Blog Exchange Strategy

As you look for creative writing assignments, and look for ways to help your student learn to be leaders and problem solvers, I encourage you to read http://tutormentor.blogspot.com and review the blog exchange strategy at http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/Partner/CC/Conference/May2005/cu...

Today Suzanne Morse of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change wrote about the Tutor/Mentor Connection in her blog at http://smartcommunities.typepad.com/suzanne/2007/11/new-friday-feat...

We met through a NonProfit Blog Exchange when we were introduced to each other.

You can see from reading my blog, and Suzanne's blog, that we focus on common issues, such as reducing the high school drop out rate, and helping disadvantaged youth connect with tutors/mentors and other learning supports.

I'd like to invite you to think about ways some of your students might want to research these issues, and begin to write about them in the same way that Suzanne and I do. We're not just encouraging more "talk", but trying to encourage people to ACT, as volunteers, donors, leaders, etc. at specific locations in Chicago or other communities, where these actions can change the future of kids born in poverty.

As students write about this, they begin to learn the power of their words to inform, and to motivate others into actions. As students from different schools write about this, they can connect their blogs with each other, just the way Suzanne and I connect our blogs. By doing this they expand their networks, learn from each other, and begin to see how networks of people working toward a common goal can accomplish more than individuals trying to solve a problem on their own.

Finally, the build writing and communications skills, research and learning skills, and become much more motivated students and better citizens in the process.

If you take on this role, I hope you'll post the URL of your blog, so we can connect with you and your students.