As a reader of many blogs, I like to be able to track my comments and find out when others have added to a comment conversation. A year or two ago, the Edublogs guru, Sue Waters, introduced me to coComment and I haven’t look back! “coComment is a service for managing, powering and researching conversations […]
Blogging
Blogging Rubric
Thanks to Sue Waters, I recently came across this blogging rubric that was created by Clarence Fisher as a way to assess student blog posts. *click on the image to view a larger version* As the new school term is about to begin and I plan to get more of my Grade Two students creating […]
New Blog: Teaching Literacy in the Early Years
This year I have been team teaching with Kelly Jordan. Combining our two grade two classes has so many benefits and we are finding we are really meeting the needs of our students this year. Our open plan classroom is a fantastic place to teach and learn! Kelly has recently started a blog called Teaching […]
Blogging Tool: Embedit.in
embedit.in is a site that I saved to my Delicious and Diigo accounts about a year ago but forgot about and have not yet used. I recently rediscovered this site and realised how useful it could be in blogging. This tool allows you to embed almost any sort of file into your blog such as […]
Blog resource: New fonts for your posts!
I have long been a fan of downloading free fonts to use in Microsoft Office documents and I have often wanted to use more interesting and creative fonts in my blog posts. Most blogging platforms have set fonts however which limits your ability to change the appearance of text and therefore the visual appeal of […]
Create a Global Avatar with Gravatar
As I read quite a few blogs, I always like it when a commenter has an avatar (picture of self) next to their comment. Even if the avatar is not a true picture, it adds interest and a personality to the commenter. Often, when someone does not have a recognised avatar, their comments on blog […]
Another Cool Blogging Tool
I found out about the site Page Plugins on Mary Ellen Lynch’s classroom blog. It is another fun tool to add something different to blog posts. On the site, you can create all sorts of visuals from glittering text (above) and Easter Bunny notes (below) to embed on your blog. There is also a range […]
New Page: Embedding Web 2.0 Tools
I’ve just started a new page with a list of some Web 2.0 tools you could use on student or class blogs. When I first started blogging with my class, I simply used text and images. As I got the hang of it, I started using different forms of media to make the blog posts […]
Blogging: Collaboration Corner
As I have previously blogged about, the global connections that my class has made through our 2KM Blog have been extremely rewarding. This is the second year of the 2KM Blog and in that time we have had many global visitors, some of who have become “blogging buddies.” One relationship my class formed throughout last […]
Blogging: Teaching Commenting Skills
I am currently in the process of introducing my Grade Two students to blogging. Our 2KM class blog is proving to be very popular with students and families. As I have previously blogged about, I like to follow these steps when introducing blogging to students. This is my third year of blogging with young students […]
More about blogging!
I am currently in the process of introducing my new Grade Two students to blogging. As this is a new concept for many students and parents I have prepared two handouts to send home to families. They are an Introduction to Blogging note and Guide to Getting the Most out of 2KM’s blog note. Feel […]
Rules and Guidelines for my Class Blog
As I previously blogged about, I am about the embark on setting up a class blog for the third time. Before you set up your class blog, it’s really important to think about what rules and guidelines you will put into place and make sure the students and parents are clear about these. Blogging provides […]
Blogging in 2010
The school year begins here on the 1st February and for the third year, I will embark on the blogging journey with my new Grade Two class. As my class will still be called 2KM, I have decided to keep my 2009 2KM blog and customise it to my 2010 class. If you are setting […]
Global Connections
My class blog has been a central part of our classroom this year for reflecting on and publishing student work while celebrating the students’ achievements in their Grade Two year. Making global connections has been one of the most rewarding parts of the blogging experience for me and my class. Two particularly worthwhile connections we […]
Put a poll on your blog
Polls are great way to make your blog or website interactive and more interesting. A poll could be part of a post or as a sidebar widget. Poll Daddy and Vorbeo are two very easy to use applications that allow you to create a poll to embed on your blog or website. After you click […]