Technology  Workshop  Lesson  Plan  Instructor:    

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

Subject  of  Workshop:  

• 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  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.    

 3. 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.    

Workshop  Outline  (Continued)  4. 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.    

5. 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.    

 6. 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.      7. 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.    

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.  

• 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.    • 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.    

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.    

 3. 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.    

Workshop  Outline  (Continued)  4. 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.    

5. 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.    

 6. 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.      7. 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.    

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.  

• 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.    • Editing  and  Revising  

o Once  students  read  the  feedback  they  received  from  their  peers,  they  can  use  these  

 

 

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