"Links are one of the most powerful parts of your blog. Not only are links noticed by search engines, but they also act as a tap on the shoulder to other bloggers who can easily identify who is linking to their sites." Read more at: 15 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic
"Write great headlines and subject lines. If people see an entry with a truly eye-catching lead, they're more likely to read it than something that seems dull or dry." Read more at: How to Get People to Read Your Blog
"If you’re a blogger and you’re looking to grow traffic, put yourself in the mind of bloggers with large readerships: They’re busy, they have huge egos, and they need to constantly post new, interesting stuff to satisfy their readers’ voracious appetites for content. Could you write one piece of excellent content for them?" Read more at: How to get 150,000 People to Read Your Blog Post in 1 Week
"The most significant way to develop a loyal online following is by creating useful content that readers will consume and share." Read more at: How to Make Your Blog Get Real Attention
Blogger: http://www.blogger.com/home
This is my personal favorite for its simplicity of use with a moderate amount of freedom to personalize. The blog you are currently reading was created on Blogger.
Word Press: http://wordpress.org/
This blog host site is supported by our district tech people and it has lots of options for customization. However, I find it a little more complex than Blogger. If you feel you are tech savvy and willing to learn through trial and error, you should have minimal issues. If you're a digital immigrant, I do not recommend this for your first blog.
Edublogs: http://edublogs.org/
This blog host site is made for educators! I have limited experience with it, but have heard fantastic reviews from teachers who not only want to create their own blog, but also want their students to create them. As with most educator products, there is a free version with minimal capabilities and a $7.95/month version with all the bells and whistles. Compare the two HERE.
Sample blogs from real people
If you'd like to take a look at a few blog designs from these sites, try these:
BLOGGER: http://doliteracy.blogspot.com/
This is the 'home base' blog for the course I teach at UST. You can see links to my students' blogs along the left-hand side.
http://jessicacrooker.blogspot.com/
This is my personal and professional blog. It's a tool I use for reflection and to continue pushing myself to write--something I love to do, but have not prioritized doing since college.
WORD PRESS:
My former colleague, Todd, is brilliant and an avid blogger. Here's his professional blog for educators: http://relentlessteaching.com
Todd also leads Real Men Read, a book club for boys, at Eastview High School in Apple Valley. Here's a link their blog: http://evrealmenread.wordpress.com/
EDUBLOGS:
Karen Burkhartzmeyer is a former graduate student of mine from UST. She took the blogging idea and ran with it last fall by having her journalism students create blogs on which to publish their writing. Ask me for the password! She shared it with me, so you could see how edublogs works. http://pajournalism.edublogs.org
Nancy Ziemer shared this with me in October of 2011. I've kept it in my email inbox since then and have decided it needs a new home. Most importantly, it needs to be in a place where I will not lose or forget about it!
And, if you ever have the chance to hear Elizabeth Moje speak, jump at it! She gets it.
This site is a great resource for before, during and after reading strategies in the secondary classroom. Not only are there pdf or Word links to templates, the page indicates which strategies are useful for developing skills in vocabulary, comprehension and writing.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I started the school year with the best intentions to keep a literacy blog and then, suddenly, it's January! Ah well... Let's just chalk it up to the fact that I've been very busy getting to know my new colleagues, stretching myself as a coach, and leaving no stone unturned in an effort to discover exactly how DOES one go about leading a school-wide literacy campaign?
Admittedly, over the last few months, I have found myself in a tug o' war at times between literacy and... well, lots of other demands of the job. However, after spending a couple of days at a literacy training with my principal, I realized that my time spent "getting my feet wet" and immersing myself in a new school culture was coming to an end. In reflecting on the many books and articles I've read lately, conversations with veteran teachers, and information I've gathered from observations, I found an answer to my question.
The answer is ONE does not lead a school-wide literacy campaign--MANY lead it. Now, I'm anxiously awaiting the first meeting of the North View Building Literacy Team. When I sent out an email asking for a response from those interested in being on the team, I did not know how many responses I'd receive. In just a few days, about 1/3 of the staff at NVJH expressed an interest in joining the BLT! My goal is to keep posting about our progress here on the blog, so here's to hoping I can get back here before June!
To learn more about Writing to Learn and for more activity ideas, visit the Writing Across Curriculum (WAC) Clearinghouse. Here is a list of Write to Learn activities you'll find at the site. Click the main site or specific strategy to be linked directly!
As I prepare for our staff development workshop on Write to Learn, I've discovered a little Googling tip. If you type in the search line: "Writing to Learn" and then your content area (i.e. Writing to Learn Science), you'll get search results specific to what you teach. Not all results will be exactly what you're looking for, of course, but it will save you the time of sifting through a ton of activities that do not apply to your class.
Write to Learn Workshop
September 21st or 22nd during your IB Commons time
Pre-made template (see below), ½ sheet of paper, raid the recycle bin, rejects from the copy room, leftover single-sided handouts from a past assignment or unit…
Set clear expectations…
Students need to know what the exit cards are being used for. Let them know that you want to know how well they understand what is being taught or difficulties they may be having so you can plan to help them. There are no wrong answers but effort is expected. Student sharing of responses could be a model to build from.
What to do with all these exit slips… Teachers assess the responses on the exit cards in order to provide differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners in the classroom.
Question types can vary…
The questions chosen by the teacher depend on what information or type of response is expected from students. The questions can be varied and target skill development through demonstrations, explanations, understanding, or a reflection of how students feel about their learning success or frustration. Opinions are often requested in exit cards to address personal feelings or perceptions. The questions should be short and only take a few minutes to write (and read) so they become a quick assessment check.
Two types of exit card questions:
A. General open-ended questions 1. Write one thing you learned today. 2. What area gave you the most difficulty today? 3. Something that really helped me in my learning today was .... 4. What connection did you make today that made you say, "AHA! I get it!" 5. Describe how you solved a problem today. 6. Something I still don't understand is ... 7. Write a question you'd like to ask or something you'd like to know more about. 8. What (insert topic/subject area) terms do you clearly understand or have difficulty understanding? 9. Did working with a partner make your work easier or harder. Please explain. 10. In what ways do you see today's lesson connected to your everyday life?
B. Questions targeted towards content
1. Explain one difference between the Old World and New World.
2. Write one example of a modern day reference to Greek Mythology and explain the significance of that reference.
3. In your opinion, what does it mean to be a self-advocate.
4. Tomorrow something is going to change in our lives. Tomorrow there will be no more zeroes. Zero will cease to exit. Will this affect you or not? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Write your opinion.
5. How do you solve a problem best? Do you create a plan or do you just keep trying until some idea clicks. Explain the approach you used and how it helped or didn't help you solve a problem today.
