Yesterday, I went over to Mr.Fisher and Mrs. Fisher’s house to make a video for Edutopia’s Digital Youth Project. This is a project that the George Lucas Foundation is starting. For the video, I had to include what I’ve learned throught blogging, what I do outside of school and what my blog is about.
If you didn’t wacth the video above, I said that the things that I learned through my blog is that I can reach many people with the same intersts through blogging, and it doesn’t matter how old you are online, as long as you work hard, people will support you and take you seriously. I didn’t mention this in the video, but I realized that there are lots of other kids out there that are working hard to make a difference just like me.
Some of the kids go to Depew Middle School. Right now, my mom and her friend (who is a teacher there), Mrs.VanEtten, are helping students update thier classroom blog Grade 7 Gives Back. There they talk about a reasearch project that they are doing where every kid will be studying how to make a difference in ways that matter to them. They also tell you how their class makes a difference. Some of the kids there are doing a clothing drive for Compass House! YAY!!
I want to thank Mr. Fisher for helping with an AWESOME video and all of Mrs. VanEtten’s students for working so hard over the last few weeks! I’m excited to see all that they do!!
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25 Days to Make a Difference 
Congratulations on the video and the invitation to the Compass House Dinner and Auction! I love the message you are spreading (and demonstrating) that age doesn’t matter. everyone can make a difference.
Cool Video! it seems like it was made professional! keep up the good deeds and stuff!
-Andrew
Nice video. It is encouraging to see how hard work pays off. Great Job!
[…] ideas presented; as with all new things, we often tend to throw out the baby with the bathwater. 25 Days to Make a Difference was lovely – kids inspiring kids to do good. We have a program at our school called Nediv Lev, […]
[…] ideas presented; as with all new things, we often tend to throw out the baby with the bathwater. 25 Days to Make a Difference was lovely – kids inspiring kids to do good. We have a program at our school called Nediv Lev, […]
I applaude the effort to teach children to make a difference in the world. So many students don’t feel the need to “give;” they are only concerned about their own gratification. Additionally, those who do care often feel overwhelmed so guiding their efforts is essential.
[…] of blogging empowering sutdents would be Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference (Laura Stockman): It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106. Here an eight year old girl has set up a blog describing how she has found ways to make a […]
[…] I had a blog this year that was one sided. I posted on it the class assignments and the homework. I have never had anyone respond to it, and that was my only blogging experience. I can see blogging enjoyable if people keep it short and to the point. I see the ooportunity to share opinions and reflections like in article 1 http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=133 . You can also reach people with similar interests like in article 3 https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/. […]
What an awesome video- the message it give in such a short space of time is inspirational. The various tools you used to create the video is also amazing and my mid boggles at how you use half of them as I am very new to all of this new web 2.0 stuff. In fact I am doing short online programme called 23 things, whic is how I discovered your video and your reflection on it in the form of a blog. Well done!
[…] share and present other forms of work they have produced. The blog explaining the Vidoe titled it doesn’t matter if you are 6, 26 or 106 is an example of how this could be done. A student lacking the confidence to speak publically […]
[…] magazine! My favorite two: The one about the girl who devised a plan to make a difference: Eleven Year Old Makes a Difference and the precious one about the duck laying an egg on the school playground, Daisy Duck. It was […]
The genre of this blog was written to inspire others and it definitely worked. Laura a ten-year-old girl inspired others to do something special and she blogged her feelings and experiences for many days along the way.
Blog reading is different from other types of reading becuase people use a vairety of voices. From reading the blogs in his week’s assignment I have noticed that some people try to persuade others and others simply try to inform.
Blog writing is different from other types of writing because it simply allows others to comment in a casual setting. It doesn’t require formal responses. It is similar to journaling.
Commenting on blogs contrbutes to making meaning of words, ideas and opinions. It is a avenue for people to learn from one another and to also facilitate learning because it gets people thinking about topics that are important.
[…] Days to Make a Difference (It Doesn’tMatter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106) at: […]
Thanks for being such an inspiration to me and so many other people in the world. One person can make a difference-you’ve proved that!
