Tomorrow I will be sending home a letter to parents about launching student blogs in Grade 4. I am excited for my students to take greater ownership of their learning and have a platform for their work. I think the students will be more motivated to do their best work and post it to the blog to share with a greater audience.
I have been working hard to teach my students about digital citizenship over the last year and a half. We have gone to workshops in the library and gotten the first-hand experience with guest blogging and our student blogging challenge. I feel that student blogs are the next logical step in learning about being a good digital citizen online. It is crucial to teach children how to use the internet safely and learn about digital footprints at an early age, especially in this world of YouTubers and Tik Tok videos.
I always told my children that whatever they put out on the internet would have to be appropriate for their grandmother to see. They would laugh at first and then be amazed that their grandmother who wasn’t on Facebook or Instagram would always see the latest pictures and happenings of all their cousins. My children were careful of what they posted as they learned about their digital footprints.
My students need to learn the same lessons about posting on the internet. I have watched how engaged and motivated the students are when they work on a blog post or connect with another class. I know they will put greater effort into their work and pay special attention to detail. I believe the quality of the written work will improve and the students will work harder to edit before they publish a post. Perhaps some grandparents will even read a post or two and comment.
I also believe that the blogs will give my quieter students a chance to share their voice and shine. Blogs will also be a perfect place for students to own and enrich their learning. Students will reflect on their learning and document it over the years. The students will get to make their thinking visible.
I started this professional blog in the summer with my students in mind. I was at a workshop with Silvia Tolisano and she said that if we want students to have their blogs, we should go through the process of having our own blog first, so that is exactly what I did. Anyone who knows me knows that I only do things with my students’ best interests in mind. I have enjoyed writing different posts to capture thoughts and reflections about my teaching. However, I have only shared this blog with a select few people as I am shy and quiet by nature.
I am ready to share this blog with a greater audience, with the hopes of sharing my journey of teaching and launching student blogfolios in Grade Four. I know it will be a terrific learning experience for my students and myself.