Thoughts Matter More than Topics

I have to say I've been really enjoying blogging for the past few weeks.  As a student, I've experienced the freedom of thought without restriction of topic.  As a teacher, I've realized that giving students more freedom actually pushes them beyond my and their own expectations.

But still...a teacher cannot simply say, go write!  Learners need some form of guidelines to begin their work.  I found good advise in Blogging in the 21st-Century Classroom.  Educator Michelle Lampinen posts her own blogging assignment guidelines which were so helpful for me. She wanted to make sure her assignment addressed the following: 

• Address multiple Common Core standards
• Hold students accountable while minimizing stress
• Be structured enough to provide clarity while giving freedom to experiment
• Be varied enough to keep students engaged
• Get students to write for multiple purposes.

Lampinen then reflects on her and her student's experience with the blogs.  It is an insightful article worth reading and duplicating its example in your own classroom. 

A comment in response to the article written by Brian Sztabnik drew my attention as well.  He writes about his own students' use of blogs, "They begin to realize that their thoughts -- not a prescribed topic's narrow confines -- are what matter. I can't begin to tell you what this does for a student's voice and intellectual confidence!"

And instilling that confidence should really be the ultimate goal of any educator.