Strachan,+Brooke

Brooke Strachan EDC 921 June 16, 2008 The Lower School Library Blog: As a school librarian at my school, I am in the fortunate position of having a flexible schedule. As a result, I see my students on a project-by–project basis. Since I don’t teach my students during a regularly scheduled time, I foresee my blog as a place for students and faculty to visit to learn the latest happenings in the library and to look for book recommendations. I will regularly update the books I have read and tag them with different categories so that students can find books that they might be interested in. I will also encourage them to share their comments when they finish a book listed on the blog. Implementation: I will first, recruit some of our more avid library users to comment on some of the books I have recommended or to write reviews of their own. Next, I will take 5-10 min. at the start of my classes to show students how to access and comment on the blog. Periodically through the year, I will show the students in the first few minutes of class the updates on the blog. Finally, I will present my blog at a faculty meeting to show my colleagues how to access and maneuver it. I hope that this will lead the teachers to think of ways in which we could incorporate blogging into future classes. Objectives: Students will think creatively about the books that they have read. Students will express their ideas about the books they have read in a public forum. Students will select books of interest to them based on teacher and student reviews. Students and faculty will use blog to find out what is new in the library. Potential challenges: Future Goals: Assessment: 1. Students posting to blog on regular basis. 2. Students discussing blog posts. 3. Students, faculty, and parents checking blog for updates. AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner: **2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge. 2.1.6** Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings. **3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society. 3.1.2 **Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners. **3.1.3** Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively. **3.1.4** Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. **3.3.5** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community. **4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth**. **4.1.1** Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth. **4.1.2** Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading. **4.1.3** Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres. **4.1.5** Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience. **4.1.7** Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information. **4.1.8** Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning. **4.2.4** Show an appreciation for literature by electing to read for pleasure and expressing an interest in various literary genres. **4.3.1** Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. **4.3.4** Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. **4.4.5** Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed Deliverable #3 EDC 921 July 27, 2008
 * It may be challenging to have students post their comments on the blog voluntarily. If this is the case, I may need to create some fun incentives to entice the kids to visit the blog. Perhaps I could have a question of the week and enter correct answers into a drawing. Or I might try to encourage guest bloggers around our school community to write posts.
 * Not all students may have an email address. If not I will have them type up a word document and I will post their comments for them.
 * Not all students will have access to the internet. I will make sure I invite interested students to the library over recess. In fact, I may start a library blogging club once a week during recess.
 * Time is always a challenge. I will try and make sure I devote 45 min. a week to posting to my blog. I will also use that time to keep up with what is new with blogs and learn more about the features of edublogs software.
 * 1) **__Book Reports.__** Many of my teachers bring students to the library to hear me book talk books for them to choose for their book reports. I am hoping to collaborate with a class room teacher to have the students post their reports to the blog. Not only will this be a fun way to publish their work, it will also allow students to recommend their favorite books to their classmates. I find that the children sometimes prefer the suggestions of their peers to those of adults.
 * 2) **__Summer Reading__**. I would love to find a way to create sneak previews, using some sort of mixed media program, of our suggested summer reading books and then embedding these in our blog. This would provide a much more fun and interactive format for presenting the students’ summer reading choices.
 * 3) **__Audio__**. Finally, many of my teachers look for creative ways for improving their student’s reading fluency. I could see having students record their book recommendations and posting them to the blog. I think the students would enjoy listening to one another’s reviews and the teachers would appreciate having another way in which to improve their students’ verbal fluency.

Dear Dana, During the upcoming school year I would like to implement a blog to use with the fifth graders participating in the Rooster Games. A blog, incase you are unfamiliar with the technology, is an interactive website where an author posts his or her opinions and other people can comment on his or her ideas. These posts are archived in chronological order. One of the main advantages of this technology is its ease of use. It does not require any knowledge of programming languages to write comments or link additional resources and a person add a post from any internet connection.

A Rooster Games blog would meet the needs of Wheeler students, parents and faculty in two main ways. First, it would provide a permanent resource for the details of the Rooster Games. Members of the Wheeler and Lincoln School Communities could easily access it for questions they might have concerning the event. Secondly, it would provide a place where students could communicate their excitement about the books they have read, help them to rally their classmates’ support of the book they believe should win the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award and allow them to get to know the students who will be on their team during the event but who do not go to their school.

