Some Resources and Notes

Thanks for a good discussion around some of the considerations that need to go into making successful and relevant blogs and podcasts for the classroom. There really are a lot of possibilities - but like all good teaching you need to plan things out first. Think about the goals you hope to accomplish and how you want the students to get there - then go for it!

Here are the two handouts from our last TIP session: Blogging and Podcasting Considerations and Making your blog into a podcast is EASY! We hope they're useful.

When I got home today, I found the March 2009 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD. The topic of the entire issue? Literacy 2.0 (discussing the educational considerations of the read/write web - what a coincidence!). The articles examine the literacies needed to engage fluently in these new technology media. The first article I read is called "The Joy of Blogging" and describes a 5th grade blogging class and the ways that it supported students' development of communication skills. You can check it out at: www.ascd.org. Some of the articles are available to non-ASCD members while others will require a purchase. If you aren't a member (and you really ought to consider joining), find someone in your building who is and have them help you out. Maybe you can borrow a copy of the issue.

Finally, here's a video from Blogger on making your blog into a podcast. (FYI Blogger's help section seems pretty comprehensive if you find yourself wondering how to do something new). There's also a link to it on the right hand column of this blog.

Good luck with your TIP projects. Let us know if we can help you!