Scribing is a fascinating phenomenon. Of course it must be a good fit for the curriculum. My students blog but when we have scribed, they really decided they preferred the backchannel. So, when we need to take and share notes they just backchannel chat in skype or our chatzy room and I save as a PDF to go on the wiki or send out via email. I guess because we don't lecture a lot and do more projects their hands are on things and I found my scribe blogs languishing for lack of posts (I did this in accounting.)

To me, some of the most interesting scribe posts are in math because they catalog things and provide a searchable reference but really, it could be done for anything.

Thank you so much for sharing this list! Gotta love Chris Harbeck!

we are in our infancy here in Dauphin. Thanks to Ryan for showing me "the way".
http://drcssapma40s2009s1.blogspot.com/

and

http://drcssapma30s09s1.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the tweet today, Vicki, and Cam, you're much further ahead and way too modest...Seriously, talking about blog scribe posts, wiki links, tweeting, and updating my ning discussions, you'd think I was losing touch with reality and the alphabet at the same time. I didn't graduate from university THAT long ago, and NONE of this existed then. Makes me think the next ten years of my career could be interesting. I've said it before, but this internet thing could get big.

About the scribing bit, I like it as a teacher, because (of course), the students have to see it, hear it, learn it, do it, think it and then go again and mash it up so that their buddies get it. No one, to my knowledge so far, does it/ did it better than Darren and Chris's classes, although my Manitoba bias is showing through. Cam and I may be outside the perimeter, but we're definitely working on catching up.

I do what I do now because it's much better than I used to do. I wonder what's much better than what I do now? That's my motivation for professional development, and it's why I listen when people like Darren, Chris, Vicki and Cam talk. Pleasure to call you all colleagues.

Cheers,

Here are some issues I hope that someone who is blogging in their class could help me with.

1. How do you keep students from seeing the blog as an "add-on" activity? Do you assign less (or no) non-blogging homework? For example, on the day a student is assigned the Scribe post are they exempt from doing part or all of the homework? When students are asked to respond to a blog prompt, is that part of the daily assignment (along with other non-blogging problems)? Do you give a homework mark for responding to blog prompts? In general, do you assess the blogging activities with homework or participation marks. And if so, is there a rubric that you could share with me?

2. When you begin the Scribe post at the start of the year, do you show students examples of good scribing. Did you provide the students with a model of what was expected in the Scribe post? I can see it both ways: giving them examples of excellent scribing to strive toward, or having them struggle and create the model themselves. Any advice?

3. I can anticipate the newness and novelty of blogging to wear off. Did you have this experience? And if so, how did you handle it?

I sure would appreciate any help you could provide to these questions. Thanks in advance for your time.

David Brudzinski

Darren, thanks for the shout-out! First time I know anyone has linked to my kids work! Scribing is going very well so far-taking it slow. Some great conversations developing just before tests.

My AP Calculus students are scribing, some willingly, some not so much! All agree it is a useful tool; they just would prefer someone else (probably me!) do it for them. I really think the act of writing and explaining mathematics is a very valuable test of the students' understanding so, despite some obstacles I am facing, I will continue. I have found that tying student participation to their grade is essential- I am definitely having more success this year than last because of the requirement.
Thanks, Darren, for the inspiration.
http://smallstones09p5.wikispaces.com

Darren - thanks for the mention and also for the inspiration that got us started.

Love this stuff you're doing Aaron!

And how did you get that coolest of all urls?!? ;-)

I have been reading Darren's blog for awhile and came across his Scribe Post podcast with Alan November right before the beginning of this school year. A colleague and I have just started scribing in a grade 11 English course:

http://rhetoriticians.blogspot.com/search/label/Scribe%20Post

It's been an excellent learning tool. Thanks so much for the idea, Darren!

@Mr. Neal I spent some time poking around your class blog. Some really great stuff there. I particularly like the "Great Quotes" flickr project you've begun; I really love the idea of kids creating that kind of work in a Language Arts class! Some of those "slides" are really powerful.