Dean Shareski recently posted about blogs that succeed, and listed five simple ways he’s discovered to help students and teachers blog successfully:
Blogging is mostly about reading
- Provide as much time to read blogs as write
- When writing make sure you are responding to something you’ve read, seen or heard
To make a friend you have to be a friend
- If you want people to read and respond to your work, you will need to read and respond to theirs
- We have 2 ears and 1 mouth!
It’s personal
- Write about what you know
- Don’t lose the concept of conversation – it must flow from personal meaning
- Write stories that others can relate to and contribute to
Hyperlink
- Validity of blogs without links?
Get graphical
- Words are only one way to express ideas
- Embed video, audio and images
- Communicate beyond just words
I’ve been struggling a bit lately with finding the impetus to write, and I think its because I’ve over planned the whole “story” too much.
I’ve also been doing lots and lots of reading but not responding in any way – just thinking “Yeah, I agree with that!” and moving on to the next post.
Maybe I need to explore graphical ways of communicating – try out some new applications so I can use them/show them in class as well.
I shared Dean’s suggestions with my class and they had a lively discussion about the ideas raised – we’ve all agreed to get down and serious about improving our blogging this term, just you wait and see if we don’t 🙂
I’d be interested to hear your student’s responses. I think sometimes our ideas of blogging and their ideas are somewhat different. Not that every blog has to fit a certain model but my focus was certainly on the idea of a learning journal as opposed to other uses for blogs.
The idea of blogs is to have the aspect of social networks and communications. I love the way i can express myself on my blog and have everybody agree and disagree on some peoples opinions.The ideas that Dean Shareski puts in your mind with his reasons, makes you see blogging and commenting in a whole new way!
Mikhaila from Allstars
We (my class and I) are trying to use our blogs in many ways – as a record of our work, as a place for reflection, to try our new ideas and thoughts, and as a collection of the different ways we are learning.
Your ideas and thoughts on improving our blogging will help us look at what we are doing, with a view to making it better.
G’day Kim,
At least one of the students in your class is certainly accomplishing the “to make a friend you have to be a friend”. Nadine is regularly commenting in blogs from students in my grade 6/7 class. She comes back often and I noticed she even has the students blogs in her blogroll.
Hi,
I really think that these tips will help me and everyone else who has or will read them. I agree with the tip that if you want people to read and respond to your work you have to read and respond to thiers and it shouldn’t just be saying: hi great work please comment on my blog! You could put stuff like tips on how you think they can make thier blog even better! Well thats all for me for now but I hope to talk to you soon.
Toooooooooooooodles 😛 😀
Some great points there. I’d agree with all of those.
Finding time in the school day for students to blog – especially with me in the library, where no class is here longer than about 40 mins, and we also borrow and return, share a book, chat about Premier’s Reading Challenge, check out the CBCA shortlist in that time – is tricky.
We have managed it, but there’s always scope to do so much more. Luckily, the NSW DET book rap blogs provide a tight focus.
For my own blog, I went several months without a comment. I was beginning to think the blog wasn’t working! But it is; thanks for the comment today!
Regards, Ian McLean
Penrith PS
Hello Ian,
Thanks for your thoughts. I must admit to reading lots of blogs but not commenting on many. I often find that I’m nodding my head in agreement with something I’ve read, but when it comes to typing out a response I find I have not much to add 🙁
Your blog is a great mix of thoughts, reflections and anecdotes- I love popping by to see what you are up to – keep on blogging, you’re great 🙂
KimP