I think the new format will generate excitement among the students and they will feel motivated to share their ideas with their peers outside of their classrooms. Imagine the learning community that could develop when they read, reflect, and comment on their classmates’ work. In his book, //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms//, author Will Richardson sums up the ways in which blogs impact student learning perfectly, “In general, students at all levels show more interest in their work, and their ability to locate and reflect upon their work is greatly enhanced, as are the opportunities for collaborative learning.” In addition to he also notes that blogs improve the way in which we educate our students in that they allow teachers to archive student learning for future reflection and to support the different learning styles of individual students.

Please take a look at this article by Jan Ray “Welcome to the Blogoshere: The Educational Use of Blogs (aka Edublogs)” included in the 2006 summer addition of KAPPA DELTA PI RECORD. Ms. Ray further defines and describes the educational uses of blogs. Specifically, she discusses how teachers can use blogs as instructional resources, collaborative tools, and as a showcase for students’ work. She concludes with a description of some of the short comings of blogs, giving suggestions on how to keep students safe online and allow all students access to the technology ** http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ738088&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&accno=EJ738088 ** To give you an idea of the different ways in which educators currently use blogs in education I have included links to a couple of sites. Librarian Frances Jacobsen Harris from the University High School Library in Urbana, IL uses her blog to keep teachers, administrators, parents and students up to date as to the happenings in the library. Posts include faculty suggestions for summer reading and information about a library in Cedar Rapids, IA where a former student works which sustained heavy damage due to the floods this summer. Laura D’Elia, a Lower School Librarian at the Fay School in Southborough, MA, created this outstanding library blog to generate excitement about the new books purchased for the library. Her love of children’s literature is evident in her engaging and creative multimedia and written book reviews. Her students visit her blog to select a good book, give their opinions of the books she has reviewed, vote for their favorites. My idea would be to create a blog that combines both formats. I would include a page explaining the history of the Rooster Games, information about the event, number of books the kids need to read, etc. The other pages would be interactive. Students will each review one of the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Nominees and explain why they feel it deserves the award. They will then add their personal comments to their peers’ reviews. As we get closer to the event I will create a page for each team color where the students can discuss their strategies for the day of the event. Whenever children showcase their work to a wider audience online concerns arise. Here are some potential shortcomings of the technology and ideas that I have to overcome these obstacles. There are several ways to ensure that our students remain safe online. The first is to set up the blog so that only our students can comment on it. I would suggest that we use the free Edublogs software since it is specifically developed for educational use and therefore includes additional security features specific to schools. One of these features allows the administrator of the site (me) to review posts before they go live. If necessary, I can also set up the blog so that only registered participants can view the blog. Next, we must teach students what is expected of them online. Together the classroom teachers and I will model how to write for an online audience and how to comment on classmates work in a fair and polite fashion. We will establish a protocol for what to do if someone posts a rude comment. We will also specifically discuss why it is important that they do not give out personal information about themselves. The students will brainstorm additional criteria to include in an acceptable use policy for blogs. Ultimately, we will create a contract which students and parents will sign to demonstrate their commitment to following the community established rules when participating in this library blog. I would like to try this with Mr. Furey’s class first. He has expressed an interest in using this technology with his students. I think that Mr. Furey and I can pilot the blog, fix any glitches that arise and then present our experience to the other teachers. We will use library, computer, and Language Arts times to complete this project. The classroom teachers historically have required students to write a persuasive essay detailing why the book of their choice should win the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award as part of their lead up to the Rooster Games. The blog will provide a different format for presenting their final pieces. As a result, the blog should not create any additional work for the classroom teachers as I will take responsibility for posting the students’ work. Not all of students have access to the internet at home. We will use both library and computer times for the students to post their comments during school hours. Children will be able to post comments to the blog from home with their parents’ permission, but accessing the blog from home will not be a requirement. Goals It is my hope that: I sincerely appreciate your consideration of my proposal. My hope is that this is just the beginning of incorporating new interactive read/write web technologies (Web 2.0) into our curriculum. I believe that taking this first step of creating a blog will inspire us to try other technologies in creative ways to foster the love of learning in our students. The possibilities are endless. I would like to set a time to meet with you to further discuss this proposal. Please contact me at your convenience to set up a time to meet. Thank you again for your time. Sincerely, Brooke Strachan
 * 1) http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/blog/
 * 1) http://ldelia.edublogs.org/
 * 1) Safety:
 * 1) Teacher time, comfort, and involvement.
