Friday, July 19, 2013

Russell Street School Impressions

Although the layout of the site was difficult to comprehend, I think the teachers in this school has some great ideas for implementing blogging. Many of the classrooms had a class blog, but the students did not actually post blog entries. Some times the teacher would post a blog entry of homework or display a student's work. Other times the blog entry would share what the class has been learning and link to articles and videos.

I think that this is a great use of a blog in the classroom. It requires students to understand the navigation of the site. Visitors can also see what the class is learning about. It also makes doing the work more meaningful when it can be shared with an audience.

I especially liked how Rooms 3, 5, and 6 got together to make a cereal and advertisement. The work involved the use of technology, it was showcased, and it also helped support the school by bringing in funds. This school seems to have a great understanding of how technology can be used appropriately to increase learning and motivation, and it has definitely given me some more ideas on how I can use blogs within my classroom and school.

6 comments:

  1. I agree with you about 3,5 and 6 I thought that was a great idea and great use of a little bit of everything.

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  2. Nathan, what did you find difficult about the layout?

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  3. I agree with you Nathan. The layout was a little crazy for me too. I think it had to do with the fact that it looked like the students got to format their site a little. The thing that did help was that each site was in the same order. That made it easier to understand the flow. I also wonder if it has to do with it being a different country? I notice that the format of Dr. Barbour's blog is just a little different from what we're used to as well! Is it a country thing?

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  4. I do agree that initially the layout was a bit challenging to navigate, but after "poking around" a bit it wasn't so bad. I also agree that blogging like this allows students to take ownership of their learning. This is what I love so much about it. Students are excited to show off their projects and discoveries. I know that when I've had students do blogging activities, they are way more engaged in the lesson than they would be just listening to me lecture and then discussing in partners or small groups. Something about having control over their comments and posts makes them really want to participate.

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  5. Nathan, I know I found the front page quite busy and visually overstimulating at first. Blogs can have far more information in the sidebar areas than other websites, which was a contributing factor for me. I never did find the Street Talk shows!

    I loved the multi-class collaboration cereal activity as well, especially because it was a true production, not just an abstract idea. I am sure everyone will remember their role in this one!

    There are definitely some great ideas to be found on this blog! Thanks for sharing your insights.

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  6. I agree, the site was rather busy. It took almost a minute to load. I don't know if it took so long because it was large or if it was being beamed from the other side of the planet.

    Cereal! What a great idea for classroom collaboration. I like how they took the project and broke it down into easier chunks for each room.

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