David F. Warlick, the author of Classroom Blogging: a Teacher’s Guide to the Blogosphere, writes, “In the same way that the web might be thought of as a global library, the blogosphere is a global conversation.” This year, we are joining that global conversation! The fourth grade students will be blogging with another fourth grade class to share and improve their writing. Our class also will be blogging with you, our DES families and community, to share our learning journey this year.

Families are such an important part of children’s education, and we want to communicate with you in many ways. Hopefully, this blog will be a useful tool for you to use to find out current information about what is going on in our class. It will not replace the paper newsletters you are used to receiving, but it will be a newsletter you can converse with.

Some of the things we hope to write about in our family blog include highlights of our day, answers to questions the children have asked about homework that would benefit other families, quick comments from students about the day, clarification of directions, field trip previews, and more. Feel free to make suggestions, especially since this is our first time family blogging. We hope to post at least several times each week, so check back often.

You can also comment as you read our posts. Click on the “comments” button next to the post you just read, type in your comment, and then click “say it”. Your comment will then be added to our blog. Your comments should be general statements rather than specific information about your child, because all of us will be enjoying what you have written. We emphasize with the students that our internet use needs to be positive, respectful, and safe. Our family blog would follow those same guidelines. If you have a concern that needs to be addressed or a question specific to your own child, please see me privately or use my e-mail address.

Come blog with us!