A Great Start to Third Grade

We have had a great start to this school year!  We are in the middle of reading the book Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary.











The students have really enjoyed doing research and  learning all sorts of interesting facts about Beverly Cleary.

 They've also been hard at work writing summaries for the chapters we've read so far.  The students have become experts at using SWBST (Somebody Wanted But So Then) to create a summary (Click Here to see a Graphic Organizer we use to help).

My Journey to Create a Personal Learning Network

 

This summer, I've been participating in an online class which has challenged me to take a look at my Personal Learning Network (PLN).  I have to admit, prior to this class, I didn't have any form of a PLN.  Through my readings, I've learned so many ways to use online tools and social media to help me grow my PLN.  

I've learned about how RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds can help me streamline information and get only what I'm interested in reading.  RSS has already saved me so much time because I'm not spending hours scrolling through webpages, the information that I want is found for me AND I'm notified when new content I'm interested in becomes available.




I've also learned how social media can help me grow my PLN.  I always thought of Twitter or Facebook as being a way to see what my crazy friends in California were up to, or to see pics of my amazing niece when she lost her first tooth, BUT I found out that I can also use these social media outlets as a way to grow my own career and continue my education on best practices.

I also tried my hand at podcasting.  I have to admit, I'm not in love with podcasting.  I'm fine with short little 1 to 2 minute podcasts, but any longer and I lose focus.  This is probably why I can't do audio books.

Now, to my favorite new tool I've found to grow my PLN...

I LOVE BLOGGING!  

I've already started planning on how I will incorporate blogging into my classroom this upcoming school year.  I'm going to use it not only as a tool for students to share information with parents and classmates, but also as a way for me to share what I'm learning with my students, parents, and colleagues.  I am confident that blogging will be a game changer for me!

 

My New Journey with Blogging!

I am excited to go on a new journey into the world of blogging.  I am actually starting this journey as part of a class I'm taking to earn Professional Learning Units that are required for me to keep my degree valid (a girl's gotta work).

I have a small confession.  At first, I was not thrilled about this at all.  I was like, "Great!  More 'busy work'!" Now, however, I'm really kind of excited.  I mean once I started realizing how cool this "blogging" thing could be for my students, I got more and more excited. 

I'm not sure exactly how it's gonna work yet, but I've been reading up on some things.  I really enjoyed this article by Mark Thomson.  I love that blogging will encourage creativity among my students and allow them to also share with others what they're learning about at school all day.

Stay tuned as more on this unfolds.  If you have any suggestions or tips about how you incorporate blogging into your instruction, please feel free to drop a comment.