Is TAKS really over?

My class has not done much blogging due to the TAKS test and preparing for it. Now that it is done, I can't believe it is over. My mind is so numb from this week, that I am sure this post will be quite random.

We are about to start our unit on Poetry, so I am sure they will have their poems posted soon. I am excited about the thought of them having somewhere else to "publish" their poems.

Some time ago I added the feature of having to approve the comments before they are posted. I must say that I really like this feature. It serves two main functions 1. Keeps me logging in everyday because they want to see their comments posted. and 2. Keep any unwanted comments away. I have been observing another blog that is used for the classroom and while the students are using it, they have also began using it as a social tool. I am not sure I want my students doing that too early.

Last comment for today-the flu. I want my students to blog, but with how careful we are about germs, I am going to have to be extra careful to make sure the keyboards stay sanitized. I guess I will be purchasing some hand sanitizers to keep by keyboards as a reminder.

The next time I post, hopefully I will have some wonderful news about blogging and poetry.

This Week

This week began our figurative language study. In the past we had only answered questions over a book we have read. I wanted the students to use the blog to "publish" their writings and what they have created (or for some think they have created). Even though the response isn't like it was in the beginning, I am still okay with it. I have seen students want to create things so they can publish it. My next step is to have them maybe read what others are writing and then make positive comments. I am happy with what they are doing with it.

I was worried that the students wouldn't be as excited once I started to see their comments before they are published, however I was wrong. They are now more excited because they want to see if I accept what they wrote. For the most part they are, I have had many teachable moments with them as well discussing each comment and what corrections might need to be made.

It is also a great way for me to "police" the blog-I don't have to keep rereading to see if there is something new. It just shows up on my dashboard.

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Testing something out

To the right of this posting (and down some, not sure what that is about) you will see a short video I created for a class I am taking at TWU. It has nothing to do with blogging in the classroom, but I thought I would test it out here before I post it on my blog for TWU. Still trying to work out the quirks so hopefully soon, it will be the way I want.

Are They Trying to Frustrate me?

It has been a very LONG day so maybe I am not in the right frame of mind, but I am a little frustrated right now. We spent a whole class period revising and editing posts that we had previously published. We have talked about capitalization and punctuation until there is nothing left to talk about, yet they still have errors in their posts. Some people are just being downright silly. I have started rejecting what they have written and explaining why, it is just hard, because they continue to do so. I have 30 posts, that I will not accept because of some type of error. Tomorrow a good part of my class will be spent calling students up, having them read what it is they typed and discussing why I can't publish it.

Like I said, it has been a long day (study trip today) so maybe my mind frame will be different tomorrow.

Did you know that the computer changes what you type before it posts it on the blog?

This morning I gave the students their comments back so they could revise and edit their answers. I then asked them to explain to me what they have figured out. Most of the students responded with, "I didn't use a capital letter to begin my sentence." or " I forgot to capitalize I." The other responses were the same until one student raised her hand and said, 'The computer changed what I wrote. It mispelled some of the words and forgot to capitalize the beginning of the sentence." I just had to laugh....wasn't sure what else to do at that moment.