 * 1) Access:
 * 1) Students will have fun with this activity
 * 2) The children from the two schools will connect over a shared interest in a good book.
 * 3) After considering the ideas of their classmates and their peers at Lincoln they will come to new conclusions about the books they have read.
 * 4) Reading their classmates’ reflections on different books will inspire them to read a book they might not have picked up before.
 * 5) Communicating before the Rooster Games will generate even more enthusiasm for the event.
 * 6) Knowing that their work will be published for others to see will inspire them to take even more care and pride in their writing.
 * 7) The students from the two schools will get to know each other some before the event in February.

= Lesson Title: Intro to RICBA and Rooster Games Date: Sept. 2008 = **Organization of instruction:** || ******************************************************************************  What is the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award? Introduce Rooster Games Project Rooster Games blog and briefly introduce. Handout annotated bookmarks. Book talk 3-5 books on the list. Time to check out books at the end of lesson. || ** Specific Learner Objectives ** : || Understand the relationship between the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award and the Rooster Games. Begin to generate excitement about the books Each student checks out one RICBA book. || ** Extension and Adaptation ** || Hamilton Students may be anxious about reading 10 books. Reiterate that for the past 6 years all students have reached this goal and how we will support them. Leave plenty of time for questions. I will talk to the Hamilton Teacher first to decide if I even mention the writing assignment at this time to prevent worry. || **Materials:** || RICBA Bookmarks LCD projector/computer to show blog. Pencils so students can mark books they are interested in. || ** Evaluation / Assessment ** : || Students engaged and participating in brainstorm. Each student leaves with one book on the list about which they are excited. || ** Notes on Lesson ** : || || ** Follow-up Assignment ** : || Meet again in 2 weeks to discuss how to use a blog and how to participate in a courteous and safe manner. || ** AASL Standards Met ** ||  = Lesson Title: Internet and blog safety Date: Oct. 2008 = **Organization of instruction:** || ******************************************************************************  First of all: Record students’ ideas. Project the Rooster Games blog and show different features. Record student responses by randomly choosing someone at each table to share an idea. Because of the turn and talk everyone should have something to share. This applies throughout the lesson. Record student comments. Use your initials when you sign your posts Record these two rules to add to during the next class. Collect brainstorm lists. As students leave comment on hard and well they worked. Remind them that the next time they will report back what they came up with and from there we will create a final list of rules. || ** Specific Learner Objectives ** : || Understand importance of being safe online. Understand what they post online impacts their safety. Understand the impact their words can have on others online and the need to be polite and kind when responding to others ideas. Generate ideas for creating rules. Demonstrate ownership of the rules for posting online || ** Extension and Adaptation ** ||  Allow additional time to turn and talk when needed. It is essential that all of the students are seriously considering and reflecting upon the questions I pose. || **Materials:** || LCD projector/computer to show blog. Pencils and paper so students can record ideas during brainstorms. || ** Evaluation / Assessment ** : || Students engaged and participating in brainstorm. Students sharing serious, applicable ideas. || ** Notes on Lesson ** : || Where we stop in this lesson depends on the discussion. Students take the conversation in directions that I hadn’t thought of before hand. The important thing is that they think about how they will share their ideas on the blog in a safe and kind manner. || ** Follow-up Assignment ** : || * After I read through their brainstorm lists I will create follow-up discussion questions to ask of students to elicit rules that I think the students might miss. ** AASL Standards Met ** ||  = Lesson Title: Internet and blog safety #2 Date: Oct. 2008 = **Organization of instruction:** || ******************************************************************************  Create rules for how we comment on our classmates’ work online. Students will work with the same groups they worked with in the previous class. Classroom teacher and I will wander and see what the groups have come up with. Have each table report back their best rule (they have three in case some other group mentions a rule first) Record on list from previous class. Once all ideas are listed, ask questions that elicit any rules that we feel the kids have missed. If the list contains lots of rules that are fairly similar, print out list and have students in their groups color code the rules by like ideas and then name the categories. Review and reflect on the process of developing our criteria with the students. Allow time at the end of