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Technology Workshop Lesson Plan

Instructor:
Rachel Nachman
Blogging in the Elementary School Classroom
Day #3
Subject of Workshop:
Why blogs should be used to teach reading
Blogging and Multimedia
Using blogs to encourage writing and
develop students reading skills
Prerequisite Knowledge:
Basic computer skills
Knowledge of blogs
Ability to write clear learning objectives
Fluent typing
Ability to align lesson plans to educational
standards
Content:
This workshop will focus on using blogs within the reading curriculum. More specifically, participants
will learn about different instructional activities that can be implemented in which blogs are used to
encourage reading and to develop students reading skills. They will discuss how the definition of
literacy has changed, and how students must be prepared to read both print and digital texts (such as
blog posts).

Participants will then have an opportunity to collaborate with other teachers at their grade level, access
the Montgomery County Public Schools curriculum, and brainstorm possible ways that blogs can be
incorporated within their reading instruction.

Lastly, participants will then be asked to design a lesson plan in which a blog is used to develop
students reading skills. This lesson plan must have at least one learning objective, must align with
educational standards, and must center on student blogging. These lesson plans, when finished, will be
posted on our workshop blog for future access and use.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to design a lesson plan in which a blog is used to develop students' reading
skills
Workshop Outline:
1. Participants will be seated in a computer lab. Each participant will be given his or her own computer.
The instructor will be in the front of the lab and will be using a computer that connects with an
Interactive White Board or projection screen.

2. First, the instructor will explain that balanced literacy involves components of both writing and
reading. Last weeks workshop focused on using blogs to develop students writing skills. Today, the
workshop will focus on ways that blogs can be used to develop students reading skills. Participants
will be asked to discuss the following question with the person sitting next to them:
How has literacy changed since you were in elementary school?
Once participants have discussed this question with their partner, the instructor will facilitate a
whole-group discussion during which participants can share their ideas.


Workshop Outline (Continued)
3. Participants will watch the video What Is Digital Literacy? This video explains how the definition of
literacy is quite different now than it was in the past. It stresses the fact that we need to know how to
read information using technology, rather than simply reading information found in printed sources.
After the video, the instructor will explain that an example of digital literacy is what participants just
did they constructed meaning from a video, rather than having the content presented in a written
manner. The instructor will further explain that our students must be able to read both digital texts
and multimedia, and blogs can give students the opportunity to do so.

4. Once the video is finished, participants will be asked to discuss the following questions with the
same person that is sitting next to them:
With regards to digital literacy, what do our students need to learn before they enter college
and the work force?
As teachers, what is our responsibility with regards to digital literacy?
How can blogs help us fulfill this responsibility?
Once participants have discussed these questions with their partner, the instructor will facilitate a
whole-group discussion during which participants can share their thoughts.

5. The instructor will re-iterate that teachers must teach students how to read digital material, and
blog posts serve as great examples of content that is published through a digital medium. The
instructor will refer back to last weeks session in which participants learned about how blog posts
give students the opportunity to incorporate multimedia within their writing. She will explain how
blog posts also allow students to read multimedia elements, such as video and images.
Additionally, blogs can also help develop students traditional reading skills. There are various ways
in which blogs can be used to promote reading and develop students reading skills.

6. The instructor will introduce a guest speaker, who is a fourth grade teacher in Montgomery County
Public Schools and has a great deal of experience with using blogs within her reading instruction.
This speaker will provide a firsthand account as to how blogs can be used to develop students
reading skills. She will discuss why she used blogs rather than another form of technology. She will
also provide personal examples and use the computer connected to the Interactive White Board to
showcase some examples of students blogs. Participants will be asked to share their thoughts, as
well as any questions they may have, and engage in a whole-group discussion.

7. Once the guest speaker has finished, the instructor will lead a presentation titled Using Blogs Within
Reading Instruction. This presentation, created by the instructor, highlights various activities in
which blogs can be used to promote reading and develop students reading skills. These instructional
activities include:
Read and Respond
o Students can be asked to read a blog post, either containing or not containing
multimedia, and post their responses to this post. Responses can focus on a specific
question or task, or be more of an open-ended response. This is a general activity that
can be incorporated into a wide variety of subject/content areas.


