Student Blogging Challenge Week 8: Game Week

Week 8: Let’s Play A Game Or Two

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Creative Commons License Hurca! via Compfight

 

Did you enjoy visiting the students and teachers blogs from a couple of weeks ago?

Did you leave a comment on one or more of them?

Have you checked back if the poster answered your comment?

I know that many comments were left by students and I also know many have been answered. Check these out:

Hello Ms. W,

This week by being one of the students on the list, I noticed quite a lot. Many people like to comment about their own stories and then ask questions to learn more, which is really nice. Their questions typically regarded my travels, so they were fun to answer and talk about, but mostly, I loved to hear people’s stories. It’s so great to hear from people with similar experiences! Thanks for choosing me to be on the list!

Regards,

Caleb

Dear Miss W,

I am very exited to have had participated in this week’s challenge. I received a lot of positive comments and although there were a lot of comments to answer, it was very fun meeting new people and getting to know their ideas. Thank you so much for organizing this week’s challenge.

Greetings,
Alicia

Hello Ms. W,
I have taken the time to answer to most of my comments, I couldn’t answer all of them because 236 comments is a lot.
Thank you,
Agathe

Before playing the games, make sure your blog is ready for visitors.

  1. You have lots of interesting posts for visitors to read and comment on.
  2. Visitors can find posts by using tags or categories on your sidebar.
  3. You have a visitor widget to see where your visitors are coming from.
  4. You have at least five student and/or class blogs from other places around the world on your sidebar.

After doing the four blue steps above, complete one of the red activities below.

Game week is all about visiting other blogs.

Remember one of the main aims of blogging includes commenting and carrying on conversations with the author of posts and their other readers.

A good commenter will have:

  • read the post carefully
  • checked out the links in the post
  • read the previous comments before they leave one of their own
  • added to the conversation with a quality comment – remember that video from Mrs. Yollis’ class
  • included a link to their own blog or a similar post on their own blog

 

Activity 1: Game 1.  Write your own post saying which blogs you visited and which posts you left a comment on. Why did you choose that post? Remember to include a link back to the post you left a comment on.

This is a game we have run for many challenges and allows you to connect globally.  Those who have taken part in a challenge before know the game of  ‘Count Out Three’. Here are the instructions:

  1. click on a blog on the student list or class list– count one
  2. now click on a blog from the new student’s blogroll – count two
  3. finally, click on a blog from that new blogroll – count three
  4. leave a comment on an interesting post on this third blog.
  5. repeat steps 1-4 at least two more times

*Make sure you are also replying to any comments that have been left for you.

Activity 2: Game 2. Write a blog post mentioning at least three blog posts you read and the comments you left. Why did you choose that post? Remember to include a link back to the post you left a comment on.

This is a new one Miss W thought of to add to the challenge. Many great student posts are being flipped to the #17stubc Flipboard magazine, but she is not sure how many of you have actually checked them out. So here are the instructions for this game.

  1. Click on the Flipboard magazine link here
  2. Click on the title of the post of what looks like an interesting image or a catchy title
  3. You should now be taken to the actual blog post, read it and leave a comment
  4. Go back to the magazine again and repeat at least two more times

 

Activity 3:  Write a post about the commenting you have done this week or throughout the challenge so far.  Your post should be at least two paragraphs and should have at least one properly attributed picture.

  • What have you enjoyed about commenting?
  • What is annoying about commenting?
  • How have you found interesting posts to comment on?
  • Are your posts getting lots of quality comments? Why or why not?

 

Activity 4:  Create a list of great comment starters to help new students to blogging. There are some lists on the web but try to create your own.  You should have at least ten comment starters and an example of a full comment (using one of your starters).

Here are a couple of examples from Anne Davis:

  •  Another thing to consider is…….
  • I can relate to this…….
  • This makes me think of…….

 

Get to it – start visiting and leaving quality comments that show you have read the post. 

How many quality comments could you leave this week? Can you leave 10, 20 or maybe 50?
Don’t forget to leave a comment on Miss W’s post!

Student Blogging Challenge Week 7: Think Globally

Week 7: Thinking globally

Have you heard of Mahika Halepete? Miss W hadn’t until she attended an online Global Education Conference last week. Who is she and why is Miss W mentioning her?

Look at this post about her as a grade 8 student. Her writing and singing skills have taken her a long way in just one year.

She presented a session at the conference about youth empowerment through design thinking. She has created her own Nonprofit organization to empower young people (ages 12 to 25) in developing countries to design and implement projects that solve problems affecting them and their communities.

All this before she turned 16 years old!

Think globally, act locally

Locally

  • Miss W’s recycling bin has more in it every week than my normal rubbish bin.
  • Miss W has a worm farm that chews up any extra fruit and vegetable rubbish she might have left over.
  • Whenever Miss W goes for a walk, she picks up any rubbish especially on the beach nearby.

