creating a culture of collaboration in writing

A Culture of Collaboration in Writing

Overwhelmed by 1-1 student writing conferences? Do you feel that you aren’t able to meet

needs with “just in time” instruction because it takes so long to conference? Would you like to

encourage more meaningful peer-to-peer conferencing? This session will give you tips for using

Kidblog to increase student talk about writing. Some benefits include: increased writing for an

authentic audience, more attention paid to conventions, increased investment in writing, and

more feedback for students.

If you wish to download this presentation, please go to:

http://tinyurl.com/nelms15blog

Introductions!

Kym and Andrea

Clarification:

Blog not so much...

Digital feedback, discussion, and collaboration:

yes

Do your students give and receive feedback from each other

electronically?

Where are you on the blogging continuum?

Uh, no ----------------tried a bit------------------------ Yes!

Make a human continuum and share with your elbow partner

brainstorm: electronic

feedback pros and cons

Please make a T-chart with neighbors

Benefits of classroom blogging*increased writing for an authentic audience

*more attention paid to conventions

*increased investment in writing

*more feedback for students.

Teaching With Blogs: Read, Write, Think

“Reading and writing texts online are basic skills that students need to be literate citizens in the 21st century.

Teaching with blogs provides the opportunity to engage students in both of these literacy activities, and the strategy has

the additional benefit of enabling students to publish their writing easily and to share their writing with an authentic

audience.

When students write entries and comment on the entries of their peers, blogs become an integral part of a lively literacy

community. Students can post on such topics as journal/diary entries, reflections on their writing process, details on

their research projects, commentary on recent events or readings, and drafts for other writing they are doing.

Once a student posts an entry, others in the class can respond, provide supportive feedback, and offer additional

suggestions or perspectives. By writing and commenting on blogs, students write for real readers (not just for their

teachers). As a result, students focus on clear communication and get immediate feedback on whether they

communicate effectively.”

Teaching with Blogs: RWT

“Students can write blogs that fit any genre

from diary entries to reading journals, from

reflective comments to literary analysis, and

more. Any genre that a student can write with

pen on a piece of paper can also be written

online as a blog entry.”

10 Ways Social Media Can Improve Writing by Lisa Nielsen

Connect with an Audience

Find Your Voice

Write More Efficiently footnotes aren't as efficient as hyperlinks

Write More Authoritatively

Interact with Experts and Peers

Get Faster Feedback

Improve Feedback

Research Collaboratively

Write Collaboratively

Our experiences

Kidblog

Google Drive

also...we are fortunate to have 1-1 computing in our 6th grade classrooms

Why these two platforms?

Our students aren’t allowed accessible email at school.

No email is needed for Kidblog. Our district has an email so that students are

able to access Drive, but not where they can send or receive email.

Consider: subscription

Getting started

Netiquette

Using Google Drive (Docs) as a collaboration tool

Things to consider when using Google Drive

● Set ground rules about sharing documents.

● Students need to follow rules of digital etiquette when

working with Google Drive.

● The teacher needs to monitor shared communication

between students to make sure that students are

respecting the rights of the writer and that they are

staying focused on the task and not socializing .

Credit: Allison Barrett

goals and getting to know you

Giving Feedback

Content area critical thinking

Backing up ideas with reasons

Giving feedback

Through giving feedback, they can start to recognize the revisions they need to

make themselves

Consumer-->Critic-->Producer

Sharing drafts in progress

Personal narratives

Getting feedback

and assessing

*teachers can comment privately

Argument writing

Choosing topics

Getting feedback

Revising

Students can work in writing conference groups to share individual

writing, and get input from peers and teacher about what their work.

Literary argument

Agreeing respectfully, offering suggestions and

differing points of view

If they happen to be mean, I can delete the

comment

Students can get feedback

from classmates about the

their claims in literary

argument.

Gathering Questions

Information writing

Here’s my topic...what do you want to know?

or

What do other people not know, so I need to

include even though it’s obvious to me?

Another way to use Kidblog: Book Discussion Forum

When students are reading the same book but

are in different class blocks, Kidblog gives

students a forum to have a meaningful

discussion about the book.

Students are excited to see

others comments. Being able

to respond to each other

digitally is very motivational.

Google Drive as a Tool for Collaboration

Creating a shared document in Google Drive, allows

students to collaborate with each other in a variety of

ways.

Students must develop ground rules and negotiate with

each other about how they want to present their

learning and ideas.

Students can “share

the pen” with Drive.

One story can be

created by several

students working

together in Drive.

Students can work together on a single presentation slide

show.

Kahoot

Its game time!

Show what you know about blogging in the

classroom!

Works Cited

Teaching With Blogs - ReadWriteThink. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2014,

from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-

guides/teaching-with-blogs-30108.html

Guest Post by Vicki Davis. (2014, June 10). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2014/06/10-ways-social-media-can-

improve.html