Students are Challenged to Show What They Know in the Principal's Blogging Contest!
Some say that students today cannot write as well as those from previous generations. I say this is false! Today's children are writing and publishing more than any generation in history. So why is it that some experts are so concerned about students' command of the written word? I recently spoke with a friend who works at Ohio State as a physics professor and researcher. He was clearly excited about the work that he and his graduate students were doing in the lab, but he lamented their ability to write academically about their important work. He said to me, "It's amazing how hard it is for me to teach them to write. They are wonderful young scientists, but they struggle when trying to put their findings into a professional, academic paper."
I don't have the answer to why some clearly bright students struggle with academic writing. I can say, however, that a passion for writing begins with the content we are asking students to write about. Think back to your first positive experiences with writing. I bet that part of what made your experience positive was that you were writing about something that you cared deeply about. With young writers we must foster a love of writing by embracing the opportunities we have to encourage students to write about the things they find interesting. While students who enjoy writing will usually be content with a pencil and paper, blogging offers a high tech, creative alternative form of writing that incorporates multi-media. Through such technology students gain access to a very rich platform for writing that allows them to use the technology they love so much!
Enter the Principal's Blogging Contest!
I'm inviting all students at Middle School West to enter the Principal's Blogging Contest. To enter, simply create a blog site (see information about free blog sites below) and email the link to the completed blog to Mr. Harmon no later than November 15, 2012. Rules to follow:
1) The blog must educate the reader about a topic learned in school. It can be about something interesting that the student learned in any of his/her classes.
2) The blog must include media (photos, weblinks, video, etc.) about the topic that assists the reader in learning about the topic.
3) All content on the blog must be appropriate for school.
Up to 5 blogs will be chosen as gold medal blogs by a panel of staff members and students at MSW, and the winning bloggers will be awarded with an Expect Your Best! certificate. With parent permission, the winning blogs will be featured on the West Weekly Blog and on Twitter via my Twitter feed, @bharmon2.
Resources for Beginning Bloggers:
PC Magazine's best free blog sites (This article profiles several free blog sites, including Blogger, Google's free blog platform that West Weekly is published with.)
Remember, as you assist your child in creating his/her blog, students must focus their blog posts on demonstrating/teaching about some topic they have learned in school. Using all of the multi-media and technology makes the exercise very engaging, but the content of the writing should be the star of the post! Good luck - I can't wait to read the entries!
What's Up at West?
- 10/16 - 7th & 8th grade strings rehearsal at LHS band room (6:30-8:30pm)
- 10/18 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:15-7:45pm)
- 10/19 - MSW 7th & 8th grade Halloween Dance (6-7:30pm)
- 10/26 - Red Cross Blood Drive (MSW auditorium 12-6pm)
- 10/26 - End of First Grading Period - Remind students to expect their best as the grading period comes to an end!
