I had nearly forgotten, but last year on our trip to Washington DC I created a blog in which both students and parents could remain updated with photos and summaries of the fabulous places we visited on our tour with the 8th graders. Feel free to check it out @ http://nmsdc2013.blogspot.com/
This was more than fun for both myself and the parents who followed along. I was also able to share photos on iCloud, where parents could find the originals instead of the ones I made myself so that multiple photos could fit on one template.
While this was really cool for me, I am reaching out to you all in order to discover a way in which students can access (with limited editing rights) the blog or access some common realm where they can share their own photos and I can post them in addition to my own. Though I got some good shots, I really wished for the students' sake they could be more interactive with the blog. While they followed along, many lost interest once they couldn't really add their own content. Parents still loved it, but I image they will feel even more proud seeing a picture posted by (or at least accredited to) their own son/daughter.
Thoughts on how blogger can be better utilized in this sense?
Thanks!
Curious to see how the shared google drive folder works to collect photos from your trip.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in this as well. I would like my Rock 'n' Pop students to interact with me and each other about the musical artists I expose them to, but also to encourage parents to also add to the conversation. I can't tell you how many parents at conferences say they would love to take the class. This might be a way for them to be a part of the class and add their own perspectives about the music and groups.
ReplyDeleteMel,
ReplyDeleteCould you create a blog where everyone has editing rights? I did that with a book club last year and it was great to watch the students post content that everyone would then respond to. It would take trust and a lot of front loading and how to create a new post and be responsible with the content, but I agree it would allow your students to share their own content and voice! I don't think limiting editing rights exist yet - but Blogger is always changing. I think because you have parents who would access the blog as well it would increase their desire to create a great, appropriate post. I think they would rise to the occasion! Good luck and great idea :)
Penny
Here are the results:
ReplyDeleteThe Google Doc folder worked pretty well. I had students posting some pretty impressive photos left and right. When, that is, I could get them to post. Some didn't do so well with that. However. that meant that the only photos I had to take on my own were those of monuments/memorials/anything at all that I didn't remember seeing or that we didn't get to do last year. And to be honest that was more for my own collection, but I ended up posting those as well.
Here's the con (because there's always a downside): There was no way that I could find to upload a picture directly from the folder on Drive to the blog. Meaning... drum roll please.. I had to save every individual photo posted to my own device first before then uploading it to the blog. Then, I had to go back and delete all of them. My only reflective point is this: Would it have just been easier to take the amount of time to take my own photos rather than taking the time to save and upload and delete the students'? I'm not sure which took longer.
I definitely got more photos out of it when I took them myself, but the kids really, really enjoyed uploading their own photos and seeing what others' uploaded. Keep in mind that photos that didn't make the cut were those that showed, for example, a photobomb of one of their friends sleeping on the plane, but again, I think kids liked looking at them even if it didn't make the cut for the blog.
Next year I am sure I'll have it down :)
If you would like to see the glorious blog that came to be, feel free to check it out! http://nmsdc2014.blogspot.com/
Thanks for all of your help!