My C4T #3 is Kathleen Morris, a teacher at Leopold Primary School in Victoria, Australia. This post is about her use of educational blogging. Kathleen says that this is the sixth year that she has used educational blogging in her classroom. When first introducing blogging, her curriculum was very busy so she would only spend a few minutes on it. She soon realized her students were not receiving the full benefits of blogging. Kathleen began to prioritize and plan her blogging program. When she first began, the computer ratio was 1:6. Over time, her students have gained access to devices and the ratio is at 1:1.
Kathleen explains how it is not enough to teach students literacy anymore, they must be transliterate to be prepared for the 21st century. Blogging is a way to teach traditional literacy and to teach multi-modal 21st century skills. Her students now spend 10-20 minutes a day blogging. She says it gives her students the opportunity to work on literacy conventions in an authentic, on-going text. Her students also participate in a "C4C" every week.
Comment I told Kathleen I was a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen how I completely agree with her method of incorporating blogging in the classroom. I explained to her I was a college senior and was just recently introduced to blogging, or any educational technology! So I told her how much her students will appreciate blogging in the future. I told Kathleen I thought it was great that after her rocky start of blogging she began to prioritize it to give her students the full benefits. She has came so far since then. I told her it seems as if she does a lot with her students to get them engaged in their blogs. I wished her luck with everything ahead of her, and posted a link to our class blog.Blogging and the Literacy Curriculum
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Kathleen explains that this is her last week teaching before maternity leave. She is figuring out what to keep and what to dispose of. She has been at the same school for almost a decade and says how much both education and she has changed. She mainly wants to dispose of worksheets. It took Kathleen to realize that worksheets are not very effective. She says the "busy work" she used to love now makes her cringe. It is now very clear to her that hands on, collaborative, open-ended tasks are higher value. More reflections Kathleen mentions about now and the future are about ideas and resources always being available. Although her PLN will always be there, she will use the internet to brainstorm for ideas. She says to use digital resources, they don't take up space! Kathleen also says prioritizing is powerful. She says although having a bright and beautiful bulletin board is great, it is not a productive use of time. She says to use that time to offer students amazing outcomes. Kathleen is excited about her future both personally and professionally. She is going to stray from blogging for a while to see if she still has the time and desire after her child.
Comment I told Kathleen that I am a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I told Kathleen I loved her post. I said that as a future educator, everything she mentioned was important for me to read. Worksheets do seem more like busy work, and it is great more teachers and accepting that. I told Kathleen I find it great she is all about hands on and collaborative work. I wished her luck in packing up her classroom and moving on to a new chapter in her life. Here is a link to her blog:Looking Back, Looking Forward
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