Comments on: An Idea to Elevate Student Blog-Writers: Giving them space on Support Blogging.com

By: From "LeaderTalk" to "LearnerTalk": Global Student Edublog Seeks Your Input | Beyond School

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:41:55 +0000

[...] to create a niche of learner edubloggers? That could be enlightening indeed. – post from 6 May 2007 [Giving student presentations at education conferences] means less (next to nothing, I would [...]

By: Durff

Durff — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 14:33:00 +0000

In the USA, privacy concerns are taking center stage with parents right now. I think this needs to die done before we forge ahead. Maybe just audio podcasts, which can be edited, would be possible.
In the USA, 18 years is the ‘adult’ designation. Litigation is rampant. I probably will have next year middle schoolers who can not take part in anything, thanks to the state laws. In other countries, student participation in the edublogosphere will be easier to facilitate. I don’t yet have any high schoolers that fit your description…though I know of a few in other schools.

By: Clay Burell

Clay Burell — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:15:00 +0000

Hi durff,

I love turning assertions into questions: Can we “only do this once students become adults”?

Why can’t we find creative ways to protect privacy? Anagrams or other privacy-protecting codes, for example? Parent permission to let star writers blog (they let them act on stage in school dramas, after all, with their full names and pictures on the programs)?

I really think we can

That being said, I tend to forget that not all teachers are high school teachers. I can see your point about K-8, though again, I’m not sure it’s impossible. Moderation, for example, might be a factor that makes things okay.

And your reply is making the word “adult” ring in my ears: there’s the legal definition, which in litigious America has to be factored in; but there’s also the maturation definition, which qualifies a few ninth graders (age 15) I know as adults. They’re far more capable and prudent already than many a “legally adult” frat boy I witnessed in college.

Thanks for your input. You’re helping me get ideas about this

By: Durff

Durff — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:35:00 +0000

BUT…as K12 teachers, we can only do this (which is an excellent suggestion) once students become adults. Because of privacy concerns, implementation is problematic. My star bloggers are only in 8th grade. Above that age at my school are, well, just not getting it.

By: Clay Burell

Clay Burell — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:39:00 +0000

Great, Bing–do you have any student bloggers you can add to the list?

And I’d love to collaborate next year. My problem is I’m only teaching AP Lit next year.

What are the solutions?

If you want to work together b/w now and next autumn to develop a student blogging training sequence–you know, all the processes they need to know, understand, do, plus widgets they should have and so forth–let me know. We can Skype or Yackpack and start a wiki.

By: Bing Miller

Bing Miller — Sun, 06 May 2007 10:28:00 +0000

Clay: What a great idea, and I applaud you for taking the initiative. It is this very nature of the web 2.0 that makes it such a powerful and rewarding learning tool. In an earlier post, you had talked about getting ready for next year. Me too. I’d like my students to establish blogs, but the only way it’s going to truly stick for the students is if they experience the same power and possibility we all have through our own web 2.0 tools. The linking and the commenting to one another has been one of the most powerful experiences for me. This would encourage just such activity and promote the use of blogging as a valuable learning tool.

And on a related note, I will be teaching a non-fiction writing class next year and I hope we can collaborate at some point. Thanks again.