class for children to recommend books from the RICBA list to their classmates. Allow 5 minutes for them to checkout another RICBA book. || ** Specific Learner Objectives ** : || Generate ideas for creating rules. Demonstrate ownership of the rules for posting online Create a contract for how to post to our blog. || ** Extension and Adaptation ** ||  Allow additional time to turn and talk when needed. It is essential that all of the students are seriously considering and reflecting upon the questions I pose. || **Materials:** || LCD projector/computer to show blog. Pencils and paper so students can record ideas during brainstorms. || ** Evaluation / Assessment ** : || Students engaged and participating in brainstorm. Students sharing serious, applicable ideas. As a class we create a thoughtful manageable list of rules that everyone can agree to follow. || ** Notes on Lesson ** : || || ** Follow-up Assignment ** : || * Students will complete book reviews. || ** AASL Standards Met ** ||  = Lesson Title: Commenting on a blog Date: Nov. 2008 = **Organization of instruction:** || ******************************************************************************  Project Rules and review. Write ideas on white board. Project, pass out and go over checklist:    Introductory sentence.    Write at least 2 sentences which describe something you liked about their essay.    Concluding sentence.    Are all of your statements positive? Ensure that students understand the requirements by allowing time for questions. Project Model and post checklist next to it. Have class read model out-loud. Go back and decide sentence by sentence to determine if all the elements are included in the post. Next show students the steps they need to go through on the blog to post the comment. Check that they understand. Include steps at the bottom of their checklist that the can refer to if they get stuck. Students begin posting. At the end of class have students share any insights or tips they have for their classmates. Inform them that if they would like to post comments on other parts of the blog, they may do so with permission from their parents, but that they must still follow the community established rules. || ** Specific Learner Objectives ** : || Understand expectation for posts. Create three posts successfully. || ** Extension and Adaptation ** || * If students at a loss for what to write and seem unable to extrapolate from the model, hand them a fill in the blank sheet to get them started: L.S (Lovely Student), Your essay on the book___________________________ was ___________________________________________________. In particular, I enjoyed the way you___________________________ ______________________________________________________. I also liked how you______________________________________. Reading your essay made me______________________________. Good luck with the vote. Sincerely, ALS (another Lovely Student) || **Materials:** || LCD projector/computer to show blog, rules, and checklist. Pencils and paper for students who need to write their ideas first. Checklists to hand out. || ** Evaluation / Assessment ** : || Students successfully follow checklist. Students write and post 3 meaningful comments. Students having fun posting comments. || ** Notes on Lesson ** : ||   || ** Follow-up Assignment ** : || * Students will complete book reviews. || ** AASL Standards Met ** ||  = Lesson Title: Introduction to Wiki Date: Dec. 2008 = **Organization of instruction:** || ******************************************************************************  Posting comments on the blog. Explain briefly what a wiki is and how it works. Project the wiki and show them its various features. Explain who will have access to this wiki and what kinds of information it will contain. Project rules and review. Write ideas on white board. Project, pass out and go over checklist:    Introductory sentence where you state your first name.    Include which school you attend.    Include a sentence describing your favorite book on the list    Mention what activity you are most looking forward to.    Include at least one other details about yourself that you would like your teammates to know about you.    Concluding sentence. Ensure that students understand the requirements by allowing time for questions. Project Model and post checklist next to it. Have class read model out-loud. Go back and decide sentence by sentence to determine if all the elements are included in the post. Next show students the steps they need to go through on the wiki to post the comment. Check that they understand. Include steps at the bottom of their checklist that the can refer to if they get stuck. Students begin posting. If students do not finish in the allotted time have them post what they have so far. At the end of class have students share any insights or tips they have for their classmates. Show them how to go back and edit their posts. Inform them that if they would like to post comments on other parts of the wiki, they may do so with permission from their parents, but that they must still follow the community established rules. || ** Specific Learner Objectives ** : || Understand expectation for posts. Able to Create introduction which includes all of the elements listed on the checklist. Able to successfully post to the wiki. || ** Extension