What is a blog? What are the benefits of blogging? How do you create a blog? How can you use it as a teacher and for your students to help in the learning process? Answers to these questions and other information about blogs will be covered.
What is a blog?
A blog is a journal that is available on the web. The process of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is called a "blogger". A blog gives readers the chance to respond to opinions and link to their own blogs.
What are the benefits of blogging?
- Kids are motivated to communicate on the computer.
- Seeing their own work on the web is an excellent motivator.
- Kids can give their opinion through a blog and will be more careful in how they carefully and accurately they write the information.
- Blogs allow responses from others so that all opinions may be voiced.
- Students practice their writing skills without fear of the "red ink" syndrome.
- Blogs are easy to create and maintain.
How do you create a blog?
- Samples of free blogging sites are: www.blogger.com and edublog.org
- Creating a blog is easy on Blogger or Edublog. In Blogger, you simply sign in using your Google account and go to "Create a blog". You title your blog and give it a name for the URL. For example, my url might be FestusTech.blogspot.com. People will be able to find your blog easily by typing in the URL. You can set up a custom look for your blog with templates. Click continue and then start blogging! After writing your message or blog, click on the orange button that says "publish post" and it will be posted to the web. There is a search tab at the top of Blogger that allows you to search other blogs by topic. Look at some other sample blogs for inspiration and ideas!
- Edublog is similar to Blogger in being able to embed videos, podcasts and other blogs. Edublog allows the teacher to check the student blog before posting for appropriate content. Both blog sites also have a help menu and video tutorials to walk you through the process of blogging.
-
An easy way to add users on edublogs is here. This allows you to create usernames for your students, 15 at a time. You just repeat the process for your total number of students.
How can you use it as a teacher and for your students?
- The easiest way to use a blog in the classroom is for journaling. You as the teacher may have a topic the student is to comment on. If there is a 1 computer classroom, the student may take turns throughout the day to make comments. A student may also make a comment on a blog and others may respond to that blog.
- Blogging is a journalistic tool that allows the student to publish any type of information, ideas and opinions to the Internet for others to view in the classroom or to the world. It promotes value in the student's writing, not to be critiqued by the teacher, but allowed to express viewpoints that others may comment on. It enables the student to become a better, detailed, and more creative writer. They can write reflection statements on information taught in or outside of the classroom.
- Instructions for a lesson may be posted on a blog by a teacher. Students may communicate and share ideas on a blog. Mr. Krysl, who teaches 8th grade in the Festus district, has an excellent blog that is easy to update and the students (and parents) find it valuable to access for information. It is http://mrkryslblog.blogspot.com/. Note that a blog does not have to be updated daily. It is a good form of communication that is available for the designated audience.
- This is an Australian web site about children staying safe using blogs: http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/services/blogs/How_can_children_stay_safe_using_blogs.html
|
|