The Duniway Dragonian Blog Banner Hall of Fame

I so wish I could share with you the amazing ("impressive," as the school secretary said) blog that the kids at Duniway School (mostly third graders) are creating in my DIY Lounge-sponsored Cool School class, Duniway Dragonian: Blogging for the 21st Century, Kid Style.

I can't share the link because it is a password-protected blog for Duniway families only, but I can share this - the Duniway Dragonian Blog Banner Hall of Fame! Back when it was a printed 8-page old-style analog school newspaper (which I taught in the 2007-08 school year, publishing four issues per year before hitting on the idea of making it a blog instead), we called these banners "mastheads," of course. I've put together a collection of all the mastheads/banners that the kids have created since I've been the journalism teacher and am sharing them here.

Above is the most current design, and may I mention how exciting it is to be able to do these in color now! (In the old "black and white days" of the school newspaper this was not an option because of the printing cost.)

February - March 2009

May-June 2008

March 2008

Winter 2007-08

Winter 2007-08 (back page version)

Fall 2007

Fall 2007 (back page version)

This class has been going really well and I am thoroughly enjoying just about every aspect of it (the main exception being that I really don't like using typepad, but it was my only option for creating a password-protected blog).

In case you are wondering, "What do third graders blog about?", here are some of the topics that they have chosen this year:

• The movie Coraline
• Book reviews on Indie Kidd, Esperanza Rising, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the dictionary (yes, these kids READ!)
• The Portland Trail Blazers' Rudy Fernandez
• The internet game Poptropica
• Restaurant reviews of Bellagios Pizza, Sweet Tomatoes, and Otto's Sausage Kitchen
• Field trips to places like the Oregon Humane Society
• Duniway events and fundraisers like the talent show, the canned food drive, the auction, and the book fair
• Interviews with friends and teachers
• Ice skating at Lloyd Center
• Horse riding at Fir Hollow and Quiet Rein
• Spring soccer
• Politics, the economy & the war on terror (including a video interview with a Reed College political science professor)
• Barack Obama
• Favorite pets (like chickens!)
• Bugs, bugs, and more bugs
• Comics, illustrations, and much more

All the photos are taken by the kids, and all the stories are written by them (I do quite a bit of editing, of course). We also did a group interview with some fifth grade boys who are in an awesome (and gigging!) rock band called the DiJiTs, and I'm working on writing up that story right now. I also work with them on typepad to show them how to upload photos, create links, and post their stories. They are doing an amazing job!

Speaking of Duniway, guess what - the annual student art show is going on next week! If you read the series I wrote on Etsy's blog (the Storque) - Parents Teach Art and Parents Teach Art Part 2 - you may be interested in checking this out, so if you are in the Portland area, I highly recommend it!

It's free and open to the public on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30 from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at Duniway Elementary School, 7700 SE Reed College Place in Portland, Oregon. On-site activities will include having a portrait drawn by student artists, a hands-on clay table, and music performed by the DiJiTs!