I work at a school where the teachers have taken to Class Blogging – they use their blogs as wonderful tools to communicate, connect and collaborate. I am only at school two days a week and so I could have the potential of feeling disconnected, isolated from the comings and goings occurring when I am not there. Nothing could be furtherer from the truth. All I need to do is check out the blogs and I can see what is happening. Even if I was there full-time like most, in a busy staffroom, we often don’t get to hear all the news from the other classrooms, but blogging allows that news to be disseminated in a wonderful way.
Tonight, I browsed the Senior blogs, here and here, and was updated about today’s excursion to ACMI. I then saw a tweet from a Prep teacher and found that the nesting boxes the Preps made last term, now have a home and inhabitants! I also learned that the senior students had been helping their Prep buddies developing lessons for the peers.
I found out the Middle students have been conducting Sports clinics for their classmates. I saw a new Junior class blog spreading it’s wings and asking questions, hoping to get parents involved in the class conversations. I could keep going, but you have got the gist.
I also see
- class groups commenting on other class blogs
- parents commenting on the children’s learning
- students commenting on class blogs
- teachers affirming each other’s practise
- a wonderful chronicle of the general happenings within the school
- classes appreciating the potential of asking questions of a worldwide audience
- students reflecting on their learning and sharing their thoughts
I am very happy with what I see, we have come a long way and keep on evolving in our purpose, methods and styles. I wonder what it will look like in six months.