Reflection over Kathy Cassidy and Patrick Lewis K12 Conference presentation “We like our blogging buddies: the write stuff with blogging mentors”.
I highly suggest if you are interested in hearing a very interesting presentation concerning blogging—listen to the blogging buddies presentation! Kathy Cassidy and Patrick Lewis do an excellent job describing their very exciting blogging that they have implemented in their classrooms –one is a first grade classroom and the other is a college classroom.
Kathy and Patrick have worked together to link up first grade students and pre-service teachers through blogging. Kathy has her first graders post to a blog about happenings in their lives, stories, etc. Once these are posted, Patrick has his pre-service teachers read and comment on these posts. The pre-service teachers are taking a class on mechanics, writing and language of early childhood students. In the comments of the pre-service teachers not only do they initiate conversation, but they help correct grammar, spelling, mechanics of the student’s posts.
This opportunity for both sets of students is so beneficial! The first graders are practicing their reading and writing in a very real way. This also allows for the first grade students to adopt early computer literacy skills. Now, for the pre-service teachers they get to see practically the written language of a first grader. The pre-service teacher learns how to read invented spelling to correct the blog posts. The pre-service teacher also works on crafting comments that were positive and encouraging students as they were correcting their errors.
A truly beautiful result of this project was for the students to grow in relationship with each other. At the end of the semester the college student blogging buddies actually went to the first graders classroom and had a party. Watch the video—there is a very adorable song that they sing!
I feel like this project that Kathy and Patrick implemented really drives home the idea of blogging and community building. Both classes (ranging from a first grade classroom to a college classroom) implemented and successfully sustained blogging in their classrooms. Both teachers made class time to blog, they modeled and guided how to blog, and focuses on the commenting of blog posts. These students over time grew in relationship together, so much so that they desired to have a party together and sing songs! Even though the purpose of the blogs were educational based, they delved deeper to make connections between real people.
Through my research on blogging and community building I have found that creating an authentic blogging community takes effort. It means giving class time to reading and commenting on blogs. It requires more critical thinking. Blogging with students also means stretching beyond your classroom means to really hear out every student’s opinion. As I mentioned, it takes effort to build community. But really, who wants to be in a community that doesn’t require effort. Bringing this full circle now and thinking about my time at Bethlehem Farm, it required a lot of effort to get up for daily prayer together, to cook meals for other people, to work in the hot garden for others, to work on a hot roof together, and to clean up after each other. But, that’s what community building is all about…giving of yourself for the sake of others.
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