Russell Street School and Interactive Blogging

What I like best about the Russell Street School's approach to blogging, that differs from everything else that we've read and seen, is that they seem to use it to create and foster community. Some of the previous readings started to move toward the idea of blogging to develop community, discussing it as a journal for research or a way for people to connect on a given topic, but no one took it that far yet. The Russell Street School has it seems, whether intentionally or not. 

By having their students blog for each class, both as a class and then on their individual blogs, it gives them two things. First, they're able to share their work as a unit with their community members (classmates, school members, other teachers, and parents). Second, individual blogs gives them a sense of identity and a piece of that community. Young people seem to really desire a place of belonging, and while the school itself focuses on creating that, the blog is actually a physical location of their own space on the web. A few of the students even used it after the end of the year, writing goals for themselves for the coming year or about their lives and interests outside of school. 

Furthermore, the blogs became a communication tool. In the younger years, teachers commented on the entries of the students, summarizing their work and their progress. Then, the teacher would give them a "next step" for where they want to focus as they move on in a given skill. At the older levels, the focus seemed more on either self-reflection or peer feedback, where students reflected on their own progress in a skill area or a peer gave them feedback on their work. I saw a lot less teacher feedback at the older levels. Though there wasn't much written on why, I assume it's about a "gradual release of responsibility" and increasing levels of "metacognition" at students grow. I know that older students still value feedback, of course, but they do need to do their own internal reflection as well. 

Finally, the school blogs about itself and its own goings-on, as a whole. Someone posts about the events, special honors, great teachers and lessons, and makes the place seems like it's not only proud of itself but that people reading the site should be proud of the school and its students and faculty as well. By participating in this communication, the school reflects on itself and allows those in it to reflect on themselves toward progress and education. This, in turn, creates the community atmosphere that comes across so clearly from a website about a very small school, literally on the other side of the planet from me. 

Above all, what I want from blogging that the Russell Street School accomplished is developing a community. Through blogging, we can create a space for students to share their work and grow in a positive way with feedback from peers and faculty members and community members, all focused on building a supportive community. If we can keep talking about the good things going on in the school and have students share their own "good things," they can buy into it as well. 

I don't believe for a second the school is perfect or that this would be the be all, end all solution to any sort of culture problem a school might face. However, it's a great way for a teacher to build community in a classroom or a building to build community within itself for its students.