Blogging in the Classroom

So I've been thinking long and hard about this. I came up with some things I was worried about and other things I was excited about.

Worries:

• Blogging would become a hassle to the students
• They wouldn't have time to complete their blogs or even start them
• They wouldn't want to write about something specific assigned by the teacher

Excited about:

• Students getting to share their thoughts/ideas
• Getting to use the computer in a new and exciting way they might not have before
• Using something that is easy to share with classmates, family, and friends

I decided how I would use blogging after those thoughts.
First I would introduce blogging to the students and make sure they know what they purpose was, and how it works. I would show them my blog, the teachers blog. They will be required to sign a paper that talks about the expectations, requirements, guidelines, and rules of blogging after we have covered them all. Once I've modeled how it works, I would have the students create their usernames and I would approve them (they can be creative with these).

Next I would have students write their first blog. Their first blog would be about themselves including hobbies, family, friends, interests, maybe their favorite book, etc. As the teacher I would monitor their typing skills and make sure they are making progress. If they have trouble writing I would allow them time to finish typing another time. As time goes on their typing skills should progress. After posts have been made I will want to the students to check out other blogs that their classmates have created, and show them how to comment appropriately.

Just like our class, I will require that each student blog once a week minimum. These blog entries will vary in topic. Each week I would post a list of 2-3 topics they could write about for that weeks entry. Things such as what you did this past weekend, a little bit about the book your reading, give them a story starter and have them write a short story, or free choice. These topics would be fun to write about and it gives them options.

Once they have gotten the hang of things, I will make sure that the teacher blog is following all the students so they can easily access others, along with posting a list of what usernames everyone has so they can search for them. On the teacher blog the topic list for the week will be provided, along with homework reminders, information for parents, along with mystery extra credit for students. It won't be required that the students look at the teachers, but they may get suprised when they find extra credit opportunities or other fun suprises. Although they aren't required to check the teachers, they are required to post 2 comments on other classmates blogs each week.

The teacher will keep track of posts and comments, making sure they are appropriate and completed. I would allow 10 minutes for each student during class to take turns on the computer to write their blog or comment. This would allow for students who dont' have computers at home to still complete the requirements. Computers would be available before and after school as well.

Throughout the year I may require the blogging for a project or other assignments.

One other thing I would want the students to do sometimes is read other blogs, that aren't their classmates. I, as the teacher, would go out and find a blog about something relevant to our classroom, or topic we are discussing, or maybe just something interesting. I would share the link with them to read. I would also show them how you search for other blogs, and what other people might use blogs for like recipes, holiday ideas, or just a life journal.

That's what I would use blogging for. I want it to be fun for the students, but informative for me.