Globally

  • Miss W sponsors a Panda with World Wildlife Fund
  • Miss W sponsor a child in Sri Lanka to improve the lifestyle of the child, their family, and community. Miss W has sponsored since she received her first paycheck as a teacher back in the 1970s.
  • Miss W donates to Kiva with micro loans of $25. Miss W has made 69 loans so far and 8 friends she has invited have also made loans

What could you do about some of these world problems?

Here is a great website with lots of information about many topics below.

There might be some that are more specific to your area of the world. But this week research one of the following topics:

  • hunger
  • water
  • racism
  • use of resources
  • global warming
  • specific aspects of the environment
  • unemployment
  • war and unrest
  • use of land
  • terrorism
  • child labour
  • women’s rights
  • education and literacy
  • another global issue of your choice

Activity 1: For this challenge, we are looking at research skills, attribution, links, and creativity in how you have presented the work.

For the topic you have chosen, write at least three paragraphs about what you found and any big-picture questions or interesting facts you discovered.  Break up your writing into easy-to-read paragraphs (are there any other ways of formatting your work?).  Whether paraphrasing or using direct quotes, be sure to cite properly.

Include at least two links to where you researched and at least one images with attribution. You should also include a poll or survey, a collage of images, or a slideshow you have created. You may have found a great video you should also include.

 

Still more time to spare?

Visit students and classes from the other countries involved in the challenge. Leave a comment or question relating to a global issue that might be affecting them.

Leave a comment on Miss W’s blog telling her the global issue you think is most important to be solved. It might not be one of those mentioned in the post. Give reasons why it should be the first issue solved and leave a link to one of your posts.

Visit at least ten other blogs not from your country. Ask questions about some of the issues they might have in their country. Make some comparisons between the countries taking part in the challenge. Write a post about your findings.

Be creative. Use a web 2.0 tool to be creative about global issues. This might be a poll or survey, a quiz, write a poem, create a poster, draw a picture, write a story or cartoon about a superhero saving the world – just be creative.

Do something about a global issue. Here are links to games and activities for kids about global issues. What did you choose to look at? Write a review of the websites you visited in your post. Be sure to include links to the websites!

 

Student Blogging Challenge Week 6: Visiting Others

Week 6: Visiting Others

Blue Heron in Butchart Cove

Jim Hoffman via Compfight

Some students and classes have given Miss W permission to use some of their posts for you to visit.  Leave your comments on their posts. Remember what makes a great comment!

Activity 1

Visit at least three of the posts linked below. Read the post, do an activity if mentioned and leave a comment for the author. If possible carry on a conversation within the comments that might be left by other students as well.

 

Blogs to visit

Still more time left this week?

Student Blogging Challenge Week 5: School

Week 5: Let’s Talk School

Miss W wonders how similar or different your school day is! She knows there are students taking part who are homeschooled or are from an international school or have a one-room school as well as go to university or a normal school.

So this week’s theme is all about school. Miss W is going to give you some suggestions but what you post about is up to you. Use one of her ideas or think of something for yourself. Check out what these three students wrote last year:

  • Kaiya – lunch time choices
  • Brooke – interview a staff member – make sure they know beforehand you will be putting it on your blog for the world to see
  • Maraya – report on an event at school

She has included a few videos and links  you might like to check to give you ideas for posts.

Choose one of the following activities to do,
or see Ms. Kojima if you have your own idea!

  • Create polls about how people get to school or work, or favourite school subject or …..
  • What is your weekly timetable like, compare with other students – time you start and finish school, number of lessons each day, breaks during the day, days in year you go to school
  • Choices of subjects at school – remember to explain abbreviations you might use eg LOTE , ELA
  • Your dream of what you will be doing once you leave school
  • If you were principal for a week, what would you do? If you were a teacher for a week, what would you do?
  • Research the history of your school and create an about my school page
  • Research a famous person who attended your school
  • Technology in your school
  • What do you do at break times?
  • School bell has gone – what do you do now?
  • Food you eat at school – what is in your lunchbox or your school meal – good activity for taking photos
  • If you could improve your school, what would you do?
  • Your ideal school – maybe include a map of what it would look like
  • How has schooling changed over the last 100 years? Maybe interview parents, grandparents and ask questions about schooling – use an audio app then embed in blog
  • The view outside your classroom window – maybe explain plants that might be seen, the weather, seasons etc
  • Hold a debate about uniforms or school starting times or subjects or …..
  • Anything else that relates to schooling around the world

  • If you create polls or surveys, make sure you contact Miss W so she can publicize on Twitter to get other classes around the world to join in. Use #17stubc or #globalclassroom if you are doing it yourself.
  • Check out this gallery of classrooms around the world Remember to click on ‘i’ to get more information about the country and classroom.
  • Martha Payne’s blog turned viral overnight – check out this interview and her blog about school lunches.  Make sure you read her very first posts on her blog.
  • Collaborate with some other schools to create a video like these global classrooms did – Dancing around the world

 


Great Posts

Remember to leave one comment on Miss W’s post including  post URL(s) telling her which activity/s you have done. If your post is great, it will be added to the Flipboard Magazine.