and Adaptation ** || * If students at a loss for what to write and seem unable to extrapolate from the model, hand them a fill in the blank sheet to get them started: Hello my name is___________________________ and I go to ___________school. I am 10 years old and my favorite thing to do on the weekend is__________________________. I liked reading the RICBA books. My favorite one was__________________________. I am most looking forward to _______________________________. See you on Feb. 21st. Sincerely, Lovely Student. **Materials:** || LCD projector/computer to show wiki, rules, and checklist. Pencils and paper for students who need to write their ideas first. Checklists to hand out. || ** Evaluation / Assessment ** : || Successfully following checklist. Write a solid, interesting introduction of themselves. Have fun posting comments. Contributing to the group discussions. || ** Notes on Lesson ** : || As with the blog, the classroom teacher and I will create a letter to the parents explaining the purpose of a wiki and how we plan to use it in class. Again we will provide parents options if they choose to have their child not participate. In this case, I would send the Lincoln Librarian an introduction of the student to read out loud instead of posting it to the wiki. || ** Follow-up Assignment ** : || * During the next class have students brainstorm different topics to discuss on the wiki with their teammates. || ** AASL Standards Met ** ||
 * Level of instruction: 5th grade ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Introduction ** : The purpose of this first lesson is to introduce the children to the big fifth grade reading incentive program called the Rooster Games. Several years ago the Gordon School created the games as a way to get children excited about the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Nominees. Students around the state who read 3 or more of the RICBA books can vote for their favorite to receive the award. We participate in the Rooster Games with the Lincoln School. The children are required to read or listen to 10 of the twenty books in order to participate. We divide the children into color teams which consist of students from both schools. On the day of the event these teams tackle a variety of challenges; everything from matching the title and first line of all 20 books, to deciding which object represents which book. This year, in this introductory lesson I will show the students the Rooster Games blog that I will create and preview some of the activities we will include on this blog.
 * How are the books chosen?
 * Voting.
 * Way to get students excited about RICBA
 * Participate with Lincoln School
 * Have to read or listen to 10 books.
 * How we will support students to get to the goal of 10 books by reading books over lunchtime, reading during class, providing audio books, and allowing parents to read them books.
 * Show where information about the Rooster Games located.
 * Show annotated list of books
 * Show page where they will post their essays and comment of their classmates work. Explain that once they have each read 3 books on the list we will begin to add book reviews to the blog.
 * Students may be anxious about this project, just mention that more details will follow and that the work will be done in school
 * 4.1.1 ** Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth. **4.1.2** Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading. **4.1.3** Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres. **4.2.4** Show an appreciation for literature by electing to read for pleasure and expressing an interest in various literary genres. **4.4.1** Identify own areas of interest. **4.4.3** Recognize how to focus efforts in personal learning ||
 * Level of instruction: 5th grade ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Introduction ** : The students have been reading books on the RICBA list. The classroom teacher will soon introduce the criteria for their book review. We will spend the next two library classes talking about blogs and online safety. Ultimately the goal is to create an acceptable use contract for how the students will behave when they use the blog. Before this class the classroom teacher and I will send a letter home to parents explaining the purpose of the blog and how we plan to use it in our class. The letter will include an explanation of how we will discuss safety issues with the children during this class. We will allow parents to choose not to have their children’s work posted on the blog if they do not want them to. If any parent chooses this option we will have that student’s classmates comment on their work in written form instead.
 * // What did we talk about the last time you were here? //**
 * // How is the reading going? //**
 * // Anyone want to suggest to their classmates in 60 sec. or less //**** ? **
 * // Today we are going to talk about our upcoming assignment. //**
 * // You will be writing a book review of a RICBA of your choice and posting it to our Rooster Games Blog. //**
 * // You still have a couple of weeks left to read but today we will be discussing how to use a blog and how to be safe while doing so. We will spend time talking about the features of a blog and by the end of our next class we will create our classroom rules for blogging //**.
