Edutech for Teachers

Cool Tools for the 21st Century Classroom

Introducing Simply Aubree: A Must-See Student Blog!

July30

i_love_bloggingEvery teacher has one of those students… You know, the one who comes to school every day eager to learn, the one who never complains—regardless of the request, the one who is helpful in every way possible, the one who brightens your day—especially in those not so swell times, the one who wants to do everything you do—only better! Yep, you’re shaking your head as you read this because you have/had this student in your classroom as well.

Fortunately, I have encountered many of these shining stars throughout my career, but the student I described above has earned a special place in my all-star book…

Aubree not only excelled in the classroom, but she especially thrived in my Tech Club where she continually demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of apps, tools, programs and equipment through the creation of various projects—videos, images, collages, and slides for our morning announcements program.

But wait! There’s more…

This summer Aubree began following my Edutech for Teachers blog via Twitter, and we continued to share ideas—mostly about the discovery of new apps. After several questions about techie stuff, I realized Aubree was still interested in learning. Eventually, I suggested that she consider setting up a blog. Her initial response was the she would “think about it”. OK, I thought… Maybe doing something productive—like thinking and writing—isn’t the most appealing summer activity for an 11 year old!

Fast forward to about seven minutes later… Yeah, seven—ha, ha! That’s how long it actually took to receive the response I was hoping for! And so began Simply Aubree: The Ramblings of a Country Girl.

In about six weeks, this Geeky Girl Jr.—as I call her—has managed to post nearly 20 quality articles, complete with images, videos, categories and tags—most of which she learned to do by herself. She even figured out how to add a Clustrmaps widget that displays visitors to her blog from around the world! How exciting that she is now a published author sharing her writing with a global audience! Obviously, she has exceeded my already high expectations! Best of all, Aubree can serve as an inspiration and example for other students who wish to do the same.

For Aubree: I’m proud of you and your accomplishments—and you should be too! You’re well on your way of fulfilling your tech goals and dreams! Rest assured—your teacher will continue to support and cheer you on every step of the way! Keep up the terrific work!

Classroom Connection:

The educational benefits associated with providing students with the opportunity to blog are countless. This activity is an innovative way for students to express themselves with an authentic audience. From brainstorming to organizing to writing, revising, and peer review, blogs are natural tools that lend themselves to the writing process in any content area. Because blogs can have viewers in addition to the teacher, students are engaged in sharing, communicating and exchanging ideas on a larger scale and see a permanency to their words that an essay or research paper can never equal.

Blogging in education provides a communication space that teachers and students can utilize to develop a concept, share ideas and/or reflect on current and past assignments. Not only do these networks promote reading, writing, and critical thinking, blogs create a viable classroom outside of the traditional learning environment, giving the students and the teacher more flexibility in the learning process.

Blogging is incredibly easy to do. It takes very little time, it’s free, and it’s a great way to open your classroom to a world of ideas!

That said, if you haven’t experimented with integrating one of the many blogging tools—like Edublogs—into your lessons, you should really give the idea some serious consideration. Not feeling that adventurous? Then start small with the Aubree that lives in your classroom. Trust me—it’s a win-win situation for both the student and teacher!

In the meantime, be sure to check out some great app reviews and other neat stuff that makes this blog… Simply Aubree. And while you’re at it, give her a shout out and/or follow on Twitter!

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Hey, edu-tech gurus!

Looking for some technology integration ideas to enhance your classroom lessons? Then be sure to check out my "Tech Tips" for the latest and greatest Web 2.0 tools, applications and web sites that can be incorporated into activities and/or projects. Although some posts may not be applicable to your content area or grade level, be sure to check back often as I will be varying ideas in order to provide resources across the K-12 curriculum.

Be sure to add this awesome tool to your tech-box!

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