WIKI Project

For this assignment I have selected a reading and a writing blog from 2 very different grade levels.

The first blog I chose was Mrs. McGriff's Reading Blog.  This is a blog used by a 7th grade language arts teacher.  Mrs. McGriff's has her blog set up through edublog.  This blog is very visually appealing.  It seems very appropriate for middle school students.  When you go to the home page there are links across the top with the main features of her blog.  There is also a welcome box with a brief explanation of how to use the site, and the week at a glance assignments.  Her page includes several widgets along the side for further navigation through the site, including the students' individual blog pages.  Unfortunately you cannot see the students individual blogs because Google Reader is no longer in service.  However, she explains in the parent section of the blog that the students can publish their own writing, and they can share reading responses.  I like that she does remind the students and parents about digital citizenship.  I love how she puts the weekly objectives up so that the students are all aware of what they are responsible for that week.

The second blog I chose was Mrs. Baker's Second Grade Class.  Mrs. Baker's blog is very visually appealing and user friendly.  It has several pictures of her class and room.  She offers a great welcome that explains how to use her site, and offers visitors the opportunity to comment on the students' posts.  For the most part it seems that she uses the site as a way for her students to respond to stories they have read in the classroom.  In the main section she explains what story the students have read and what their prompt is.  When you click on the story on the right, it has all of the students' posts.  There is even a section for free writing.  I like how the students don't have to post a lot, but you can tell if they really understood the message of the story from their posts.  It is so great to see that second graders can handle using this kind of resource in the classroom.  They seem interested, and like they are truly invested in their learning.

In a sense I think both teachers kind of used this tool in the same way.  Both teachers had their students respond to literature and assignments through blog posts.  They both did it in a way that was appropriate for their age group.  The middle school students each got their own blog page, and the 2nd graders all posted the responses on a specific page for their assignment.

I also found this blog which had great resources for Reading Strategies in the Classroom that I wanted to share Reading Strategies