Comments on The Nerdy Teacher: Blogger's Cafe In My Classroom?

I seriously covet that stage! :)

2010-07-09T18:28:47.676-04:00

I seriously covet that stage! :)

I teach at a 1:1 school and I love it. I was one ...

2010-07-08T12:26:13.539-04:00

I teach at a 1:1 school and I love it. I was one of the first advocates of bringing the program to the school. As a lit teacher, I love the idea of a relaxed, cafe-like, atmosphere for discussion, argument, etc. But...

I am not sure I understand how live-blogging a class can lead to greater learning and understanding. I'm hoping someone can clue me in, because I'd like to

Wow! Nice space. I'm moving this year, too--to...

2010-07-06T20:15:17.897-04:00

Wow! Nice space. I'm moving this year, too--to a space with no windows. While I'm not pleased with that (yeah, life happens, right), it gives me the chance to play with room orientation.

You've got some great ideas racing around! I LOVE the blogger cafe thing. Might have to ponder how to use that in my class, too.

Love your classroom space! After waiting for just ...

2010-07-06T17:43:06.118-04:00

Love your classroom space! After waiting for just this space I'm sure you will appreciate how lucky you are to have it. As an elementary teacher I can think of so many uses for the stage. I'm glad to see that older students will get to enjoy such a special space. I like the idea of a "Bloggers Cafe", and I am thinking of ways to adapt this idea for my young writers. I envision

AWESOME ideas, Nick! I found your website through...

2010-07-06T15:16:28.962-04:00

AWESOME ideas, Nick! I found your website through Twitter (now following you), and your thoughts are inspiring to me. I need to digest and see how this would work in my classroom, too. Thanks for sharing!

That is amazing. What a beautiful room.

2010-07-06T09:50:02.016-04:00

That is amazing. What a beautiful room.

Ummm... hello?? Dance-off area! I actually think...

2010-07-05T23:35:36.637-04:00

Ummm... hello?? Dance-off area!

I actually think you could use that area for a number of purposes. In addition to a cafe area for blogging, backchanneling, or whatever you decide to do, I really like the idea of keeping it available for performance or other creative options. I would love to have a room like that!

Also agree with Becky- I think if you start off grading what

Nick, I love, love, love, your idea and the sugges...

2010-07-05T18:34:25.260-04:00

Nick, I love, love, love, your idea and the suggestions others have made here. I would love even more to come visit when it's up & running.

You are very lucky to have received this space, bu...

2010-07-05T14:31:53.251-04:00

You are very lucky to have received this space, but I'm sure you were definitely kept in mind as it came available.

I heard you say that you are concerned about the students bringing in their own laptops because of a lack of wi-fi. I, too have a similar stumbling block as I redesign my 3rd grade classroom for a more 1:1 atmosphere. Here are a few solutions I've come across

What a cool classroom! I am so jealous. I have a...

2010-07-05T10:20:00.707-04:00

What a cool classroom! I am so jealous. I have always wanted to put a raised platform (stage) in the corner of my room.
I think your ideas are great. You gave me a couple that I think I can use with my 3rd graders when we blog.

Nick, This is an excellent idea! What a great us...

2010-07-04T19:55:03.222-04:00

Nick,

This is an excellent idea! What a great use of this space - and what a great idea to encourage rich extended discussion of your class concepts. I see that a few people have commented on the "grade" part of your bloggers cafe. I think that you should try it both ways - maybe students can eventually create a "portfolio" of their blog posts - evidence of

Your post just connected the dots for me on how to...

2010-07-04T12:55:49.350-04:00

Your post just connected the dots for me on how to transform my high school juniors who "live" online from a distraction to a valuable asset during class. When students have an independent learning surge that interrupts the flow of the larger discussion or activity, that surge should be incorporated into a written and posted part of the class period.

Students who have these

I LOVE this idea and what a perfect classroom. I ...

2010-07-04T11:52:59.624-04:00

I LOVE this idea and what a perfect classroom. I teach freshmen at the University of Central MO. They work in groups on semester-long research projects. Your post made me realize how I could do this in my room. We use Blackboard (which will have blog capabilities this fall) and students can take turns blogging their progress during class and hopefully have them reflect and revise as they go.

jerthebear, The template I had in mind would be ...

