Blogging for authentic trans-disciplinary learning…

Overwhelmed by demands of mandated curricula?

The Australian curriculum lists ten learning areas (English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, Arts, Economics, Civics and Citizenship, Technologies, Health and Physical Education) as well as general capabilities and cross curricular priorities. If you had to ‘cover’ all the skills and knowledge listed, you’d need to be at school for 24 hours a day for about thirty years.

Learners reading, writing and collaborating on a class blog can address a range of curriculum areas simultaneously and incidentally. Take a look at what’s happening in @Mr_Kuran’s class.

All you need is imagination…

Blogging in the classroom is an exceptional tool for learning that is engaging, relevant and trans-disciplinary. All you need is a bit of imagination and you’re away. (Or you can borrow my ideas)

And a blog…

Our new Year 3 teacher @Mr_Kuran kicks off with a few simple posts for all the Year 3 students to comment on. The children are still learning how to sign in and respond. They have yet to work on writing quality comments that encourage conversation, before moving onto writing their own posts later in the year. The blog will provide an authentic context for reading and writing, as well as a forum to express thinking and an avenue for extending inquiry beyond the school walls.

Meanwhile, the children have started to write…

And an audience…

A tweet out  to the world by @Mr_Kuran (with a #pypchat hashtag) brings a visitor from Mozambique! Checking the flag counter in the next few days, the children discover they have had visits from Poland, Switzerland and Laos. Barely a week later they are hooked! The blog has received visitors from near and far, including countries the children haven’t heard of. Our young learners are exploring the geography of the world as they plot their visitors on the map.

The flag counter encourages not just curiosity but a range of mathematical skills, enhanced by engaging learning experiences such as this QR code investigation.

Hopefully, as things unfold, a global audience will motivate our young learners to write more…

Authentic trans-disciplinary learning…

After only an initial introduction to blogging, many areas of the curriculum are already being addressed and the children are developing a range of trans-disciplinary skills.

And they are loving it!

More ideas here – 20 ways to think about your class blog.