning.  This post will highlight the impact of our Collab Lab Blog, and will also share the blogs of other colleagues at Elk Grove High School and throughout District 214. Please check them out!  Consider leaving comments for the authors!  If you know other D214 blog authors, please let us know and we'll update this post.

The Collab Blog
Just this morning I received an email from a colleague who was interested in preparing some videos for student learning.  She had heard of the apps ShowMe, Explain Everything, and Educreations.  She wondered which app would be the best.  My initial response was to suggest that she come down to the Collab Lab to talk with us, but then I remembered that one of our teachers, Quinn Loch had written a Guest Post for our Collab Blog that was a review of those very apps!  So, I still invited her to stop by the Collab Lab (we would love to meet with her to learn more about her plans and support her work!), but I directed her to first check out Quinn's Blog post, and then other EG colleagues, like Kirsten Fletcher, Mark Heintz and Christina Barnum, who had also written about their use of those apps.  After this exchange I couldn't help but think about how our Collab Blog has really had an impact on professional learning at EG:  The authors learn through the reflective process of writing the post; the blog serves as a way to document and curate our learning; and, our posts multiply our collaboration and connections with others.

In addition to the example above, there have been many other occasions that colleagues have mentioned to us that they have used the Collab Blog as a resource for their own teaching. For example, after Katie Owen did a Peer Learning Workshop on Using Notability to Engage Students, we wrote a blog post to document and share her work with others.  Several teachers reported to us how happy they were to have that post a guide,  and to implement the same strategies in their own classes.

We look forward to continuing our daily posts to document and multiply learning even more! Moving forward, we would especially like to encourage more guest posts. Guest posts can be written by staff, students and community members. If you have a teaching /learning experience to share, please let us know!

In addition to the Collab Blog, the Collab Lab team considers Twitter to be an important micro-blogging platform to document and share our work, via the Collab Lab Twitter account and the use of the hashtag #EG1to1.  Check them out!

And, we have a challenge for you! If you are hesitant to blog yourself, why not think of Twitter as your first step to blogging. You could set a goal to document and share learning experiences in your classroom with photos and tweets just a few times a week.  It is such an easy and great way to curate your learning experiences with your students for your own reflection. At the end of the year, you'll be happy to scroll through your tweets and see the "year in review." And, if you add #EG1to1 to your tweets you'll be able to share and connect more broadly with students, colleagues, parents and the community!



And, check out these other District 214 Blogs:

This is Why We Write

Blog written by Kim Miklusak,  English Teacher and Department Technology Coach at Elk Grove High School.

Reflection

Inaugural blog post on "Medium" written by Kristen Gierman,  Social Science Teacher and Coach at Elk Grove High School.

Spotlight on Innovation

A series of weekly posts on "Medium" written by Teresa Buczinsky,  English Teacher and Division Technology Coach at Prospect High School.

Just the Tech Guy

Blog written by Jeff Vlk,  Innovative Technology Facilitator at Buffalo Grove High School.

Buffalo Grove HS Learning and Instruction
Blog written by Jill Maraldo, Associate Principal for Instruction at Buffalo Grove High School.


Do you know other D214 bloggers?  Please let us know so we can add them to this post!

Do you have other favorite educational blogs?  Let us know! We'll write another post soon, highlighting some of our favorite blogs from beyond District 214.

Twitter for School & Classroom Culture

This isn't a shameless plug for #214SpiritEG.  Well, I guess by default it sort of is; however, I wanted to build off Linda's post from Monday.

District 214 is holding a Twitter Spirit Week in honor of the Centennial this week.  They asked each school community to tweet to its specific hashtag all week, and the winning school will get burritos from a local business.  This is, I believe, the second year they've run a contest like this.  Additionally, they have celebrated #214oneday and #214bday, which were well received by many in and out of the district.

In addition to fun competition between schools, what events like this show are how a classroom, a school, and a district can leverage social media in a positive way.  Instead of banning technology and punishing students for using their phones & iPads in class, we can reward them when they are using them responsibly to enhance learning.  We can redirect students to create a positive digital culture and an audience for their work beyond the four classroom walls.  This has been shown through some of our school's class hashtags like #EGLTS and #FRAPEG--both of which have been blogged about on this site (here and here) and whose digital presences and influences are growing constantly.  It is possible to use Twitter and other forms of social media to enhance student learning!

Additionally, Twitter has become an important source of professional development for many educators.  For example, I have connected with so many teachers for resources and feedback on our 20% Time Project (#20Time/#GeniousHour).  Other teachers find contacts and resources via Twitter chats.  No matter what you're looking to work on in your own professional development or classroom content, there is someone out there to easily network with on Twitter.  If you'd like to learn more, please leave a comment or stop in to the CollabLab!

Also, go #214SpiritEG!

The Impact of Social Media in the Classroom

Today the CollabLab welcomes Joe Bush, a teacher in the Social Studies department at Elk Grove.  Joe can be reached @josephdbush

I was never too fond of the term "social media."  I felt like it was a waste of time or something people did just to see others “like” pictures that were posted.  My perspective changed a great deal when social media avenues such as Twitter and Blogspot were presented in a new and interesting way. At the beginning of my Leadership Through Service Class, Linda Ashida came in and discussed digital leadership and digital footprints. These terms were foreign to me in the first place, but I quickly saw the powerful nature of blogging and tweeting. 

The first step we took in developing a digital footprint for both my students and myself was creating professional twitter accounts. These were to be used to help students connect with teachers, leaders, and each other as a forum to discuss topics with leadership or curate what they have done throughout the year. 

Although it has only been two months, my students and myself have made huge strides in chronicling our successes in class through Twitter (#EGLTS).  In addition, we have all made connections with leaders in the business community who have led us down avenues of positive leadership and growth.  The connections have expanded our worldviews and have helped us to grow into better people and leaders. 

In addition to Twitter, we have also used Blogspot to archive our class successes.  Every other week, students are given a topic to Blog about.  We have the benefit of reading each other’s blogs and commenting on them. This gives the students an authentic audience to share ideas with.  Overall I am very pleased with the use of social media in my class. Students have taken it seriously, we have connected with outside resources that we did not even know existed, and have grown as leaders. 

A Student's Perspective on Blogging for Class

Today the CollabLab welcomes guest blogger Katie D., a senior at Elk Grove HS.  Her work, along with the work of her classmates, can be found through the hashtag #EGLTS

This year I started a blog for my leadership class to blog about various topics we learn in class such as growth and service as well as different experiences I have had.  At first, I didn't really understand why I was doing it or what purpose it had, but as I kept blogging, I have found it to be a unique resource to use as a student. For one, it is easier to share with my teacher and other students different ideas I have and reflections on what we do in class because anyone can have easy access to view my blog rather than just turning in papers that no one gets to see.  This ability to share our opinions through blogging helps a lot when we have to collaborate for different projects and lessons.  Along with that people outside of just our class can see what we blog including other teachers and administrators who can then see what we are learning about and what we do to branch ideas off and feel more connected as a school. My blog even got republished by a website, which shows just how far our thoughts can go on the internet and can influence others.  I've learned a lot since starting my blog, and I encourage other students to try it out.