Blogging, Reading, and Writing

 If you want your children/students to become better readers and writers then let them read and write.

One of the best strategies for improving reading is ..........reading.

One of the best strategies for improving writing is ...........writing.

You need to provide many opportunities for learners to read and write. This can be accomplished by allowing the learners to blog and use the Internet.

The Internet is full of facts; for example, on web sites, blogs, and wikis that can be used to learn a broad range of information. By using the Internet, knowledge is a keyboard stroke away. It is fun to be engaged in a conversation with family or friends, discussing information, then someone mentions a topic or something they have heard but do not have all the facts. So, a family member or friend sits down at the keyboard, enters the Internet or World Wide Web, and searches for the missing information. The group discussion can continue, no waiting. This adds knowledge immediately. No waiting until someone has time to go to the library to look up the information or searching through old newspaper articles to find the topic.
The speed of access of information that is provided by the Internet is very exciting and very useful. As educators and parents, we need to tap into this informational age and embrace this new way of learning.

Here are a few definitions for Internet and World Wide Web.
Internet: global informational system
Wikipedia has an excellent definition of Internet!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/Internet.html
http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/internet/definition.html

World Wide Web
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web
http://www.tekmom.com/buzzwords/zdwww.html
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/World-Wide-Web-WWW.html
http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/dir-040/_5901.htm


   

Learners blogging is another great way to support and encourage writing. Blogs can be private or public. It is your choice. Creating blogs requires research and reading many information articles from the World Wide Web. Being a blogger requires reading and writing skills. The more one reads and writes the better they are at reading and writing.

Blogs to Read:
Adora Svitak is a very young blogger. Read her story.
http://www.adorasvitak.com/
Benefits to Blogging for Kids
http://www.rss-specifications.com/kids-blogging.htm
Blogs for Teachers http://blogsforteachers.info/