Workshop Outline (Continued)
Comprehension Check
o Students can read a text or view multimedia found in a blog post. They can then
answer comprehension questions about the text or multimedia by responding to the
blog post. This replaces a standard paper and pencil assessment and can check for
student reading comprehension. The teacher can change the settings of the blog so
that students cannot see each others responses.
Solve The Mystery!
o Inferencing is a skill that many upper-elementary school students struggle with. One
way to teach inferencing is to use mysteries. In this activity, students can explore a
blog post that either contains a written mystery or a mystery video. However, rather
than finding out the solution to the mystery, students can respond to the blog post
with what they think the solution is. Students can then respond to their classmates
ideas.
Respond With Questions
o Questioning is another skill that many students exhibit difficulty with. For this activity,
students can respond to a blog post by asking questions. Students can then respond to
their classmates questions.
Character Analysis
o In order to practice characterization, students can create a blog post from the
perspective of a character in a book they are reading. This requires students to get
inside the characters head.
Summarizing
o Students can explore a blog post in which they read text or view multimedia. Then, in
response to the post, they can summarize what they read, watched, or heard.

8. Participants will log on to their computers and access the Blogging in the Elementary School
Classroom workshop blog. They will locate the post How Can We Encourage Reading?
Participants will then be asked to view the video Integrating Blogs in English Teacher Professional
Development. This video discusses why blogs are valuable tools to use when teaching reading. After
participants watch the video, they will respond to the blog post by discussing three things they
learned, two questions they still have, and one thing that surprised them. Once all participants have
posted, participants will be asked to respond to at least two peers. This will allow participants to not
only have experience with responding to blog posts, but with responding to each other.

9. Participants will then divide into groups of three or four. These groups will be formed based on
grade level (for example, a group comprised of third grade teachers). Once in small groups,
participants will be asked to access the Montgomery County Public Schools reading curriculum
online. Participants will then have time to explore the curriculum and brainstorm possible ways that
blogs can be incorporated into their reading instruction. The instructor will also distribute a copy of
the resource Blogging and The Standards. This resource lists different educational Grades 3-5
standards (Common Core State Standards as well as Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for
Students) that blogging aligns with. The instructor will explain how blogging can serve as an
instructional vehicle to teach these reading standards. Participants will be asked to independently
read the standards for their grade level



Workshop Outline (Continued)
10. Participants will then be given an opportunity to design a lesson plan in which blogs are used to
develop students reading skills. They will continue to have access to the MCPS curriculum and will
also have links to access both the Common Core State Standards as well as the Maryland Technology
Literacy Standards for Students. The lesson plan must:
Align with at least one learning objective
Align with at least one educational standard (CCSS or Maryland Technology Literacy)
Center around student blogging to promote reading development
Participants will have the option to create more than one lesson plan (for example, if they wanted to
implement a blogging unit). They will have the remainder of the day to design their lesson, create
their lesson plan, and creating any supplementary resources.

11. Participants will submit their lesson plans and resources to the instructor. The instructor will post
these lessons on a page on the blog titled Blogging Lessons Reading so that participants can
access all lesson plans.
Materials:
1. 1 computer connected to an Interactive White Board or projector
2. 30 computers with individual headphones
3. What Is Digital Literacy? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESSIcLO3Z_Q
4. Using Blogs Within Reading Instruction Presentation
5. Blogging in the Elementary School Classroom blog - http://blogsintheclassroom.edublogs.org/
6. Integrate Blogs in English Teacher Professional Development -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu6ww1UWpik
7. Blogging and the Standards
8. Montgomery County Public Schools Curriculum 2.0 (Reading)
9. Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts) - http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-
Literacy/
10. Maryland Technology Literacy Standards For Students -
http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/technology_literacy/vsc_technology_literacy_standards.p
df
Evaluation Strategies:
Participants lesson plans will be evaluated for the extent to which they:
Align with at least one learning objective
Align with at least one educational standard (CCSS or Maryland Technology Literacy)
Center around student blogging to promote reading development

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