A Common Recreation

[Edit: I've found a couple more blogs definitely worth mentioning. See below!]

Continuing with our recent push to expand your community, read others’ blogs and thereby develop an audience for your OWN blog, in this post I’m going to point out a few more blogs that deserve some attention. Maybe you’d like to read a few and connect with the writers?

Thanks to Sue over at The Edublogger and my Twitter network, I am finding heaps more blogs by students your age from around the world.  Here are some of my latest finds:

• Mr. Pepper has a class of students in grades 7 and 8 who are blogging. Recent “Honourable Mentions” worth visiting:
  • Austin’s blog: Austin posts an interesting questionnaire — feel free to answer it.
  • Bailey is writing lots of interesting poetry and some very introspective and thoughtful posts.
  • Morgan is blogging about rather inspring topics like what she is grateful for and how to look forward to the future — very positive if you’re having a rough day!
  • Melanie is also writing very thought-provoking poetry and posts.
• Over at Eight is Great I found these student bloggers:
  • Ryan is writing extensive book reviews, and about what he does on the weekend.
  • Alex writes about field hockey and his annoying little sister.
  • Jaime writes a very funny story about his trip to see the movie Taken.
• Thinwalls / Upload way up in northern Canada has a stack of busy student bloggers, too:
  • Tyler has been blogging about the book The Wave and about Venice, Italy.
  • Zelnaga blogs a lot about South Africa
  • Skyler – “Random words from a Random kid” – blogs about Australia, bionic eyes, and music. Yep, random!
  • Logyn shares her history of blogging and RSS. She also writes about Cairo.
  • Devon likes to tell you about his latest World of Warcraft adventures, the World Wildlife Fund, and his project city – one you all know quite well – Bangkok!
  • Clarisse has been blogging about some very interesting current events, including things happening in Tibet, Africa (with the Pope’s visit) and recent studies about red meat. She also uses her blog for vocabulary words.
• Do you love the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer and the film, too? Check out this Twilight fan-blog, created by a fan, Stephie, aged 14. She also runs a joint blog with another friend with different content, called Taking It Further.
• MeghnaK in India is 13 years old and writes about all sorts of things — school, ugly cats, poetry, SMS from her best friends, and more. She has a very big fan base, with lots of comments. Check her out!

Hopefully you’ve found a few places to sit, read, and comment. And if you come across any other really cool blogs — they don’t have to be student blogs, by the way — then please leave the URL in the comments below this post! Or, even better — blog about it yourself!

Happy reading! I look forward to seeing your blogs grow!

[Image created using Sign Generator]

Friendlies by moriza
Attribution-NonCommercial License

Last week I wrote about how important it is to check out what is happening on other blogs in your community, and I suggested a few places for you to begin.  I hope you had a chance to look around. I know at least one of you did (he was brave enough to share his very insightful reflection on his own blog).

This week I’d like to challenge you to start leaving comments on other people’s blogs — and not just those of your friends. Browse around, see what you can find that interests you. Are there people writing things about what you’re interested in? Do you read something and think, “Hey, I disagree,” or “Yeah, I agree and this is why”? If so, that means it’s time for you to join in the conversation. Leave a comment!  And don’t forget to include YOUR blog’s URL in that comment form.

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, look here for an example of what that comment form might look like:

So, your assignment this week: leave at least 3 comments on others’ blogs outside our UNIS community. If you like you may also leave comments on blogs within our community, too.  And see what starts happening to your blog — is your audience growing? 

You’ve had lots of time now to look at your own blogs and those of your classmates here at UNIS. But have you had a chance to see what other students just like you are doing and saying out there in the blogosphere?

Browse around on the following pages… see if you like (or don’t like!) what you see. Perhaps you might even like to leave a comment? Hopefully you will find something that inspires you to write (or read) more than you already are!

• Collaboration Nation – A Middle School Blog – On this site, scroll down and look at the right sidebar. You will see a heading that says Students 08-09. View a few students’ blogs.
• Eight is Great — Another 8th grade class blog with individual student blogs on the sidebar blogroll (look to the right). Browse around, read a few!
• Upload — Formerly known as Thin Walls Blog, this is a class blog from wayyyyy up in snowy Canada.  Look for student blogs in the blogroll again (right side).

The Calm After the Show by Thomas Hawk
Attribution-NonCommercial License