Developmentally Appropriate Blogging for Young Children

Yesterday, my good friend Anne and I were talking about this great idea of having a public space for each child somewhere in the classroom. I'm thinking it would be like having one's own personal bulletin board. I saw this idea in Classroom Spaces That Work, another great book from the Responsive Classroom authored by Marlynn K. Clayton. So, Anne and I were looking at this and talking about how each kid could choose his own piece of work to display based on some set of standards we establish together. Then, the idea of having a caption underneath the work, written by the child could explain the piece. But, this is the kicker. Children take post it notes and comment on the work too! And there you have it. The beginning of blogging! Anne and I were laughing so hard and hitting each other with excitement people on the beach began to stare. Another friend of mine, Theresa, a brilliant middle school teacher, started describing what it could look like in Anne's first grade class. I suggested a child start with her name and decorate around the name with pictures of activities and books and items that would describe her. Theresa, chimed in with a possible comment from a six year old that might be written next to the display "I like soccer too! " We were hysterical! Picture this, people around us in bathing suits are lathering up their kids in sunscreen and here we are, total teacher geeks, with our books in our laps, highlighting and underlining and drawing in the margins! This is professional development at its best.