I haven’t been blogging very long- I’ve been busy raising a family and trying to make my own little corner of the world a better place by teaching dance and the craft of choreography to kids in Atlanta for the past 27 years- in public schools, private schools and private dance studios-and through the nonprofit program I founded in 1998. The dance companies I created in 1981 and 1985 for recreational, one-a week dance students- DancerKids (Grades 2-5), Just Us Too (Grades 6-8), and Just Us (High School) have been performing for community service events in Atlanta, GA, (http://www.prumcsports.org) but your blog reminds us that small efforts made every day matter even more than making really big efforts once in awhile!
“and a little child shall lead them..!” You have!
Doing something small but thoughtful for someone else, and taking a minute to say thank you to the people who help us, and others around us too, those are the little things that make life worth living! Thanks for reminding me of that! I teach all day in a private school- (http;//www.woodward.edu), and still go work with my dance companies a couple of nights too, and keep the books and order costumes, choreograph-you name it– and sometimes I feel like I can’t do everything I want to do to make the world a better place, but I just need to take a breath and do the little things as you have done-in honor of my own family members, who have all had to share me for a very long time with everyone else-and I bet, sooner or later, the rest will fall into place!
Do you know how much you’re like Mother Teresa?
She said, “We can do no big things, we can only do small things with great love.” That’s what you have done-and what a brilliant light you’re shining throughout the world with your kindness! How proud your grandfather-and the rest of your family must be! God bless you!
[…] on among the kiddie couch potatoes. This is a news clip about that phenomenon that I first saw on Laura Stockman’s blog, “Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference”. It looks like technology is making yet […]
[…] 25 Days To Make A Difference […]
Laura,
It reminds me of writing a gratitude journal everyday but in your case you are publishing it. It is a great message for all of us
[…] feedback and would love to hear how others deal with this to protect the students. I did read on, It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106 blog that parents screen comments before the children are allowed to read them. Reading all the […]
[…] After reading some of the posts last evening and then ruminating over them as I slept, I awakened with the statement made by the eleven year old: “It doesn’t make any difference what age you are.” This is exciting to lifelong learners who are interested in what every generation has to say about a given topic. By allowing each of us to view comments by others, without regard to demographical category, the blog becomes a tool for narrowing what was once called the generation gap. https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/ […]
[…] the students blog where she demonstrated how much she could do for other people in just 25 days https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/, . From what I read this blog had a powerful impact on several people that read it. The writing […]
You are so right about people taking you seriously when you blog and being willing to support you whether they are young or old.
Keep up the great work!
[…] https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/ […]
[…] nobility of Laura Stockman’s simple idea and the heartfelt encouragement offered to an LD 5th grader are examples of blogs being used as […]
[…] note taking, informal assessment, feedback on teaching, to name just a few. The nobility of Laura Stockman’s simple idea and the encouragement offered to an LD 5th grader are examples of blogs being used as balm for our […]
[…] on the different blogs, and I loved how Lauren is using a blog to make a difference in the world (Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference). It is amazing how much response you can get from one simple blog. People are really […]
[…] https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/ Comments (0) Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!) […]
[…] are not as suspect, especially when the reader considers the writer, as in Laura Stockman’s “Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference”. Blog reading differs somewhat from other types of reading in that the reader is prepared about […]
[…] particularly enjoyed the blog done by the 11 year old, It Doesn’t matter if you are 6 or 26 or 106. She did a great job on the video. I was also impressed with her understanding of Safety on the […]
[…] second blog I read was called, “Twenty Five Days to Make a Difference“. This blog was very inspiring to me. I thought it was a great way to get students […]
[…] It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106. […]
[…] interesting. First, I chose to read #4 -Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference (Laura Stockman): It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106. After watching Laura’s very professionally done video and reading her blog post and […]
The video was short and to the point. We hear so much of the ho-hum attiudes and the “givemes” of the youth of today, but there truly is a host of youth who are trying to make a difference. That is wonderful to read. NOW can we make the media interested in GOOD news.
