02.+Blogs

= 02. Blogs =

Rationale for Using this Technology Tool:
A blog is an attractive and easy to update online journal. It is an great place to post news about the library and also an ideal place to post book reviews. The librarian can create her own blog and link it to the library web page. She can also create a blog that will be dedicated to student work, and post this blog to the webpage. The comment feature (which can be moderated) allows for readers to comment on blog entries.

Description of Scenario:
The librarian sets up a book review blog for the fourth and fifth graders that links to the library web page. The librarian posts the students' reviews and also moderates the comments.

Rationale for Using This Technology Tool In School Libraries:
=== The librarian can book talk books in the library to help students choose which books they would like to read for independent reading, and perhaps review for the blog. Creating a student written blog that links to the library web page will increase traffic to the web page. Students will be interested in reading (and commenting) on each other's reviews, and each time they check out their blog they will also be viewing the library web page. If the librarian wants, she could also use this blog as a jumping off place for students to review (and then discuss in the library) books on the Massachusetts Children's Book Awards list, and then take a vote of the students' choice for that year's winner. ===

Detailed Description of Scenario in School Library Setting:
The fourth and fifth grade teachers are encouraging their students to write short book reviews of their independent reading, but are getting little enthusiasm from their students on this project. Enter the school librarian. She sets up a blog for the fourth and fifth graders to post their reviews, which she links to the library web page. She book talks a wide variety of books, to broaden the students' choices of books to read and review. The students give their reviews to their teacher, who reads them and makes suggestions for edits. The student then email the edited reviews to the librarian, who posts them on the blog. The librarian allows students to comment on the reviews on the blog, but she serves as moderator. Students like seeing their reviews on the blog, and work harder to make them interesting, because they know their peers will be reading them. The students also enjoy being able to comment on their peers' work. The teachers are pleased that their students are getting more excited about reading (they want to read books that have been well reviewed by their friends) and that their students are more motivated to write reviews, and are doing better work. The librarian sees that her web page is getting more traffic. Also, she has made allies with the fourth and fifth grade teachers who are pleased that the librarian has helped get their students excited about different books, and more willing to write about them.


 * submitted by Pam McCuen