The document discusses how blogs can be used to give students, including those at risk and in regular education, a voice in their writing. It provides examples of assignments where students write persuasive pieces on their blogs and comment on classmates' blogs. The goals are to inspire learning, give students confidence in communicating, and demonstrate proper online behavior and literacy skills through collaborative blog projects.

1. How will the use of blogs affect the voice in their
writing of "at risk and regular education students in a
grade 6 class?

2. BLOGS
 Giving students a voice
 A website where individuals or groups generate
texts, photographs, videos and links.

3. Blogs in Schools
 Blogs are tools and like any other tool can be used
appropriately or misused.
 Misused blogs occur in an educational setting most
likely when there is a lack of direction.
 Blogs properly used can demonstrate proper online
behaviour and address issues of online safety.
 Blogs also play an important role in literacy.

4. Why students should blog!
People will read their work
Gives students a chance to share what they have
learned with others
Participating in collaborative learning projects
Inspire them to learn
Give shy students a chance to communicate with other
students/individuals

5. Getting Started
 To create your blog:
 First check out my blog
 Go to “site”
 Create a user name and password
 Start to experiment with your blog

6. First Assignment for your blog
 Please post your response to the following question:
 Persuade the board of education supporting your
opinion on whether you should or shouldn’t have to
wear school uniforms. Please use your own voice in
your response.

7. Second Task
 When finished your response go on to three
classmates blogs and respond to their persuasive
piece on school uniforms.
 Please be cautious of others feelings and remember
writing on a computer does not have facial
expressions and students can not sense sarcasm.
So be polite and thorough.

8. Post Articles
 Please scan the Internet for articles or examples of
persuasive writing.
 Read through these examples and then post one on
your blog
 To post simple cut and paste onto your blog

9. Teaching
 Show examples of persuasive writing
 Point out the voice in the examples
 Do a class example of persuasive writing with voice
 Edit the class example
 Have students write a persuasive piece on their own choosing their
own topic (give them choice)
 Post their piece on their blog for the rest of the class to see.
 Complete a performance wall (see details in the inquiry paper) with
your students

10. Final Task
 Using all that you have learned, researched and the
rubric provided please respond to the following
question:
 Write a letter to the board of education persuading
them to build us a bigger gym. Please use your own
voice in your response.
 Post your response in your blog.
 Reflect on what you noticed was different from your
first response to your second and now your final
response.

11. Rubric

12. Reflection
 Please reflect on what you liked and didn’t like about
this activity
 Also go to three other classmates blogs and reflect
on two things they improved on and two things they
could still work on. (2wishes and 2 stars)

13. Blogs are unlimited for literacy
 Blogs can be use to:
 Write book reviews with voice
 Persuasive letters
 Communicate with different counties and schools through writing
 Share opinions on up to date facts about the world
 Web assignments
 Help your special education students with assignments by:
 computer having the option of software that reads all the text
 Modify and accommodate lessons
 Programs like Dragon can be used to complete assignments , where
you talk into the computer and it writes what you say
 The possibilities are unlimited in what technology can do for your
students that are “at risk” or regular education.

14. Organizers

16. Teacher Tracking Sheet