Technology Workshop Lesson Plan Instructor:

Rachel Nachman “Blogging in the Elementary School Classroom” Day #2

Subject of Workshop:

Why blogs should be used to teach writing Blogging and Multimedia Using blogs to encourage writing and

develop students’ writing skills

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Basic computer skills Knowledge of blogs Ability to write clear learning objectives Fluent typing Ability to align lesson plans to educational

standards

Content:

This workshop will focus on using blogs within the writing curriculum. More specifically, participants will learn about different instructional activities that can be implemented in which blogs are used to encourage student writing and to develop students’ writing skills. Participants will also learn about why blogs should be used to teach writing. Participants will then have an opportunity to collaborate with other teachers at their grade level, access the Montgomery County Public Schools curriculum, and brainstorm possible ways that blogs can be incorporated within their writing instruction. Lastly, participants will then be asked to design a lesson plan in which a blog is used to develop students’ writing skills. This lesson plan must have at least one learning objective, must align with educational standards, and must center on student blogging. These lesson plans, when finished, will be posted on our workshop blog for future access and use.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to design a lesson plan in which a blog is used to develop students' writing skills

Workshop Outline:

1. Participants will be seated in a computer lab. Each participant will be given his or her own computer. The instructor will be in the front of the lab and will be using a computer that connects with an Interactive White Board or projection screen.

2. First, the instructor will explain that today, the workshop will focus on ways that blogs can be used to develop students’ writing skills. Participants will be asked to discuss the following question with the person sitting next to them:

Based on our discussion last week, what are some ways that blogs can be used to encourage writing and develop students’ writing skills?

Once participants have discussed this question with their partner, the instructor will facilitate a whole-group discussion during which participants can share their ideas.

Workshop Outline (Continued) 3. The instructor will lead a state how blogs are valuable tools in which we can teach writing.

Participants will be asked to silently think about the following questions: How is written text different now than it was when you were in elementary school? How has technology influenced writing? Is today’s writing more than just the written word?

Once participants have independently thought of answers to these questions, the instructor will lead a discussion during which participants can share their thoughts.

4. The instructor will lead a presentation titled “Blogging and Multimedia – How Blogging Can Teach

“Today’s” Writing”. This presentation will explore how today's writing is different from writing in the past. For example, with the capabilities and popularity of technology, "today's" writing often includes multimedia such as images, hyperlinks, and video to supplement the written content. Students must become proficient in including multimedia aspects to their writing, and blogging gives students the opportunity to do so. The instructor will lead this presentation and discuss how blogs can allow students to incorporate multimedia into their writing, as well as why blogging should be used to teach writing in the classroom.

5. The instructor will distribute a copy of the resource “Blogging and The Standards”. This resource

lists different educational Grades 3-5 standards (Common Core State Standards as well as Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students) that blogging aligns with. The instructor will explain how blogging can serve as an instructional vehicle to teach these writing standards. Participants will be asked to independently read the standards for their grade level.

6. Participants will be asked to log on to their computers and open our “Blogging in the Elementary

School Classroom” blog (the same blog they visited last week). This blog serves as the “workshop” blog and is maintained by the instructor.

7. Once participants have accessed the blog, they will be asked to locate the post “How Can We

Encourage Student Writing?” They will then be asked to complete Activity #1. This activity involves watching a video titled “Elementary Student Blogs: Innovative Classroom Technology”. Once participants have finished watching the video, they will be asked to respond to the blog post with their reaction to the video. They will also be asked to post any thoughts or questions that they may have regarding using blogs to encourage student writing.

Note: For this activity, the instructor will change the blog settings so that comments and responses do not need to be approved. Therefore, as soon as a participant submits a comment, it will appear on the blog.

8. Participants will then get in small groups and complete Activity #2, which can also be found on that blog post. This activity requires participants to view a blog called “Communicate Connect Support” and read a blog post titled “10 Easy Steps to Teach Writing through Blogging”. Once the group has finished reading this post, they will pick one of the steps mentioned in the post and discuss how they would implement this step within their own classrooms.

