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Inspiration for your classroom blog
by Jim McDermott

The Techbrarian is a library media specialist on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the Island School, a school that the Innovative Educator compares to the Dalton School in a recent entry on her blog.  If the Techbrarian's blog is an example of what's going on there then I can believe it!

It’s been a WHILE since I’ve been this excited about a teacher blog but the Techbrarian has some amazing ideas that are inspirational for all educators.  You ABSOLUTELY MUST check out the innovative ideas in practice on this blog.  Here are a few of the things that jump out at me:

Meaningful entries:  One of the most sensible uses of blogs in the classroom is for delivering assignments.  There are two flavors of assignments that you can post:  a set of directions (read pgs 23-34 answer ?'s 5, 6, 7) or the actual content and reflection questions right onto the entry.  The richer choice is the latter where you can use any digital media to deliver the content (video, hyperlinks, podcasts, etc).  Immediately you open a world of options for differentiation as auditory, visual, and interactive technologies become a part of your educators toolbelt.  The Techbrarian does this well with assignments that include embedded PowerPoint (Google Presentations actually), podcasts, and other innovative web2.0 media.  But what makes his entries have even more punch is his skill at questioning for critical thinking.  There are no regurgitation questions -- only questions that inspire deep thought and challenge students to analyze, process, and synthesize what they've learned. 

Web 2.0 Heaven:  Right on the first page, Lou has an entry about podcasts, one that includes a Google presentation (HUGE idea that employs the one technology I buy into lock, stock, and barrel for effecting change in the teaching/learning process -- Google Docs), and something that I had never seen before:  XtraNormal (so amazing that I’m going to make an entry about this alone).  The main idea here is that the Techbrarian is comfortable with the concept and power of embedding web2.0 applications.  There's no limit to the delivery systems that can be used to address multiple intelligences in the web2.0 world.

STUDENT BLOGS:  I must admit -- I never thought of this!  Blogs are so easy to create and are an EASY form of digital portfolios that students can use to demonstrate understanding and mastery of what they're learning.  Students do their homework via blog entries and are accessible from his sidebar.  What an amazing collection!  And he highlights the best student blogs of the month.  Look at the comments on one student's blog entry about Stopping Pet Homelessness -- her classmate gives her advice on how to draw readers in, followed by the teacher's comment that furthers the conversation.  If I were the parent of this child, I would see this as an opportunity to participate in my child's learning by adding my two cents and praise for work well done.

Check the blog out for yourself, be inspired, collect the instructional strategies that you see yourself using, and try them out for yourself!