This presentation focused on building a learner-focused school/community partnership by sharing daily stories of learning from students, teachers, administrators, and parents. The session will highlight a blogging project done at a Hilliard elementary school, how it helped strengthen the school/community partnership, and how other schools can easily create a similar project for their learning communities.

1. Beyond the Bricks
Building a learning community
through blogging
2013 ILE Ohio Conference

2. Connecting with the session
#ileohio
@hhigginbotham
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6057/5912169471_4c30f545cf_b.jpg

3. Goals for this session
● Demonstrate an approach for starting a whole-
school project
● Demonstrate how blogging can facilitate a
learner-centered community
● Demonstrate the need to model effective and
responsible use of social media

4. Resources from session:
http://tinyurl.com/lumze2t

5. #learn365

9. http://www.teachthought.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/21st-Century-Overview.jpg

13. Blogging gives us a voice to share our
learning.

14. “In our quest for getting students to do
authentic writing, we have at our
disposal one of the best ways to do that
with blogging.”
-John Robinson, “The 21st Century Principal”
http://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-wouldnt-we-let-students-blog.html

15. "The goal is not to turn kids into your kind of adult, but rather
better adults than you have been...
It’s the reason we're not in the Dark Ages anymore. No matter your
position of place in life, it is imperative to create opportunities
for children so that we can grow up to blow you away."
Adora Svitak (at age 13)

18. Yes, but isn’t this risky?

20. Ohio Revised Code and Bullying
Anti-bullying policies (ORC 3313.666)
● School boards must establish policies prohibiting bullying
● Defined as “any intentional written, verbal, electronic, or
physical act that a student has exhibited toward another
particular student more than once”.
■ sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive
■ creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive
educational environment for the other student.

21. Ohio Revised Code and Bullying
Keep this in mind:
The “reach” of school discipline regarding
bullying is limited to actions that occur
“on school property, on a school bus, or
at school-sponsored events”.

22. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AvZMjCzX9AU/UfXP93ehGrI/AAAAAAAAfW0/6lA_sHbnXik/s1600/digital+skills+graph.png

23. Cyberbullying Study
https://docs.google.
com/file/d/0B7pbjcf5Ua1kSE0tb0NscDlrc0U/edi
t?usp=sharing

24. Two Approaches to Social Media in
Schools
“Wait and see”

25. “Learn with me”

26. Two Approaches to Social Media in
Schools
Wait and see Learn with me
● Reactive
● Leaderless
● Adults are absent from the
experience
● Fosters a culture of old vs.
new
● Allows inexperienced,
immature students determine
the purpose
● Proactive
● Establishes leaders
(students, parents and
teachers)
● Learning is transparent
● Fosters a culture of
engagement
● Teachers/parents model
effective and responsible
digital citizenship

27. Evaluating Digital Citizenship
http://georgecouros.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Screen-Shot-2013-02-09-at-6.26.53-PM.png

28. Teachers need to live the learning lives
they expect their students to live.

31. Relationships matter

32. “Kids don't learn from people
they don’t like.”
Rita F. Pierson
http://images.ted.com/images/ted/25a5bc18d2472308c8ed2bb401b4a497f49a0265_389x292.jpg

36. Getting started...

37. Resources from session:
http://tinyurl.com/lumze2t

38. Tools

39. Take it from me...

40. Try things out for yourself first.

41. Build support before you start a big project.

42. Don’t be afraid to fail.
http://farm1.staticflickr.com/13/18095565_f5ba816c58.jpg