Collaborative Literacy: Blogs and Internet Projects

Boling, Erica, and Castek, Jill. (2008). Collaborative Literacy: Blogs and Internet Projects. The Reading Teacher, 61, 6, 504-506.

Boling and Castek’s “Collaborative Literacy: Blogs and Internet Projects,” is about the ways that blogs and other Internet projects can impact a students’ writing. The authors state that such tools can capitalize on the strengths of authentic writing, show the power of the writing process, and engage students in collaborative writing. In one example, third graders wrote to their buddy, a stuffed bear (who is also the “host” of their blog). Students are motivated to write their responses to the questions being asked of them. The authors also completed a collaborative Internet project with their students, in which two classes from different parts of the country contributed to a group wiki, all while meeting their language arts and social studies standards. This article is incredibly relevant and useful. The authors provided the reader with concrete examples of how these methods of instruction have worked as well as how powerful they are. Both authors are professors, and they partnered with elementary school teachers to complete the projects mentioned in the article. They were incredibly thorough and realistic about the outcome. I really liked reading about the projects mentioned in the article. I especially enjoyed the section about the collaborative Internet project. Teaming one of my classes up with another class somewhere around the country would be an incredibly powerful learning tool.