This year my Grade 3 team and I have implemented a combined blog for all 3 classes. We had a few parents who were unsure about the school hosting an open blog (no password) with their children’s faces and work on it, as well as how much time we would expect the children to be on the blog and the point of the whole thing.
During the Elementary Parent Evening, my role for the Grade 3 team was to present the blog and answer any questions from parents. The three main points I presented were
-Literacy Skills / authentic learning opportunities
-Global Collaboration ( for teachers and students )
-International Family Connections
I spoke to the parents about the benefits blogging will have on their child’s literacy skills as well as the number of authentic learning opportunities it will provide, such as becoming a published author.
I spoke about global connections for both teachers and students. Students will interact with other Grade 3 students around the world through appropriate commenting and sharing. Teachers will learn from each other as they view other blogs and share their ideas, enhancing the classroom environment.
I spoke about the family connection; Strengthening the bond between home and school, as well as inviting our overseas family members to share in the celebration of our learning!
As I was finished I was prepping myself for the questions that I was sure were to come. The first hand was up as soon as I stopped and asked about inappropriate comments. I explained that I am notified when a comment is posted and have the ability to delete anything I find inappropriate. I then waited, another hand emerged and asked about how often parents should check the blog. I explained that since it was new to mostly everyone, they may want to check once a week in the beginning and hopefully will find themselves checking daily for updates! And that was it, really, no more questions.
As we were finishing our Grade 3 presentation and explaining a few more points, a parent raised her hand and asked if the information and links we were discussing could be added to the blog! YES! The parents were already seeing the benefits.
In school the next day, we were working on an activity and a student asked, can we share this on the blog? YES! The students were already excited!
I am happy so far at the progress of our blog and the conversations that have begun. I look forward to the rest of the school year as we start student bloggers this week!
If you are looking for a Grade 3 class to include in your class blog role, we would love to collaborate with you!
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