Using Blogs in the Classroom
Using Weblogs to Provide Information to the Schoool Community
You can start a class blog to...
post class-related information such as calendars, classroom events, homework assignments and other important class information.
communicate with parents and invite their comments.
post photos of class activities.
invite student comments or postings on issues.
publish examples of good student writing done in class.
exhibit student art, poetry, and other written work.
build a class newsletter, using student-written articles and photos they take.
Using Weblogs to Enhance Student Learning
You can create a classroom blog entirely for student learning. You can...
use the
comment feature to...
assess student learning by posting writing prompts and having students respond.
post photos and have students respond to them.
gather and organize Internet resources for a specific subject, providing links to appropriate sites in a blog entry.
link your class with another class somewhere else in the world.
post tasks to carry out project-based learning tasks with students.
create a parent/child blog with writing prompts for parents to work on with their children.
complete project work in small groups, assigning each group a different task.
Students can create their own blogs to...
post their own ideas, reactions and written work.
post their reactions to writing prompts.
react to photos you post.
keep a journal for class.
keep a learning log for class.
write about their ideas and opinions about topics discussed in class.
keep a
digital portfolio of their work.
write comments, opinions, or questions on daily news items or issues of interest.
showcase their best writing pieces.
Informal Professional Development
You can create a blog to grow professionally. Use your blog to...
reflect on teaching experiences.
write a description of a particular teaching unit.
save links for later use.
collaborate with other teachers.
describe what worked during a lesson and what didnt.
provide teaching tips for other teachers.
write about something you learned from another teacher.
explore important teaching and learning issues.
You can also
read the blogs of other educators to...
get teaching tips.
learn about the content area that you teach.
find out about professional development opportunities.
get information on new learning technologies.
learn about teaching and learning issues.
collaborate with other teachers.
