The Moodle Wiki

I set up a "Class Memories" Wiki on my Moodle site. I wanted to start out slow and see how it worked before I showed it to the whole class.  So today while most of my students were working on "Type to Learn,"  I asked one student to edit the Wiki.  While she was editing I asked two other students to log in and start editing.  They were both logged in and hit the edit button.  Instead of be allowed to edit at the same time as the first student, they were met with a message that stated they couldn't edit at this time because another student was editing.  

Once I established that only student could edit at a time, I did a quick mini-lesson and showed the students how they could edit the Wiki.  I also included a quick demonstration of how the history feature worked so everyone knew it wasn't anonymous.  After my mini-lesson I encouraged my students to add to the Wiki as they saw fit.  

No one took advantage of the invitation.  The only student to edit the Wiki was the initial student.  One other student did view the page, but she made no edit. 

I guess the "Class Memories" Wiki didn't capture their attention.  I now how to decide what to do with it.  Should I advertise and add to each day as a mini-lesson?  Should I require students to edit it one time?

Should I move to a more high tech Wiki, like WikiSpaces?  Or should I just forget about using a Wiki and be happy that they are blogging?  To be honest, I have no idea what I'm going to do..

Today's Computer Lab

I had a great computer lab today.  My students accomplished a ton in 60 minutes. 

Students did three major things:

1. Using Wordle, they created a description of Justin Case from Justin Case: School Drool and Other Daily Diasters.  Students used: descriptive words such as: worrywart, brave, kind; they included character names, human, animal and stuffed; talked about his dislikes; etc.  Students printed them out for sharing.
2. Students then wrote a blog about their favorite part of school using kidblog.org.  Most had a main idea statement and then gave supporting details.  The number of details varied by student. 
3. Finally students went to http://www.eduplace.com/tales/ to create a "Wacky Web Tales."  They filled in the blanks for word types and then the program created their story for them.  Students then copied and pasted their "Wacky Web Tales" into their blog.  They were also asked to copy a link to "Wacky Web Tales"

Students then had time to share their blog posts and "Wacky Web Tales" either online or by calling kids ove to their computers.  I shared Wordle highlights after.

I was amazed at how much they did today.  I was really proud of what they created and how eager they were to share with one another.

kidblog.org

I recently attended a professional development session and learned about kidblog.org.  It sounded really interesting and after thinking about it for a month I decided to give it a try.

I was concerned that it would take a lot of time to set up but I had my class of 21 students ready to go in a half hour. I'm enrolled as an administrator, my students are enrolled as students, and one of my teacher friends is enrolled as a guest.

As administrator I control the site.  I can post my own blogs and comments. I can read and respond to all student blogs. I can delete and edit student blogs and comments.  I am also able to add new members.

Students are able to log in, write blogs, write comments, and read blogs and comments.

Guests are able to log in, and read blogs and comments.  They are not allowed to post their own content.


My students used it for the the first time this past Thursday.  Each child was asked to write a blog about a movie they liked and post one comment in response to another blog. Everyone was able to do that in class and I wasn't sure if students would do anymore writing, but they have.    Students have written about other movies, books, vacations, getting pets, sports, and ideas on life.  Students have posted multiple comments on what others have written.  I'm really excited to see what my students do with their blogs over the course of the year.

I've included two blogs.

Wordle

I really like Wordle. It makes cool word posters. If you want a word to be bigger, you write it more time. I've had my students use it to make name posters where they had to pick terms that best described themselves. My students enjoyed it.

The only trouble they had was making important words bigger, connecting phrases, and revising.  I showed them how to make words bigger, type the word a lot, and how to connect words, add a ~ between words.  Most students were able to make the more important words larger but only a few were able to connect phrase.  I was unable to show them how to revise their poster and told them they needed to reenter their words.

I could also see using Wordle to make theme posters for books, character posters, Social Studies content posters and Science concept posters.  Here's a link I created for gravity. I'm not sure how that link works.  It doesn't appear you can search for terms. I can't paste a copy of the image either.

My 2nd Post

I've started a blog called Mr. Markey Reads 4 Kid. This blog's purpose is to house book ads that I have created so students can access them on their own time when trying to decide what books to check out.

I normally read to find out what happens in a book.  I like to make predictions and find out if I'm right.   Now that I'm writing a blog where I advertise books I read differently.  I still read to comprehend, but I'm also constantly thinking about how I can advertise the book.  What will students find most interesting?  What can I say that will make a fifth grader want to read this book.  I take notes, and write and revise the ad throughout my reading of the book.

I didn't think I would enjoy reading this way but I actually do. I enjoy it a lot. I'm still spending a ton of time comprehending but I'm also looking for a hook.  It's a new challenge to reading.

My 1st Post

Hello,

I'm currently taking TE 601 Writing in Digital Environments at SVSU.  This course focuses on how writing has changed and is changing in the digital age.  To guide our learning we our using the textbook The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks.

Our first assignment was to become familiar with Google Docs.  I think Google Docs is an amazing program.  You are able to do most of what you can do on Office for free, with the added advantage that everything is saved to the cloud in the sky. The cloud has allowed me to edit the same document in a variety of locations without any sort of flash drive. Google Docs use of the cloud also allows you to let others comment on your documents without printing out a hard copy.  You should try it out at Google Docs.

My current assignment is to answer two questions about blogging.  There are four questions to choose from on pg. 21-22 of The Digital Writing Workshop.

The first question I would like to answer is:  "What are you passionate about and how do these interests fit with your big questions?"

Outside of my wife, children, and family my biggest passion is reading.  I love to read.  I can literally sit around the house and read all day.  I don't get as many chances as I used to before children (my 3 year old son just climbed on top of desk and onto my arms), but I still find the time to spend a Saturday reading every now and then.

As as adult reader I can literally read any type of book.  I can read mysteries, classics, plays, chick lit, thrillers, science fiction, current non-fiction, fantasy and anything else and find pleasure.  When I taught lower elementary, I would read picture books and adult chapter books.  Now that I'm teaching upper elementary, I still read picture books, to both my children and students,  but I've traded adult chapter books to children's chapter books. Like adult books, I can read and enjoy any genre of children's chapter books. I just love them.

To share my love of books I've recently started two blogs. Mr. Markey Reads 4 Teachers was my first blog.  I started out trying to write for both teachers and students but quickly discovered that was too large of an audience.  I've since started my second blog, Mr. Markey Reads 4 Kids.  I'm now writing two blogs for each chapter book that I read; one trying to convince teachers to share the book with the students; the other trying to convince students to read the book themselves.

The second question I would like to answer is: "How do you become an effective networker and get people with shared interests to value your voice online?"

So far I haven't done the best job of becoming an effective networker.  I've shared both blogs with my students.   When I share a new book that I've read, I pull up my blog and read what I've written.  I've also e-mailed the link to my student's parents.  I've told my mom and my wife. Finally, I've shared the blogs' links with one of my colleagues.

That's right, one.  So to the best of my knowledge, there are two teachers, including myself,  that now how to access my blog for teachers. I want to get a few more posts up before I get the word out too much.  I want teachers to have something to see.

I'm planning on sharing the websites at a meeting I have this Thursday.   Hopefully, that will help spread the word and other teachers will enjoy my ten posts.   I'm also hoping my participation in TE 601 Writing in Digital Environments will help get the word out.

your buddy,

Steve