Introduction
Simply put, blogs are web journals, website on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis. Blogs are means of providing students with opportunities for digital communication and collaboration in and out of the school building and day. With the available security options, teachers can control both the participants and the content. Blogs are one of the easiest options for creating a classroom Web presence, but can be even more powerful when combined with your classroom website and used for student interaction and communication.
Wonder
To blog or not to blog? How can I effectively integrate blogging in my instruction?
Explore/Investigate
Watch Blogs in Plain English
Read The Guardian: Class blogs: a better way to teach?
Explore Kathleen Morris' Five Steps to Starting a Class Blog
Explore Kathleen Morris' Five Steps to Starting a Class Blog
Learn more about classroom blogs from expert Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano
Sample a few classroom blogs:
- Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog
- Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog
- The Avery Bunch
- Mrs. C's Senior English Blogs
- Room 611
- Newton's Minions
Communicate
What are your ideas for effectively integrating blogs in your classroom? Share your grade level and/or content area along with your ideas. Click the "comment" link below to get started.Create
You will create a blog and a lesson plan to go along with it. Your lesson should incorporate the introduction and/or use of your blog in the classroom. Let's begin:
- Watch the tutorials to help you decide which to use:
- Blogger (for older students) has a great help section that will answer many of your questions. This section will help you set up the moderation of comments to avoid worry over inappropriate posts.
- Kidblog (for younger students) allows you to create student blogs without email addresses.
- Register for an account with one of the blog sites: Blogger or Kidblog.
- Create a blog you can share with others.
- Design and write-up your lesson (in whatever format works best for you).
- Email/share your lesson to the instructor: Laurie LeFever (laurielefever@gmail.com). Make sure to include a link to your blog on your lesson plan.
- Share the link to your blog in a second comment posting on this blog for others to see.
Reflect
All components are due by Monday, August 18, 2014.
If at any time you have questions, you can either drop-in or contact me:
Drop-In Office Hours (Optional) with Laurie LeFever
@ CNYRIC (6075 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY 13221)
@ CNYRIC (6075 East Molloy Road, Syracuse, NY 13221)
- Conference Room A
- 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Monday, August 11
- 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Friday, August 15
Instructor Contact Information:
(You will get a faster response by email than by phone.)
(You will get a faster response by email than by phone.)
Laurie LeFever, LMS
CNYRIC
6075 E. Molloy Road
Syracuse, New York 13221
(w) 315.431.8447
llefever@cnyric.org
What are your ideas for effectively integrating blogs in your classroom? Share your grade level and/or content area along with your thoughts. Click the "comment" link and select your Google profile to get started.
ReplyDeleteI had planned on using a blog as a replacement for a newsletter in my 4th grade classroom but after looking at the articles, videos and examples I have some other ideas. Posting student work, using the blog as a forum for students to communicate back and forth, I loved how some of the example blogs had links to each student (one I particularly liked had each labeled with child's name and then learning). This makes the blog more personally investing over time. A blog would be a great place to publish projects, homework questions, expand vocabulary. I do keep thinking about the digital citizenship element that will be very important in using a blog with young children. This year I will most likely keep it basic to get my feet wet and see where the students want to take it.
ReplyDeletehttp://kidblog.org/MrsValentesClass-4
ReplyDeletebjkns4 is the sign up code
This is a blog I plan on using with my class starting next month. I have scheduled the first post to be published on September 4th. I have posted my reflection there as well and will take that post down before sharing the blog with my class.
mrbarnello.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to use my classroom blog to get daily feedback on what the students learned that day in class and to eventually write their own entries about some of the "connections" we try to make in class between what we learn in class and the world around them. I teach English 10 and College English so we read fiction and non-fiction as well as write about themes and issues. Above is the link to the blog I created.
I teach sixth grade SS and ELA. I would like my students to use my blog to make connections between what they are learning in SS and what is being taught in ELA. I think the blog is also an opportunity for some of the more less reluctant students to participate. Instead of the typical 5-7 students who always participate, I can make it mandatory that everyone posts.
ReplyDeleteI am planning on setting up the blog as a way for the parents to get a glimpse into classroom life. I work in a 1:1 classroom with 6 other team members. Sometimes our room has alot going on, this will be a nice way to review the week. I plan on starting out very basic as this is my first time blogging.
ReplyDeletehttp://mniemczura.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteMy plan for blogging is to use it in class and to have students share with one another. It is an excellent way to practice writing the language.
In the past, I have given students a choice of topics to respond to and have asked them (with guidelines!) to post feedback to others. This worked well. I am wondering about posting actual links to projects and having the kids comment.
ReplyDeletehttp://ela7mrsmiller.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI have access to a blog through School Tool and I am not sure if I would use this platform or the other. I have spent considerable time looking at other blogs. What I posted, the picture and the comment, is an example of the direction in which I would like to head. I also tried experimenting with Google Plus and was led to Picassa. From there I retrieved a practice project I made this summer. When I was thinking about using the blog as a platform, this is the type of idea I had in mind. Students would post their projects. There would be an opportunity for them to explain their thinking and respond to other students' work.
Here is the link to the blog I have written. I'm not sure how to change my comment as label, so it will have to be submitted as Mrs Reddinger, but I'll sign off as Lorraine!
ReplyDeletehttp://sms5th-6thgradechorus.blogspot.com
I have never used blogs in my classroom before but would like to start next year! Some of the ways I want to use blogs include writing and parent communication. For writing, I would like to post different story starters and encourage the students to go on and add to the story. At the end of the story the students can go back and read the entire story. Also, I would like to transition the students from writing their journal entries in a notebook to the blog so they can practice they typing skills and blogging. By using the blog as a form of parent communication, parents are able to see what the students are doing during the day and also be informed about important updates. I am interested in putting the blog up on my school website (if possible)!
ReplyDeleteI am an OCM BOCES teacher housed at Solvay Middle School. I teach 4th and 5th grade. Parents can sometimes get confused between the two programs, so I am hoping that this blog can improve school to home communication. It will also showcase student work and current student activities. I am using Blogger to focus on providing information for parents. I have linked Kidblog which I started last March. Now students can access this site easier. Kidblog is more student led posts and comments. It will also be a good forum for students to post their opinions on various topic questions I pose. I have also set up a Math category in Kidblog where students can access Math videos to help them with completing home work. I am hoping to get more teachers in my program to create their own blogs and link our pages under the main site. I enjoyed this experience and will continue to tweak my blog. Here is my blog's link:
ReplyDeletehttp://kruth411.blogspot.com/
This is the blog on plan on using with my 6th grade class. My plan is for students to use this blog as a journal to reflect on past assignments, tests, readings, and at the end of each chapter. Students will be able to discuss their difficulities on certain subjects and/or discuss their thoughts on specific topics.
ReplyDeletehttp://kidblog.org/MrHealysClass-4/