We are Authors 💻

Although I didn't start the blogging project as early as I had planned, I am very satisfied with the results. We blog, because I want to give students an outlet for their writing, a real audience. In years past, I used it along a reading circle, or as a personal blog but I was more strict on the writing/editing aspect of it. This time I decided to let it run free and not worry about grammar, punctuation, etc.

I presented the idea and gave guidelines to create the Google Sites with the help of our Technology Instructional Specialist. Modeled with my own blog and off we went. Surprisingly, the technical part of creating the site went very smoothly. When we started writing, the first post took them a long time. Our first post was an introduction. Some students struggled to write their presentation, but at their own pace, they did it. We used the end of the day to write our posts or Friday afternoons. In the beginning, I was the only reader, but then students started sharing with their Accountability Partners. Recently, we started publishing the blogs in a Padlet where other students can comment and give feedback.

Having lifted the burden of grammar and editing has resulted in more writing. Even some students have published more than I require. A little bribing might do the trick, I promise a class reward when all the class completes 5 posts. And yes, our blogs have many errors, and run-ons and some kids have published very little, but we are writing and sharing. We are a work in progress but we'll write our journey.

Next year, I want to start earlier, and maybe in groups so I can focus on better development. Also, providing rubrics for self-evaluation and peer comments could help improve the quality of our writing.