I embrace the idea of using blogs in the classroom. In the words of Will Richardson, "Writing stops; blogging continues. Writing is inside; blogging is outside. Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis." (From Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Corwin Press, 2nd Ed, July 2008).
While reading Beach’s book, I found myself excited at the examples he showcased while feeling disappointed that there was no connection made for elementary teachers. That is really lacking in this book so far. Implying “you the reader can make the leap and tweak this to fit your teaching world” is disrespectful of K-5 teachers. In Chapter 6, the classroom blog vs. individual blogs part should have considered an elementary level audience. There are some great examples of blogs at the elementary level, most of which are classroom blogs.
