The Secret River and The Line blog

[katieb]

I have recently launched a blog for our Context study. It will be interesting to see it grow, or not. See it at http://vceconflict.blogspot.com/.

[Louise Robinson-Lay]

This looks great, are your kids all using it?

[katieb]

I was lucky to do a useful PD that has set me up to approach using web 2.0 tools. I am struggling along with the aspect of getting students to use the blog. Late to get permission forms back, put English to the side while exams were on etc, etc. I have told them I am checking their entries for the different areas of the blog as an S/N task immediately after the break. I am also going to get students to post their SAC responses in the Prompt Response section when we have finalised marking them. I will then go through the process again in term 3 with The Line and hopefully they will have gotten into a groove with it. I want to sign up all our Yr 12 English students but those outside my class have not really taken up the opportunity. I will promote it again next term.

Most of my students were tentative and unsure about the blogging process even though they are savvy Myspace and Facebook....enter variety of technology in this space.... users. I actually had many comment I don't know how to post. They were also very aware of the wider audience and nervous about this. I reassured them doing this and taking a risk is all part of the process which we grow from. They have added some class directed posts. Now, as they add posts off their own bat I am hoping comments will further motivate them. People who have a google account can choose to follow and post comments.

I also contacted La Trobe Uni and asked about adding some of their Eng Dip Ed students as authors to provide students with constructive criticism and comments. Not sure how this will pan out yet and need to figure out the right way to set up the technology. The uni is positive about the suggestion though and think it could even work in with their curriculum at some stage - hopefully this will come to fruition next year.

Feels like it is all going very slow, I encounter problems, well, challenges, often, ideas feel like they're falling flat, prep time is so little, Yr 12 students are stressed, am I too soft, but I will keep on.

Thanks for the reply Louise