Blogging has been a part of the internet since the beginning. It has so much potential that has never been fully utilized in the classroom. This post will give you ideas on how to use blogs effectively in the classroom, and it will also give you practical tips on how to set it all up on the technical side.
"Blog" is short for weblog. It is seen by most as a social media of some sort and ultimately, non-academic. But blogs can ultimately be a force for good in the educational space with the correct approach.
Why would I want my Students Posting or Reading Blogs?
Blogs can be used in many ways. In the classroom, a blog can be written by teachers, or by individual students. We definitely recommend you let your students maintain their own blogs.
When students start writing blogs, they begin putting their writing skills, and creative thinking to the test. It is easy to read posts but writing completely new posts is a different beast to tame. This will help your students recognize good writing online, and they will be made aware of constructive interactions online. A blog will also serve as a creative outlet for many students who are otherwise frustrated without an outlet in their class.
You as a teacher can also maintain a blog of yourself. A teacher’s blog can be used to publish assignments, and resources required in the classroom. It can also be used as a place to keep all the parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom.
What would my Students Blog About?
There are many different genres of blogs on the internet. You could also argue that there is an infinite genre of blogs limited only by the imagination. In this section, let us go through some good blog ideas.
The first type of blog is a single project blog. In this type of blog, a student can maintain a single blog for the duration of a project. The blog would start with the inception of an idea. It would contain all the research conducted on the topic. Then it can document the process of getting the project done. Then it would end with the outcome of the project and the advantages and disadvantages of doing it. This type of blog would be perfect for a long-term assignment.
The second type of blog is a blog for special interests. This blog would only feature a certain interest of the student that authors it. It can be anything that interests the student, from Legos to fighter jets. It would help the student improve their research skills, and also improve their ability to condense their love for something into words. Students love to work on something they have an interest in, so this has the potential to be an automatic favorite with the kids (unless they hate writing).
Another type of blog is termed the portfolio blog. This blog serves as a portfolio of all the work a student works on. It can have all the stories, essays, and poetry authored by the students. You can create a single blog to showcase all the students' work online for parents and the general public to read, or you can ask every student to create their own portfolio blog.
A journalistic blog is a type of blog that is more of a news source than anything else. This blog can include news from the school, classes, teachers, or anything of interest happening. This type of blog will serve as an excellent way to inform parents about the current situations in the school.
A blog can also be a place to review things. Students can use the blog platform to review movies, games, or food. If a student wants to talk about their favorite game at length or talk about the vacation they took to a distant place, this blog can provide that creative outlet.
A how-to blog can allow students to help each other online. A student that is good at math can make posts on how to solve certain problems, another student might write a post on how to understand a certain concept taught in the class. There are unlimited ways in which how-to blogs can prove helpful.
How do I Get Started?
Blogging can seem daunting, but it is not that difficult with the abundance of blogging sites on the internet nowadays. If you want to help every student sign up for a blog, you might need to ask for the help of the IT department. The following sites are some good choices to create blogs.
WordPress is the most widely used blogging site in the world. Anyone can simply sign-up and use their templates to create blogs. There is no technical hassle, or anything complicated with this website. It is highly recommended.
Edublogs is a website that allows teachers to create their own blogs to manage their classes. They boast that they have “a ton” of features, themes, and plugins that are geared toward education. If you are a teacher looking to create a blog for yourself, then this website is highly recommended.
Fanschool is a website that allows students can publish in a safe environment moderated by teachers. If you want a space that keeps students safe from the harms publishing works to the public can provide. If your educational institution has decided to make blog posts of students private, then this is definitely recommended.
Conclusion
Blogs fall under the category of social media, but they can prove to be a force for good in the classroom. It can be a source of creative outlet for students that need it, and it can be something fun that students will love to do. Teachers can maintain blogs themselves, or make their students maintain their own blogs. A blog can be for a single project, special interests, portfolios, journalistic in nature, reviews of things, or a how-to blog. Setting up a blog is very simple with the abundance of websites like WordPress, Edublogs, and Fanschool.