Keeping it to myself isn't an option any longer. If I'm expecting my students to explore the world of blogging, I should expect the same from myself. I pride myself in connecting with my students, understanding their world. I enjoy watching movies that my students see and that opens channels of sharing back and forth. Blogging with my students has been a priceless experience that I intend to continue and expand.
Over the past year, my students and I have been using KidBlog.com to post events from the
classroom, experiences from home, and post work that students are proud to share. I have kept it with in the school environment and have shared with other grade level classes. Students have been encouraged to post news from home or shared projects that they are working on. At times I will assign a topic for a post or just offer time in class to write. Book reviews were my initial use of KidBlog.com. Students would post selfies with the book they were reading, write a hook and let us know the reading level and the points it was worth in the Accelerated Reader program. After a month, I realized I wanted to upgrade my account so students could add media content. It was the best $40 I have ever spent.
All of a sudden, our blogs were more like, Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube. I had students creating videos during their winter break for fun. Third graders were creating "how to" videos and working to elicit viewers. One student posted an awesome video on his Minecraft Lego build. Another student created a video of her playing the Ukulele. I wasn't directing the students to create this content, it was on their own, their choice of what they wanted to post. We had serious discussions on digital footprints and what types of posts that were appropriate. Truly amazing talk about copy write infringement and how to site properly were often shared together in class or commented in student's blogs.
Two of my proudest successes this past year were MinecraftEdu and KidBlog.com. Not only were my students working on their own time creating content and sharing their ideas, they were mindful of an audience that was beyond the classroom. I feel that I cheated my students out of a wider audience in fear of exposing them to the world. It was until after the year was over that I expanded permission to allow the blogs to be viewed publicly. I learned that I have to open the doors and teach my students the proper way to communicate to the world, not shelter and filter their audience. I have changed my perspective, opened my heart to the possibilities, and better understand the needs of my students. It's time to broaden my horizon too.
What I learned this past year was my eight and nine year old students are YouTubers, bloggers, and content creators. They want to get their message out there to a wider audience. It's my job to teach them the best ways to create, post, comment, and respect others who do the same. I can't protect them from everything, I can't shield them from all the "bad" in the world. What I can do is educate them to recognize what is the best way to post and create and learn to self sensor or self check for appropriate conduct on line. If I can teach them how to have a positive presence on line, than I am creating a better audience for others.
Check out one of my students KidBlog post video. He is a YouTuber!
http://kidblog.org/class/N4Outliers/posts/ce0zldrntres444rn7fx1wat4
