amy holtsclaw, librarian cantrall elementary and intermediate schools
TRANSCRIPT
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Blogging the Bluestems!Amy Holtsclaw, Librarian
Cantrall Elementary and Intermediate Schools
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The Bluestems Before Blogging…Students were checking out the books, but I
wasn’t sure if they were really reading them.Not much interaction between students or
between myself and students about the books beyond “How’d you like it?” and “It was good.”
Not a ton of excitement about voting or seeing the results.
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Starting the Blog with Blogger
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Creating a Google Account
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Setting up a Blog
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Tools for your blog
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Template
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Template Design
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Layout
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Blog Archive
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About Me
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Settings
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Pages
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Posts
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Comments
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Guidelines For StudentsBe SpecificAvoid “This book was awesome!” or “I didn’t
like this book” responses. Add the why or because for the statements.
2-3 sentences are all you needBe niceYou can disagree with others, and I
encourage conversations about the books, but no name-calling or putting others down if they don’t agree with you.
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First Year Learning CurveThe main things I learned from the first year of
Blogging were:Archives go in the order you post them, and while
you have some wiggle room in how they display, the multi-month made it hard for students to find the book they wanted to respond to, especially since I posted as I read the books.
I wasn’t too strict on the specific part of their responses – I was happy to just get responses! I figured with time they would get better at it. Overall, I think they did pretty well.
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Things I Changed in Year TwoI posted all entries at once so they end up in one
month. Much easier for students to find the book they want to respond to!
I talked up the party at the end more the second year, and sent home information through the school newsletter and teacher newsletters more.
I chased down students who had three posts and needed one more in January so they could get another finished in time to vote.
I sent invitations to the students who qualified to attend the party.
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The Stats
2012- 30 students blogged 123 comments on all 20 books. 15 students qualified to vote.
2013 – 42 students blogged 259 comments on all 20 books. 34 students qualified to vote
2014 – As of 10/27, 72 comments on books have been posted.
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The Party!!Food and drinks are a must! Last year I used the
individually wrapped bags of chips, etc. and it was hard to have a conversation with all the crinkling bags! I’ll look for easy, but quieter snacks for this year!
Direct the conversation and try and make sure everyone gets a chance to talk – I had them tell me some of their favorite books and why they liked them, also let them say if they were disappointed in any and why. Students could also have a chance to persuade others why their favorite should win.
Had the party in the library, but if we have more than I can fit at the tables, may move it to the cafeteria this year.