 * // Raise your hand if you have ever used a blog? //**
 * // Many of you may be wondering what is a blog. //**
 * // What is a blog and how is it different from other websites? //** Turn and talk to your neighbor for 1 min.
 * Where detailed information about the event.
 * Annotated list of books
 * Page where their essays will be posted with an example loaded.
 * Explain that the librarians and teachers will be the only ones creating posts.
 * Show students where they will comment on their peers’ work.
 * // Now that we have looked at the blog what else do we know about blogs? //** Turn and talk at tables 2 min.
 * // Anyone can view this blog but only you will be able to post comments //**// . //
 * // If anyone with an internet connection can view this blog and therefore your essays, what must we keep in mind while writing our book reviews //**** ? ** Turn and talk 2 min
 * // When we write online we also need to be careful about what kinds of information we write about ourselves. When I post your essays and when you comment about your classmates’ work I want you to only identify yourself by your initials. Do not include your last name or even which class you are in. //**
 * // As I said before you will be responsible for commenting on your classmates, essay on this blog. In a couple of weeks we will talk more in-depth about the content you need to include in your comments. For the last ten minutes of this class I want you to brainstorm what you think would be a good rule to have about how you comment. We have already established one. Anyone remember what it is? //**
 * // Who can give us another example of what might be a good rule? Let’s phrase the rule in terms of what “to do” as opposed to what “not to do” //**
 * // Excellent. You have 10 minutes to brainstorm and record your ideas. The next time you are here we will create a list of rules that we will agree to follow every time we post something to the blog. //**
 * The classroom teacher will present the rubric for the book review. Students will complete their reviews during language arts time in their classrooms and at home. ||
 * 1.1.2 ** Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. **1.1.9** Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding. **1.3.4** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community. **1.3.5** Use information technology responsibly **2.1.5** Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. **3.1.2** Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners. **3.1.3** Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively. **3.1.4** Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. **3.2.1** Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. **3.2.2** Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions. **3.2.3** Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others. **3.3.5** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community. **3.4.1** Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future. **3.4.3** Assess own ability to work with others in a group setting by evaluating varied roles, leadership, and demonstrations of respect for other viewpoints. **4.3.1** Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. **4.3.4** Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. **4.4.2** Recognize the limits of own personal knowledge. ||
 * Level of instruction: 5th grade ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Time: 40 min. ** ||
 * Introduction ** : This is a continuation of last week’s lesson. The students are currently writing their persuasive essays under the guidance of their classroom teachers. The primary goal of this lesson is for us to create rules for how students will comment online. We will discuss the content of their comments in the next lesson.
 * // What did we talk about the last time you were here? //**
 * // Where did we end last time? //**
 * // Who can tell us what our goal is today? //**
 * // Take the next 10 minutes to review your brainstorm list and add any additional ideas you have had over the last week. When you are done, mark your 3 best rules. //**
 * // Are there any rules we missed? //**
 * // Together we have created our list for how to comment online on our blog. It is a work in progress. If we think of additional rules as we go we will add them to this list. For now though, can you all agree to commit to following these rules when you post a comment on our blog? I will call each table up to the front of the classroom to sign your name signifying that you agree to follow these rules. //**
 * // The next time you come to the library we will talk about the content you include when responding to your peers’ essays. //**
 * I will assist teachers in posting finished reviews to the blog.
 * Next class we will model how to post a comment to the blog.
