11. Curriculum Connections

As previously mentioned, student participation in blogging is a great way to engage them in non-fiction writing!

For example, you could "hook" your students by using your blog to:

• link to a website/blog
• post a piece of text
• post or embed a video
• post a powerful digital image (i.e. the "Reuters News in Pictures" Google Gadget found in the side panel of this blog

After your students have viewed this "hook", have them post a response to what they viewed. Next, have them read each other's posts, and post a comment to at least 2 peer posts. To comment on a post, the reader simply clicks on "Comment" found at the bottom of the post that they're reading.

Vehicle for Social Action?
Due to the accessibility of blogs, a class/student blog can also be an effective vehicle for social action and change! Here's an example of one: http://ne1dare2dream.blogspot.com/

Click here to view a blog about assessment and evaluation of student blog postings.

Discussion
How might you use a blog in your classroom, school, or community for social action?

Please share your ideas here! Simply click on "Comment" at the bottom of this posting and add your 2 cents! The more we share with each other, the richer we'll all be!