School blogs can transform virtually every aspect of school life. I appreciate that’s a bold claim but I’m going to back it up with some illustrations. I am also going to show you how easy it is to set up a complete school blogging platform with no technical knowledge whatsoever.

Before I go any further though, let me define what I mean by school blogs. Although blogs may have started out rather like online diaries, software such as WordPress (yes, it’s a version of WordPress that I am going to recommend) is quite capable of creating complex websites incorporating multimedia elements. The WordPress platform makes the production of engaging content as simple as using a word processor, allowing users to focus on content. It also allows readers to interact through comments and this is one of the main reasons why school blogs can be so powerful.

So think of a blog as an interactive personal website.

What I am suggesting is not that the school has a blog but rather that everyone IN the school has a blog - teachers, students, administrators - even parents. Here are some examples:

# Lessons - let’s imagine a teacher, Mr Geography. His next few lessons will cover the Amazon jungle. So he transfers an outline of his lesson plan to a blog post and adds in some images, a couple of videos from YouTube showing some Amazonian wildlife and links to the National Geographic website. For homework, the students will visit his post, possibly leave some comments, and then create their own posts answering the questions he set. (Don’t worry, there are many ways to stop plagiarism.)

The students have thus had a much richer and creative experience than simply reading a text book. Their work will remain online for future revision. It can even be made public and form part of a showcase of what students are achieving. Not only can this inspire children, it is a wonderful way for parents and grandparents to share in a student’s progress. This increased involvement can have many dividends in fundraising.

# Sports - the latest results and performances of the school teams can be shared online through reports, photographs and videos. Again, a much broader community can share in the school’s activities.

# Special Interests - this is a broad catch-all category for all the other activities that students may engage in, from dance, drama and music (reviews of theater visits, progress on their own productions etc.) through to IT, photography and debating clubs, The blogs of participant students help their development and publicize what they are doing to a wider audience. The school becomes a much more vibrant place.

# Field Trips and Holidays - parents can be kept informed of what is happening and the whole experience enriched and captured for posterity through blog entries.

I have only hinted at some of the incredible possibilities for using school blogs. I would like to emphasise a few points. Firstly, most of what is produced is almost a by-product of current activities - this is a different way of working rather than extra work. Secondly, much of it is created by the students themselves. Finally, despite the stunning results that can be achieved, this is actually very easy to implement.

I mentioned the WordPress platform earlier. There is a mutli-user version of WordPress, WPMU, that provides the basis for my recommended approach to school blogging. If you are considering how to set up school blogs with maximum effectiveness and ease-of-use, I would suggest an out-of-the box solution incorporating a number of plugins. This will allow you to focus on the benefits the system can bring rather than spending days tweaking settings to achieve an inferior solution.

Paul Taylor, MA(Oxon), MBA, member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and creator of the School Blogs website - a resource outlining the benefits of school blogs and the technology available.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com/?expert=Paul_LP_Taylor

A study released this week looked at the environmental impact of eReading devices and claimed that the carbon emitted in the lifecycle of the ereader was off-set after a year of use or 22.5 books.
The new study finds that e-readers could have a major impact on improving the sustainability and environmental impact on the publishing industry, one of the world’s most polluting sectors. In 2008, the U.S. book and newspaper industries combined resulted in the harvesting of 125 million trees, not to mention wastewater that was produced or its massive carbon footprint.
The report, authored by Emma Ritch, states: “Any additional years of use result in net carbon savings, equivalent to an average of 168 kg of CO2 per year (the emissions produced in the manufacture and distribution of 22.5 books).”
The Cleantech Group forecasts that e-readers purchased from 2009 to 2012 could prevent 5.3 billion kg of carbon dioxide in 2012, or 9.9 billion kg during the four-year time period.
The report also encourages academic institutions to implement pilot testing of e-readers as a replacement to physical textbooks, citing schools such as Princeton University, the University of Virginia, and Arizona State University already leading the way.
It seems the case for eBooks is building.

An attention grabbing headline taken from the conclusions in a recent report produced for US Department of Education. The analysis found that, on average, students doing some or all of the course online would rank in the 59th percentile in tested performance, compared with the average classroom student scoring in the 50th percentile. That is a modest but statistically meaningful difference.

Full report available free here

The study looked at online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008. Some of it was in K-12 yet there were too few studies to warrant statistical significance. However, Picciano and Seaman (2009) estimated that more than a million K–12 students took online courses in school year 2007–2008 and interest in hybrid approaches that blend in-class and online activities is increasing.

Yet although online learning appeared to be well researched as an effective option for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals in a wide range of academic and professional studies, the number of K–12 studies is too small to warrant much confidence in the mean effect estimate for this learner group.

It strikes me as an interesting paradox when demand is increasing that the research which would support the increased use is not available. Online or digital learning can be a great resource to engage learners using a different medium. However, until the research catches up we would be wise to ensure that online learning activities should be an enhancement to more traditional forms of education rather than a replacement.

