Authoring Blogs - benefits to MS students and how to assess. Student self-assessment and the benefits. Author: Mrs Stephanie Major

1. Teaching High on the Blog Reasons and Assessment

2. Why Blog? Your Reasons: why are you here? My reasons: who are students are, where they’re at, and where they’re going

3. Reason #1: Who Our Students Are Digital Natives are: Visual learners Natural collaborators Read, write, & trust personal reviews rather than Tv commercials Used to being open and honest on the web Roos (2007)

4. Reason #2: Where Our Students Are Ways blogs fit our environment: Extends learning community Dovetails with online portfolios Easier for you than journals developing fluency According to Andrew Sinclair and Stacy Kitsis, a good place for developing critical thinking in front of their peers.

5. Reason #3: Where Are Students Are Going Prepare them to be principled, knowledgeable, and caring Netizens GSIS is a safer environment to get it wrong and learn

6. Format Word Press Edublogs Google Sites Ning Blogger

7. Concerns about Safety? Pen Names help students to align more with ideas than popular people (Richardson). Stacy Kitsis found her students are more polite online than in class. Kitsis(2008).

8. Assessment Use peer assessment to encourage students to keep writing and to write more. Allow students to chose what they want you to assess, both of original posts and responses. With detailed descriptors on the rubric, allow students to assess their own work.

9. Tips to BlogHeaVEn Participation every week Clear expectations of quality Required peer review Teacher assessment every quarter Self-assessment Students choose best work Sinclair (2009).

14. Now, Go Blog Wild!

15. Sources Kitsis, Stacy M. “The Homework Generation: Homework as Social Networking.” English Journal. 98.2 (30-36). Roos, Dave. "How Net Generation Students Work." 27 August 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://communication.howstuffworks.com/how-net-generation-students-work.htm> 08 September 2009. Sinclair, Andrew. "Assessment 2.0:Grading in the Blogsphere." 3rd IB Asia Pacific Teachers' Convention. 19 - 21 Mar 2009. IBO. <http://www.ibo.org/ibap/conference/archive/3rdIBAPTeachersConvention.cfm>. 08 September 2009.