2010-07-04T10:58:48.919-04:00

jerthebear,

The template I had in mind would be very rough. I envision three parts to a student post.

Part 1: The Word of the Day
I give a Word of the Day every day and it is the students responsibility to find the definition. After 20-25 words, there is an assessment of some sort. Now, I could have each student define the word in class and possibly add a picture or

Get a can of IdeaPaint (http://www.ideapaint.com/)...

2010-07-04T07:04:38.232-04:00

Get a can of IdeaPaint (http://www.ideapaint.com/) and paint the inside wall of that stage so kids can write their ideas all over the wall...

What an awesome learning space - I can see why you...

2010-07-04T03:27:12.159-04:00

What an awesome learning space - I can see why you've always wanted it. Now you have to make sure you keep it! I love the idea of a blogging space. I'm looking forward to reading how it all pans out.

What a wonderful space! I'd like to push back ...

2010-07-03T23:37:55.156-04:00

What a wonderful space! I'd like to push back a bit on your thought about giving the kids a template for the blog posts. Why? Wouldn't the students feel a bit more ownership of their posts without a template from their teacher? I'm not even sure you need to set minimum requirements. Sometimes kids just won't have much to write...it might also be a good gauge on their excitement

Like Mrs. G, the one thing that really stood out i...

2010-07-03T22:07:35.998-04:00

Like Mrs. G, the one thing that really stood out in my mind from this post was the grading deal. Could you establish a "posting rubric" (ugh...) and have "grading" as a student job? You have 3 bloggers everyday and then randomly choose 3 graders at the end of the hour?

Your classroom looks awesome! I say pull down the ceiling and use the lights. Kidding. I

Wow - what a fantastic idea - one I'd like to ...

2010-07-03T22:02:54.241-04:00

Wow - what a fantastic idea - one I'd like to pinch if I may. I'm teaching Year 5 students (9 year olds so that's Grade 4 I think) and while they blog and do cloud computing stuff this would be a step up for them.

I understand the school atmosphere as to how impor...

2010-07-03T21:46:00.518-04:00

I understand the school atmosphere as to how important grades are. But, Mr. Nerdy Teacher, YOU are the one that can change that! Small steps! I like your idea of inching away from grades. Maybe do it for grades 1st Q and showcase creative ones. Then, poll the students and see who would do it if it wasn't graded. I know my brother, @mctownsley, went almost totally away from grading

Wow, what a great classroom space! I think the bl...

2010-07-03T21:37:40.368-04:00

Wow, what a great classroom space! I think the blogger's cafe is also a wonderful idea. Getting students to reflect on their learning while they part of the lesson and afterwards is so important.

This year was my first ISTE conference and my firs...

2010-07-03T21:17:13.620-04:00

This year was my first ISTE conference and my first EduBloggerCon. My favorite part was the Web 2.0 Smackdown. Could your stage be somehow used for a smackdown kind of event? This could be a student thing or even invite fellow teachers in for a smackdown PD.
Just an idea.

Becky, I like being pushed. I would like to have...

2010-07-03T21:10:03.098-04:00

Becky,

I like being pushed. I would like to have it as a part of my class as an expectation. Students will do it because they are told. Sadly, our district is very grade driven and it's next to impossible to get students, and their parents, to take anything seriously unless grades are connected.

As a pilot, I want to see how viable the set up will be over the course of

I think having an area devoted to blogging is a wo...

2010-07-03T20:41:43.894-04:00

I think having an area devoted to blogging is a wonderful idea. I have been pondering having students blog on my classroom blog each day and possibly have a photo of the day.

If you don't mind, I'd like to push back a little. Does it need to be a graded activity? Do you think students won't do it if it doesn't "help" their grade? Could you try just having

Nick, This sounds awesome! I actually like the B...

2010-07-03T20:05:36.892-04:00

Nick,
This sounds awesome!

I actually like the Blogger Cafe name only because it maintains the cozy feel that should be had in a classroom. Some 4th grade students were recently asked what they would change if they could in their classroom and comfort was high on their list. If you want students to think about taking reading skills outside of the classroom and applying them in