I was really impressed with the activity and the content in this site. There is much to learn just by looking and reflecting. What I noticed and what I have taken away most is that content is king. It doesn't have to be perfect, or look amazing. It just has to exist. The children are clearly involved and whenever children are given responsibility, there is a good chance that they rise to it.
I also noticed the use of the word 'self' a lot. Pupils, faculty, parents and families are all obviously involved in this community and blogging and communicating has become an important part of that. I particularly like the use of video and am looking forward to next week to see how I can start to use different media in my blog to engage a little more.
Perhaps my favorite takeaway is that there is not just one way to do it. It seems like lots of styles and poeple all coming together and painting a picture of life inside the school. My little boy trotted into the room when I was watching one of the videos. He is 3. He stood there and watched 2 or 3 videos and then asked if it was my school. "That's cool. Is that your school Daddy, where I am going?" I wish it was.
Andrew - I love the fact that you honed in on the use of the word "self." One of the things that struck me was the level of community suggested throughout the sites. Communication and community are inextricably linked. I am not sure which one came first in this case, but it seems like a chicken and egg argument. Regardless of which one came first, they have both now.
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
DeleteI think you make a great point about the flexibility of RSS to allow students and staff to post different content and in different styles. By having this flexibility it has created a unique, grass-roots culture where everyone at the school feels they have a voice. It must have been difficult for the school to start this process. I wonder what their blog looked like at the beginning. Was it hard to get early users?
I had the same thoughts as your 3 year old. I wish my own children's schools communicated as effectively as Russell Street. My oldest daughter is moving up to my High School this September so I guess I better do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI also like that the Russell Street School blog had many different styles. I think that this helped me realize that a blog is what you make it. I enjoyed exploring Room 9 and plan on taking away some ideas from this room to use in my blog that I intend to do this school year.
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