Instructional Technology
Blogging
Why blog in your class
Although developing good writers is one of the most important roles of a teacher, engaging students to write in the 21st-century classroom can be one of the most challenging tasks. Writing is an essential skill no matter what content you're teaching. To engage the writers in your classroom, research suggests that educators consider that students will be more engaged if writing:
• spans different genres
• supports student choice
• is widely read
• encourages audience feedback
Today’s technology-rich classroom can support the above components through student blogging. Students can blog about any topic or subject from anywhere and send it out into the world.
In addition, today's writing should be very visual, so it is essential to add interactive media elements, such as links to other websites, original graphic design, animation, etc. Students will enjoy finding and creating these interactive digital media elements to their writing. Not only will your students find a new passion for words through blogging, but you will also be rejuvenated by their increased level of engagement.
Finally, check out this article about why students should be publishing for the world!
Application Ideas
Language
Arts
student choice, book reviews, grammar and vocab usage
student choice, book reviews, grammar and vocab usage
Math
reflection, real-world application, problem solving
Social Studies
reflection, commentary, vocab usage, analysis
Science
reflection, vocab usage, analysis, research
World Language
authentic language usage, culture research
Edublogs
Description
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Invite or create a student account in just minutes
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Approve all student posts and comments
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Many options to make blogs private or public
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Leave private comments on student writing
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Monitor progress with detailed user reports
How to use
Blogger
Description
Blogger is a G-Suite app that integrates with your other G-Suite tools. Students can write for an audience and comment on each other's blogs. It is a great way to see the progress of your students' work throughout the year.
How to use
What do students think?
“Blogging is a good idea for students because it teaches kids to write for an audience. When you're blogging, you have to be informative and describe every detail so your audience understands. So, if you blog about swimming, and you want to teach them how to do the backstroke, you have to describe every detail of how to properly do the backstroke so the audience understands. Blogging is unlike other homework teachers assign, because students really enjoy it. We get to pick the topics that we write about, and we enjoy informing our friends about the things we love. Blogging is not only a useful teaching method for writing, but also a fun, informative experience for the students.” ~Ally