If you are a parent of a young child who is learning to read you may come across a term called ‘sight words’ or ‘high frequency words’. Around 50% – 75% of all words in text material are common words that are repeated. They are found in children’s books and what we read in daily life. These words are known as “High Frequency Words” or “Sight Words”. These words include adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, and verbs.

The list was originally compiled by Edward William Dolch, PhD and published in his 1948 book, “Problems in Reading”. There are 220 words on the Dolch list and recognising them at a glance helps children to read with confidence. You can get the list easily on the internet by searching for ‘Dolch Sight Word List’.

For most of the words on the list you cannot find pictures so they need to be learned, (e.g. “if”, “the” “soon”, “but”, etc.). It is an important step in learning to read because these words are so frequent that learning them leads to more fluent and confident reading for children. It is important for a child to practice over and over again until the words are learned and this can be done in many ways. These are words that cannot usually be broken down phonetically [i.e. by their individual sound combinations] and as they appear so regularly in the English language it is quicker for children to recognise these by sight rather than trying to decode them each time.

Spot the Pairs
Create 2 small cards for each of the words on the Dolch list. Chose 10 words that the child is learning and place the 2 sets of words face down. Turn two cards over and try to find a match. If the cards match, the child should say (and spell) the word and place the two matching cards together.
If the child does not make a match, turn the cards back over. Repeat the process until all of the cards have matching pairs.

Go Fishing
Deal five cards (face down) to each player. Place the rest of the cards in a draw pile (face down). Have one person start the game. Have that person choose a word that they have in their hands and ask another person, “Do you have the word ‘xyz?’ If the person that was asked has the card, they give it to the person who asked and the matching cards are placed face up. If the person that was asked did not have that word, say, “Go Fish!” and the requester takes a card from the draw pile. If a matching pair is made that person will get another turn. If not the next player goes next. If anyone runs out of cards, they can take a card from the draw pile. Repeat the game until all the words have been found. The player with the most matching sets of words wins the game.

Word Bingo
Create 5 by 5 grids and write the common words you are working on into the grids. Create small cards with all the words and mix these up in a small bag. Draw one card out at a time. The child should read the word on the card and search for the word on their grid. They cross off the words as they are drawn from the bag. For more than one child this works really well with different word combinations on the grids. The winner is the first child who has crossed off all their words on the grid.

Get a Treat
Place a small treat e.g. a candy or sticker on each word. When the child says that word correctly they collect the treat! A special reward chart can be created to place the stickers on so your child can see their progress.

We are so pleased to announce that our first submission of one of our multi-media animated picture books has been awarded the coveted iParenting Award!

Hoop-la the Hippo Award Winning Children’s Book

iParenting Awards is part of the Disney Online Mom and Family Portfolio, a leading group of sites that provide inspiration and ideas for parents on a variety of topics important to today’s families.

See our Press Release here http://www.prlog.org/10305652-childrens-ebook-gets-recognition-by-winning-prestigious-iparenting-award.html

We all know that children have a huge array of technological solutions available to them. They have a vast amount of knowledge and information available literally at their finger tips. In a recent report by OFCOM they researched how children in the UK are using technology. available here

There is no doubt that technology is a part of children’s everyday lives. Is it the responsibility of the parent or the school to support our children in learning how to use the technology effectively?

The research shows 39% of 5 -7 year olds, in the UK, use the internet everyday, rising to 49% for kids aged 8 -11 and a whopping 78% for 12 – 15 year olds. That is a lot of children online!

Parents tend to trust their children online [78% of them agreeing that they think their child uses the internet safely] and see the internet as a positive addition to their child’s life with 64% of parents with children aged 5-15 agreeing with the statement “the benefits of the internet for my child outweigh any risks”.

However 50% of parents agreed that “my child knows more about the internet than I do”.

With the growth in technology and knowledge available expanding at an exponential rate can we leave it to parents to guide their kids? What role do schools have in teaching how to use technology and how are we measuring their effectiveness?

To develop literacy skills all children need to be exposed to books and reading. For today’s techno-savvy youngest generation there is now an option to practice their reading skills online. Digital books are not meant as a replacement to paper books but another exciting medium to get kids reading more.

I love that the story can read aloud to kids whilst highlighting the words.

Children learn by repetition and we all know how kids can want the same story over and over again! So they can listen to the story a number of times and learn the associations between the sounds and the words.

I love that children can click on a word they are unfamiliar with and hear it spoken.

Without having to wait for adult intervention children can try and sound out a word whilst they are reading but if they get stuck they can hear it spoken by clicking on the word.

I love that ebooks look like a paper book with page turning.

Ebooks are not meant as a replacement to paper books but having digital books that look like their paper counterpart can instil a love of all books.

I love that the illustrations are animated.

Picture books that really come to life with animated illustrations – just magical.

I love the comprehension/memory quiz incorporated into the technology.

