Back to school today, as for most of the state of TEXAS--teachers only. Students begin next week. We had mini workshop sessions today, and we discussed blogging in one of them. I am interested to see how this project will go this year--and I am glad I picked an area that I will be implementing in the classroom. Other teachers expressed interest too.

Blogging Rubric

After reviewing comments on the blog and on the discussion board (from last week), some were curious as to if I would grade the grammar that students use when posting on the blog. As an English teacher, it will be important that I familiarize students at the beginning of the project with a rubric to follow for Blogging Expectations. I will start with a rubric with a small number of categories, and as the year progresses, and students become more familiar with the procedures of blogging, the rubric will encompass more items that reflect my expectations and their strengths.

Sample of a beginning rubric:

Blogging--Rules of Etiquette Teacher Name: Mrs. Rhodes Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Spelling and Grammar	There are no errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are 1-3 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are 4-5 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.	There are more than 5 errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar in the final draft of the Web site.
Content	The comment/response is thoughtful and on topic.	The comment/response is somewhat on topic.	The comment/response is drifts off topic the majority of the time.	The comment/response is not on topic.
Sentence Structure	There are no errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are 1-3 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are 4-5 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.	There are more than 5 errors in sentence structure, such as fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.

Student Blogging

Goals/Objectives:

*to determine if blogging within the high school classroom can create sustained learner engagement and help develop writing skills

Activities/Resources for gathering data:

1. Survey students in regards to knowledge of blogging

2. Create a blog for each junior class.

2. Examine and log individual tests scores/disaggregated data available to departments concerning individual students.

3. Hold student conferences and discuss individual scores, as well as projected growth expectations. All students will be expected to show improvement of a minimum of 10% on multiple choice scores, as well as improvement on essay writing.

4. Introduce students to blogging and give timelines to students for blogging deadlines.

5. Post new information for student response on at least a weekly basis.

6. Maintain the blogs throughout the academic year.

7. Complete a total of 3 student surveys (2 of which will be on-line) in regards to the blogging assignments and student growth and interest.

8. Assessment for the success of blogging will be determined towards the end of the year. I will examine student TAKS scores, note student improvements, monitor student blogging throughout the year looking for proof of specific skills objectives, chart growth areas, conference individually with students at least 3 times throughout the year with specific focus on low TAKS scoring areas, and analyze student surveys. I will also create a log in my reflection journal of the number of times teachers throughout the campus inquire about the process due to student talk. This log will note any positive or negative statements that students make concerning blogging.

Person Responsible:

Me

Timeline:

*First survey—August 18, 2010

*First use of blogging—on or before September 1, 2010

*Collect and Compile data—August 20-September 10, 2010

*Survey Two—on-line survey; will address blogging and students’ thoughts on how it is going as a classroom learning tool; survey will also have room for individual feedback and ideas for improvement

*Collect and Compile data from survey 2—September 18-October 15, 2010

*Share information with student bloggers—on or before October 30, 2010

* Make necessary adjustments as the year progresses (on-going)

* *March, 2011—begin to evaluate student achievement based on the blogs

*May 15, 2011—complete the inquiry research project on blogging and compile the necessary surveys, scores, and feedback to determine if blogging creates higher levels of learning and critical thinking.