I finally got round to putting some notes on a blog about how things are going with using digital technologies to help students become better writers.
We have been using Kidblog for over a year now and it is very good for year seven and eight students to use and they find it easy and practical. They can publish some videos, and tellagami but we have problems stopping the Tellagamis all talking at once as soon as Kidblog is opened!
Kidblog is very easy and safe, and kids can post and comment but I have kept publishing rights.
Target students have really got into writing so much more purposefully and are keen to get better ideas planned, and into paragraphs, and are really seeing the need for better surface features and editing with a guaranteed audience of at least peers and often other students, teachers and whanau.
We have trialled Tellagami, which is great for improving short pieces of writing on a high interest topic that students really want to write then share orally. Very limited time span of presentations for older kids, but very motivating and fun.
Then I found Storybird, and the awesome lessons for Ashurst School kids and teachers by Jill Hammonds. Wow, she is awesome. The students really got straight into the concept of narrative writing with Storybird after watching Jill's lesson and with a practical follow up by me, (after I had practised!) They really are so keen; I have boys who struggle to write, asking to do Storybirds. We need to get them posted onto the new blog so they have a wider audience now. Below is a sample of Storybirds, one by Chloe and one of Zody's Storybird books. Zody's is very quirky, and unusual but very popular with other students here, ?originality?
Chloe's Storybird Book
Zody's Storybird Link.
Next, the new style blog. I will post again about Blogger!
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