| Blogging. What is it?
The term "blog" comes from web log. Weblog. A web log is
an on-line journal. There are millions of blogs out there. You
can find a blog on just about any topic under the sun. As it pertains
to education there are blogs about issues in education, instructional tips,
using technology, how to use blogs, blogs from teachers, and blogs from
students. The uses for blogs are many. Reflection, creative
writing, share photos, dialogue, book reviews, assignment submission and
e-portfolios are just a few that |
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| come to mind. Blogging provides
students with the opportunity to make connections with others.
Teachers with limited technology or limited time can do it as a whole class.
You may want to start as whole class and progress to individual blogging.
I found many sites that provided free space for blogging and was able to set
up a blog in just a few minutes. On one site, I could post blogs and
assign students to comment on the blog. Or, there are sites that
provide free space for educators to sign up their whole class so that each
student could have their own blog. This way, the teacher could make an
assignment and the students could submit it individually on their own blog.
Further assignments could be made by assigning students to read another's
blog and comment on it.
Before going on-line with your class, make your students' online safety
your priority. Check our
Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
to see what
it says about posting
student work and names online.
Also, you may want to think about using a blogging program that requires
a password to publish. This allows the teacher more control. The
teacher has the final say about what goes on-line. The teacher can
ensure that their students have not included any identifying information.
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| Cool Sites for Classroom Blogging |
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 | http://www.21classes.com/ - A
free site that allows the teacher to set up blogs for the students.
Has great features like the ability to review students' blogs and upload
pictures or videos to blogs. Can be used as a home page to
communicate with students or to set up individual blogs for students'
work. |
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Gaggle.Net - A free site that allows educators the ability to set up
students with blogs in a protected environment. Easy to use.
Teachers control what can be written and who can respond. Messages
with in-appropriate language are automatically re-routed to the teacher's
account. |
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| Edublog - A free site created
by teachers with no advertising. Provides tech support and
customizable themes. |
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| ePals - A site that
provides a protected environment for teachers, students, and parents to
share and collaborate. A fee is required to utilize this site. |
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| Lesson Ideas Using Blogs |
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| Lesson
Plans - A site chock full of ideas on how to utilize blogs in your
curriculum |
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This Bird Can Blog - Students write from the perspective of a real or
imagined classroom pet and write a blog describing daily activities of the
pet. |
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Blogtopia - A blogging lesson plan on Read - Write - Think where
students blog about their Utopia |
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Geekyteach is a list of twenty ways to use blogs in the classroom. |
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| Blogs Worth Reading! |
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| The Good
Habits Blog - The author of this blog, Eric McKnight, has been
teaching for almost 30 years. He has taught in public, private and
international schools. He has been an administrator as well.
He writes about study habits, student habits, how teachers can inspire
their students as well as other interesting topics. |
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| Blogwise is a search engine to
assist you in finding a blog on your chosen topic. |
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| Edtechpost is a blog that discusses ways to utilize
technology in education |
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| Edblogger Praxis is a site
that provides several links to many educational blogs. |
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| 2 Cents Worth is a blog by
an educator who covers a wide variety of technology related education
topics. |
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| Examples of Educational Blogs |
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Resourcing the Curriculum is a site that provides several examples of
blogs that teachers have done with their classes. It also provides
several links to sites that explain the value of blogging in the
classroom. |
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| Teacher Lingo is a free site
that provides a forum for teachers to exchange ideas. |
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