Children can listen to a story yet not pay attention. Having a comprehension/memory quiz can make sure they listen carefully and take more of the story in.

I love that children are using computer time as a learning experience.

As a parent myself I know how much the kids love to spend time on the computer. Now they can use screen time in an enjoyable and educational way.

I love that reluctant readers can be exposed to books in another medium.

Reluctant readers can hold strong negative associations with books so exposing them to digital formats can provide an alternative medium for them to be exposed to books which is not as threatening.

Digital books are not meant as a replacement for paper books. They are another medium that can harness a child’s passion for learning to read. They are a method for exposing children to more books whilst they are having fun. But don’t tell the children!

Many teachers have come to the view that in order for learners to engage with their education in the 21st Century, they need to have greater access to the technology that is now embedded into their every day lives. Our youngest generation are learners born into a world where mobile devices, games consoles, the internet, interactive TV and constant 24-7 multimedia are common place. Children are being exposed to technology from a very early age, yet research has shown that some of these children do not know how to use it effectively because they do not have the support at home. So should our schools be helping them by putting technology at the heart of the curriculum? If we are preparing our youngest generation of learners to be prepared for roles that they will fulfil in the future then technology will, undoubtedly, be at the heart of that.
There is a growing interest in finding ways to use technology in classrooms. Ollie Bray a teacher in Scotland has recently won the Microsoft European Innovative Teachers Forum Awards for his use of Nintendo DS and ‘Guitar Hero’ to engage with his pupils. This may cause a ripple of horror amongst more traditional teachers or parents. But engaged learners are better learners so shouldn’t we be grabbing the opportunity to engage with children with both hands?
So playing games at school maybe shocking but the technology is now there to use to enhance the educational experience and teach children how to use the technology. Win-win – they learn on two levels. Allowing children access to online educational games makes learning fun as well as learning how to navigate the computer even from a very young age.
Ebooks have already proved particularly successful with low-ability and reluctant readers. A larger proportion of boys fall into this category than girls. Not only do they reflect the young learner’s world more appropriately than paper books but children still find technology ‘cool’. Therefore, reading on personal electronic devices or laptops individually or together on a whiteboard makes those who are reluctant more interested. A key element in successfully remediating struggling readers is helping them learn to enjoy reading. Even capable readers can enjoy quality content via eBooks and because they are a different medium to paper they can be actively encouraged to read more.
I was shocked when I saw the statistic that one in five children currently leaves UK primary school without reaching the expected level in reading and writing. If we can use the technology to engage them perhaps this statistic would change? Getting children to read more has been proven to increase literacy levels. Does it matter in what medium they increase their exposure to reading?
Children are being prepared for jobs that do not exist yet. The way in which they are educated needs to prepare them for the exponential change they will see in their life time. Technology is one of those changes. We should be doing what we can to equip them with the skills they need to interface effectively with technology. I am not suggesting we throw out traditional methods of teaching but that we embrace the technology that can engage our youngest learners to ensure they are equipped with the skills they will need in their changing lifetime.

I was recently reading a report by Ofsted [an independent education review body in the UK] about literacy trends in schools.
The report is available here.

“The gap between schools in their understanding of the uses of new technology partly reflected the very differing views that schools held about English, the changing nature of communication and pupils’ literacy needs in the 21st century. The most effective schools understood that ‘ICT has fundamentally altered… how we think about reading and writing’. As technology has changed, so the literacy needs of pupils change. This always involves adding new skills rather than simply replacing old ones.”

This is fundamental. We need to view the use of technology as beneficial to engaging students as well as adding to the skill set that they will require in the future. The skills required to read and enjoy a novel are different to those needed to skim emails, or text messages or extract pertinent data from an electronic report. However we cannot forget the basics. Reading and writing are skills, in my view, that need to remain no matter what technological advancements are made.

What do you think?

If the changes in education over the last 100 years had been as dramatic as the changes in medicine or industry over that time, what would our schools look like today?

What a great question and it certainly got me thinking.

The education system hasn’t really changed that much since the 1800’s. Yet advances in knowledge, technology and access to information has seen exponential growth. Our children are growing up in this environment. They are learning to access and use knowledge when and where they need it. Learning is not limited to learning within the boundaries of classrooms and school buildings, it is available 24/7.

Our current model of schooling is to bring the learner to the knowledge contained within the walls of the school building where experts tell and share information. The schools of tomorrow need to bring the knowledge to the learner. And that is not constrained by a location or building.

Do I think that schools will become a thing of the past and children will learn in isolated pods? Absolutely not. The true value of schools is that they support a community of learners, not only in their knowledge but in their social development too. So going to school won’t change, but how we educate our learners should harness the technological advancements available. So teachers can be a guide to learning, supporting enquiring minds, inspiring and working with the children to solve problems. The true beauty of a school community is that young minds can question, challenge and discuss to develop their knowledge further.

We cannot guess at how much the world will change in their lifetimes, as change is an exponential graph, but we can make sure that our education is preparing children for this change.