“The Why’s and Wherefores”

I’m back in the K12 Online 2007 Conference sessions. My day started off listening to Brian Crosby’s keynote, “The Why’s and Wherefores.” It was awesome! Of course I loved hearing and seeing the fifth graders as that age is the group that I have done most of my blogging projects with and they are the best!

He zeroed in on some new and engaging ways to use the tools of blogging, digital video, online video conferencing, wikis, and Flickr.

Read the rest of this entry »

It?s Not Just the “Read/Write” Web

So there is no question, right, that there are a lot more teachers using blogs and wikis and Read/Write Web tools today than ever before. And even though most people still report huge obstacles standing in the way regarding implementation of these technologies in their classrooms, it just feels like the winds are starting, ever so slightly, to shift in a different direction. (And no, I don’t think this is a “tail wind” from the EduBloggerCon love fest we just had in Atlanta.) More people are opening up to the conversation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Teaching Poetry

Inspired by this post by Traci Gardner at the NCTE Inbox Blog, I thought I would share some of my own resources for teaching poetry.

As Gardner mentioned, Getting the Knack by Stephen Dunning and William Stafford is a really good resource with lesson plans and ideas for poetry writing assignments.В  I have used their found poem exercise many times, always to great success.В  I don’t care how old students are, they always enjoy using scissors and glue.В  These poems can be surprisingly good and surprisingly challenging to write, too.В  What I like about the book is that it presents poetry as a craft, and the exercises enable all students to become poets.В  This book has been in my professional development collection for years.В  It is a good addition to a middle grades or secondary high school English teacher’s teaching and writing toolbox.

Read the rest of this entry »