[…] Days to Make a Difference (Laura Stockman): It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106 https://twentyfivedays.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/it-doesnt-matter-if-youre-6-or-26-or-106/ What a […]
[…] Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference subtitled “It Doesn’t Matter if You’re 6 or 26 or 106″ […]
Hi Laura … I just wanted to acknowledge the continuing power of your “25 days to make a difference” initiative. Even though your unique idea was first formulated and shared three years ago, it still resonates throughout the blogosphere and helps to engage others in acts of charity.
Just recently I wrote a blog entry, based on your idea, entitled “How to Make a Difference in December” at: http://life-long-learners.com/how-to-make-a-difference-in-december/ Chris Harbeck, who is a colleague of mine, ran with your idea in my blog post and challenged all his Mathematics students to contribute 25 cents for 25 days. His blog entry is entitled “Would your students donate 25 cents a day?” at: http://makeitinteresting.blogspot.com/2010/11/would-your-students-donate-025-day.html He has challenged other teachers across Canada and around the world to get involved and track their charitable contributions through his “25centsaday” wiki at: http://25centsaday.wikispaces.com/
I just thought that you should know how your remarkable and fitting tribute to your grandpa has grown and benefited so many of the less fortunate.
On behalf of all the students and teachers who are adapting and using your initial powerful idea and message … I want to thank you.
Take care & keep smiling 🙂 Brian
Thank you! I’m really glad that I received this comment because I’ve been thinking a lot about this blog again, and it really means a lot to me that people out there are still doing really good things, especially kids. It also means a lot to me that people remember this. I had a long talk with my mom last night about blogging and about this blog. It was really surprising what happened here, and how it took off, and all of the things that happened as a result. I really like doing service work, but the attention I got here for it made me a little uncomfortable. I realize that I think if I’m doing charity work I don’t want to get a lot of attention for it. I”m not ungrateful for it at all. I was really grateful and really surprised by how people responded to me. I just know that some people really got the wrong impression, especially kids at school and some of my teachers, who didn’t get it. Also, there are some great kids out there doing way more than I ever did and they don’t get nearly as much recognition for it because they don’t blog and people don’t spread the word about them like they did with me. It’s taught me a lot about the “bigger” story about blogging and the internet in general. Now that I’m older, I can see how it influences power in some really exciting and really kinda scary ways too. It’s kept me kind of quiet, but I plan to start blogging again this month! Maybe not here, though. Thank you again for thinking of me. I am going to visit your blog and Mr. Harbeck’s blog later today when I get home from school! It’s really great what his students are doing. I am going to join them I think, if Mr. Harbeck thinks that will be okay.
[…] COLLECT A COIN A DAY This activity originally began when I first read Laura Stockman’s blog “25 Days to Make A Difference”. Ten year old Laura, decided to save her December allowance, of $1.00 per day to donate to a […]
Hi Laura … Although more than five years have passed, your inspirational story of wanting to “make a SMALL difference” continues. I recently joined a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) where Alan Levine, the instructor, challenged participants to “share with us a video of their own stories of something surprising, valuable, powerful, or just plain inspiring that happened when that piece of media, that document, that video, that blog post, became valuable to someone they did not know before.” When I read this prompt, I immediately thought of your inspiring blog post “25 Days to Make a Difference”. I found it amazing how you, a 10 year old who wanted to pay tribute to her grandpa, could inspire teachers and students to take up a challenge and raise money to pay micro-loans to improve conditions for those in developing countries.
As a facilitator in this amazing story, I wrote a post entitled “”Sharing Is Caring’ – A story worth re-telling!” at: http://life-long-learners.com/sharing-is-caring-a-story-worth-re-telling/ Here I shared my YouTube video that documented your inspirational challenge and the way it blossomed into an amazing, educational philanthropic endeavour.
Once again, thank you and your educator-Mom for helping you take action and giving you an important voice through this blogging medium. Although five years have passed, your important message has not diminished in any way.
Thanks for sharing and caring.
Take care & keep smiling 🙂 Brian
[…] this activity, which was initiated by 10 year old Laura Stockman in her powerful blog post entitled “Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference”, include the […]