If nothing else, this trip has reminded me how much fun it is to work with kids and how I really love to be in an environment where I can be serious and be really silly at the same time. All of the kids that I met this week in Liverpool and Bolton just sparkled about the idea that they could begin to be a part of a more global network of learners (even though the phrasing might have been a bit different.) And yesterday back in Liverpool, we got about twenty more of them up and running with blogs. If you get five minutes or so and could do a quick read of a couple of them and leave comments, I’m sure that would go a long way to helping them sustain their work. (Now before you ask, we reminded them over and over not to use their full names or identify themselves, but obviously, some didn’t listen.) And in an attempt to start capturing more of this in video, here’s a little snippet of one of the kids in the group.
The bad news, if there is any, is that as they were leaving, one of the girls turned back and said “Now I only hope our teachers let us use these…” Now there’s an idea.
Hi Will
I just read through some of the UK student blogs and posted a few comments from this edge of the world (Massachusetts). I hope that gives some of them a little burst of excitement when they open up their sites in the coming days.
Thanks for all the sharing of your work — it gives me inspiration to keep pushing with my own classroom.
Peace,
Kevin Hodgson
Southampton, Massachusetts
Will,
I think the fact that kids across the world are excited about blogging is fantastic. Now we have to work hard to ensure that not only do they blog but students in other parts of the world read their blogs and write comments. There are certain topics that are important to us but there are other topics that are important to children. If we develop a true worldwide network of children who don’t only read but also write, we’re making the world a more understanding place.
Thanks for everything you do.
Andrew Pass
http://www.Pass-Ed.com/blogger.html
I just finished reading the UK student blogs. What a fun and timely reminder some things are the same no matter where the student lives; boys’ blog about football and cars. I often get caught up (or bogged down) using blogs professionally and making sure sentences are complete and grammar is correct, blah, blah, blah. It was refreshing to read the conversational posts and see how many used IM techniques in their writing.
The student blogs were wonderful! Thank you for posting the links.
Hi, Will it’s Liam from Liverpool, thanks for getting some friends to visit my blog, hope you have the time to visit mine, this blogging is great, I can finally publish my ideas on soccer to the world, which is fantastic. Hope you had a good time in the UK, it was a privilege having you over here, thanks for everything. Smigger
Some people are blogging the most interesting things ;o)
Hi all, a good website for UK students, and has its own blog also, look forward to hearing from you…
I just commented on a few of the blogs. It is funny how there is a developmental curve to blogging. I think it might bear some serious study to see how people grow in their blogging.
I think getting children into blogs at an early age is very good, but you have to be careful and you have to check over what children put on these blogs, as the internet is a great thing but we know what our children can be like behind our backs
Another thing, i bet kids love the idea of not having to hide their diarys around anymore
Not just word blogging…future will be videoblog, moblog, mp3blog, podcast, mediablog..all coming along..
Hi Will, it’s me agai jst thaught i’d visit your website again i’ve now added a video and i’m really getting the hang of it please visit if you have time thanx Smigger from Liverpool, England (www.smiggerl.blogspot.com)