Workshop Outline (Continued) 9. Once all groups have finished this activity, the instructor will lead a whole-group discussion in which

participants can share their thoughts and ideas for using blogs to teach writing. 10. The instructor will discuss some of the ways that blogs can be used to encourage writing and

develop students’ writing skills. Examples of each activity will be shown. These include: Writer’s Notebook or Journal Entries

o Students can create blog posts that serve as entries in their writer’s notebook or journal. Blog posts can contain different multimedia elements.

o Students can respond to their peers’ blog posts Pre-Writing

o The instructor will provide each participant with a copy of the article “Let’s Pre-Blog!: Using Blogs as Prewriting Tools in Elementary Classrooms”. This article discusses ways that blogs can foster the prewriting process. Participants will be asked to read this article independently.

o Once participants have read the article, the instructor will discuss how blogging can be used during the pre-writing process. Students can use their blogs as a way to “capture” their beginning thoughts and ideas.

Drafting and Peer-Editing o Students can post their rough draft to their blog. Once drafts are posted, other

students can peer edit via the blog comment feature. o Students can provide peer feedback either through text (written feedback), video, or

audio. Editing and Revising

o Once students read the feedback they received from their peers, they can use these comments to edit and revise their own work. Because this writing is published online, it is extra important to make sure that spelling and grammar are correct.

Publishing o When we create a blog post, it is published for the world to see. By publishing a piece

of written work online, students can learn just how important it is to create a high-quality finished writing piece.

o Blogs can serve as a digital portfolio for students’ work. It can be used as a progress-monitoring tool or as a way for students to reflect on what they have written throughout the school year.

o Students can use include multimedia within their finished product. Voice, Tone, and Audience

o When writing blog posts, the author is writing to an actual audience. Therefore, he or she must consider the intended audience, tone, and voice within the writing piece. Students can write blog posts that are shared with different audiences to practice changing voice and tone within their writing.

Workshop Outline (Continued) 11. Participants will then divide into groups of three or four. These groups will be formed based on

grade level (for example, a group comprised of third grade teachers). Once in small groups, participants will be asked to access the Montgomery County Public Schools writing curriculum online. Participants will then have time to explore the curriculum and brainstorm possible ways that blogs can be incorporated into their writing instruction.

12. Participants will then be given an opportunity to design a lesson plan in which blogs are used to

develop students’ writing skills. They will continue to have access to the MCPS curriculum and will also have links to access both the Common Core State Standards as well as the Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students. The lesson plan must:

Align with at least one learning objective Align with at least one educational standard (CCSS or Maryland Technology Literacy) Center around student blogging to promote writing development

Participants will have the option to create more than one lesson plan (for example, if they wanted to implement a blogging unit). They will have the remainder of the day to design their lesson, create their lesson plan, and creating any supplementary resources.

13. Participants will submit their lesson plans and resources to the instructor. The instructor will post

these lessons on a page on the blog titled “Blogging Lessons – Writing” so that participants can access all lesson plans.

Materials:

1. 1 computer connected to an Interactive White Board or projector 2. 30 computers with individual headphones 3. “Blogging and Multimedia – How Blogging Can Teach Today’s Writing” 4. “Blogging and the Standards” 5. “Blogging in the Elementary School Classroom” blog - http://blogsintheclassroom.edublogs.org/ 6. “Elementary Student Blogs: Innovative Classroom Technology -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTToERnTKB4 7. “10 Easy Steps to Teach Writing through Blogging” -

http://communicateconnectsupport.com/2014/01/27/10-easy-steps-to-teach-writing-through-blogging/

8. Examples of “student writing” blogs 9. “Let’s Pre-Blog!: Using Blogs as Prewriting Tools in Elementary Classrooms” -

http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Journals/Winter2012/Luongo 10. Montgomery County School Curriculum 2.0 – Writing 11. Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts) - http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-

Literacy/ 12. Maryland Technology Literacy Standards For Students -

http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/technology_literacy/vsc_technology_literacy_standards.pdf

Evaluation Strategies:

Participants’ lesson plans will be evaluated for the extent to which they: Align with at least one learning objective Align with at least one educational standard (CCSS or Maryland Technology Literacy) Center around student blogging to promote writing development