Good news: working with a group of three teachers (Tom, the Web log veteran among them) who are using Manila sites for reader response work between two different classes. The idea is to get kids talking about the literature not only with their classmates but with a wider audience of readers. They are psyched to see the results.
Bad news: as the two newbie teachers introduced the Web log concept to their kids, it became painfully obvious that they themselves had never even made a post much less kept a site. One of my proudest moments in journalism class is when I show my kids this site. I think most of them understand at that point that I’m not just on some trendy bandwagon but that I take it seriously.
We need to make sure to add this strong suggestion (I hate rules) to the field manual: Teach writing, write. Teach reading, read. Teach writing or reading (or whatever else) with Web Logs…Blog! For most of us, it’s a no brainer. In my case, this space had a lot to do with my “promotion” and my new adventures. I can’t imagine where I would be without it.
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