 * 1.1.2 ** Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning. **1.1.9** Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding. **1.3.4** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within the learning community. **1.3.5** Use information technology responsibly **2.1.5** Collaborate with others to exchange ideas, develop new understandings, make decisions, and solve problems. **3.1.2** Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners. **3.1.3** Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively. **3.1.4** Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can view, use, and assess. **3.2.1** Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. **3.2.2** Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions. **3.2.3** Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others. **3.3.5** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community. **3.4.1** Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future. **3.4.3** Assess own ability to work with others in a group setting by evaluating varied roles, leadership, and demonstrations of respect for other viewpoints. **4.3.1** Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. **4.3.4** Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. **4.4.2** Recognize the limits of own personal knowledge. ||
 * Level of instruction: 5th grade ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Introduction ** : This class will provide a model for posting comments on our Rooster Games Blog. Together the classroom teacher and I will go over the expectations, show a model comment and then the children will try it out. For this class I will try and carve out 1 hour so that we can go over the expectations and the students can have plenty of time to comment. For the most part I will enact the security feature of the blog that requires me to review comments before they go live. In this case, I will remove that feature so that students can view their posts immediately
 * // What did we talk about the last time you were here? //**
 * // Now that we have created the rules for blogging, we will focus on the content of your posts. //**
 * // After we go over what you need to include in your comments you will try it out yourselves. This will be similar to the publishing parties we did in the library last year where you displayed your writing on the tables and we all walked around quietly and commented on each others’ writing. The comments will follow a similar format. What did we include in our comments last year? //**
 * // Give me a thumbs up if you understand what you need to include in your comment, thumb to the side if you aren’t entirely sure but you know where to begin, thumbs down if you have no idea what to do. //**
 * // As I call your name, I’d like you to go to each bucket and choose one number from each. If you get a number you have already drawn, put it back and draw another. These will be the students whose writing you will comment on ( //** each student in our classes has a student number for the year**//). Next, head to your computer and get started. Use your checklist and mark off each item as you include it in your first post. Please have a teacher check this first post before you upload it. The next 2 posts you can do on your own. If you get stuck look at the model post to give you ideas and then ask a teacher if you still have questions.//**
 * Additional checklists on hand if students need the visual.
 * Steps listed on the bottom of the checklist that detail how to post a comment on Edublogs.
 * I will assist teachers in posting finished reviews to the blog.
 * Next class we will model how to post a comment to the blog.
 * 1.3.5 ** Use information technology responsibly  ** 3.1.3 ** Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively 3.2.1 Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. **3.2.2** Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions. **3.3.5** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community. **3.4.1** Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future. **3.4.2** Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product. **4.3.1** Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. **4.3.4** Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. **4.4.5** Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed. ||
 * Level of instruction: 5th grade ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Time: 60 min. in the computer lab ** ||
 * Introduction ** : This class will provide a model for posting comments on our Rooster Games Wiki. For this lesson the children will write a paragraph about themselves as a way to introduce themselves to their team members. I will create a wiki that is completely private so the students at Lincoln and Wheeler can safely give out personal information about themselves. Together the classroom teacher and I will go over the expectations, show a model introduction and then the children will try it out. For this class I will try and carve out 1 hour so that we can go over the expectations and the students can have plenty of time to comment.
 * // What did we talk about the last time you were here? //**
 * // Now that we are familiar with posting comments on the blog we will talk about posting them on a wiki. After we go over what you need to include in your first post you will try it out yourselves. //**
 * // What do you think the rules will be for posting a comment on this wiki? Will we use the same or different rules for the wiki as we did for the blog? //** Same. Unless they have new rules to add to contract.
 * // For this assignment you will introduce yourself to your teammates. What things should we include in our intros? //**
 * // Give me a thumbs up if you understand what you need to include in your comment, thumb to the side if you aren’t entirely sure but you know where to begin, thumbs down if you have no idea what to do. //**
 * // As I call your name head to your computer and get started. Use your checklist and mark off each item as you include it in your first post. Please have a teacher check your work before you upload it. If you get stuck look at the model post to give you ideas and then ask a teacher if you still have questions. //**
 * Additional checklists on hand if students need the visual.
 * Steps listed on the bottom of the checklist that detail how to post a comment on wikispaces. ||
 * Talk with the students about the etiquette of editing other people’s posts.
 * After the Rooster Games are over have the children fill out an evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the new technologies. Ask them to offer any suggestions they have to making it
 * 1.3.5 ** Use information technology responsibly  ** 3.1.3 ** Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings effectively 3.2.1 Demonstrate leadership and confidence by presenting ideas to others in both formal and informal situations. **3.2.2** Show social responsibility by participating actively with others in learning situations and by contributing questions and ideas during group discussions. **3.3.5** Contribute to the exchange of ideas within and beyond the learning community. **3.4.1** Assess the processes by which learning was achieved in order to revise strategies and learn more effectively in the future. **3.4.2** Assess the quality and effectiveness of the learning product. **4.1.7** Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information. **4.3.1** Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person. **4.3.4** Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction. **4.4.5** Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed. ||