Lesson Plan

Getting the Word Out

Subject:	Technology
Grade span:	8 to 12
Duration:	Ongoing (as long as instructor thinks is appropriate) sessions of 30-45 minutes each

This lesson was excerpted from the Afterschool Training Toolkit under the promising practice: Developing Self-Expression And Creativity

Description:

This lesson shows how you can use a Blog tool for a variety of writing activities. A blog, short for Web log, is an online journal or diary. Your afterschool students can use blogs to practice writing, share ideas, and interact with their peers. The fun of using computers makes blogging appealing to all students, even those who struggle with reading and writing. Because of its positive effect as a motivation tool, you'll find yourself looking for ways to integrate blogging into many of your afterschool lessons.

Learning Goals:

Understand the purpose and role of blogs for communication
Develop self-expression and communication through blog entries and comments
Improve reading and writing skills
Improve word processing skills

Materials:

Computer with Internet access and projector (teacher)
Computers with Internet access (students)
Internet browser with examples of blogs bookmarked
Student blog accounts
Copy of Internet safety guidelines for each student
Signed parent permission forms if blogs will be viewed by public
Student blogging software (optional)
Digital cameras (optional)

Preparation:

Find age-appropriate examples of blogs to show to students. Some possibilities include Buster’s Blog (based on Buster’s character from PBS cartoon, Arthur (pbskids.org/buster/blog/) or conduct an Internet search for "student blogs" to find examples of other student work.
For education and privacy purposes, consider Class Blogmeister (classblogmeister.com) or 21 Publish (www.21publish.com), two blogging tools that allow you to create multi-blogger communities where the instructor can review and edit student posts and comments before making them public.
Investigate whether your school has any firewalls that will prevent you from visiting these Web sites.
Review current online blogs from your local newspaper or television station.
Practice posting blog entries, reviewing submissions (if this is an option with the blog host you use), and creating comments on entries.

What to Do:

Engage students by asking them what they know about blogs and what blogs they like (if they are familiar with them). Show some examples of blogs you have bookmarked and look at some student suggestions (after making sure they are appropriate for school). After telling students that they are going to create their own blogs, review Internet safety guidelines.
Brainstorm blog topic ideas as a class and make one practice entry as a group.
Assign each student a blog account with the host you have chosen and review the steps for creating and posting entries. Give students time to write about whatever interests them. Once they have become familiar with blogging, you can give them more structured assignments.
Show students how to share blogs and post comments. They will be working "offline" at this point. Many blogs will allow users to upload pictures, audio files, or link to other sites. Once students have mastered blogging basics, show them how to personalize their blogs.
After students have finished their blog entries, they submit them to the afterschool instructor for review. Once the instructor has reviewed them for appropriate content, he/she can post the entries "online."
When the afterschool group meets again, students read each other's blog entries and post comments.

Extension Activities:

Share blogs with parents, instructors, or students in another afterschool program.
Consider making video blogs

Teaching Tips:

Teaching Tip About Blogs

Education World provides great information for instructors who want to use blogging, including a techtorial to help you get started. The following blogging cautions are from that resource:

When blogging, remember to:

Get parental permission.
Know your school and district acceptable use policies (AUPs) and convey them to your students.
Avoid blogging sites that require students to publish their complete names and/or e-mail accounts.
Avoid sites that ask students for any personal information.
Make students aware of what subject matter is appropriate and permissible.
Teach students the importance of tone and respect for others' opinions.
Have clear expectations, rules, and consequences.
Remember that with risk comes growth and learning.

For additional information on Internet safety and blogging, consult the following article: www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml/.

Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):

Students will enhance writing skills and ability to express creative, logical and clear thinking while following Internet safety guidelines.

Standards:
Click this link to see additional learning goals, grade-level benchmarks, and standards covered in this lesson.

Learn More:

For more information and ideas to support this lesson, see the Resources page.

Online Training for Afterschool Staff

The Afterschool Training Toolkit is available online free of charge.

The following resources can be used with the online Afterschool Training Toolkit to give you the resources you need to build fun, innovative, and academically enriching afterschool activities.