Blogging

=[|Mrs. Huston's Class Blog]=

Five Great Articles About Using Blogs in the Classroom:
[|Blogs, Blogs Everywhere: Does Everyone Need an Internet Journal?]

This article suggests that the "real power of blogging" is not in the audience but in the writer. Whether the audience is moved by or learns from the information in the blog, the writer, who prepared, reflected, revised, edited, and finally published, has gained power as a writer. Having an instant audience creates anxiety which leads to better thinking by the writer. By using blogs, we can give students the power to write for an audience.

[|Blogging Is History: Taking Classroom Discussions Online]

I loved this article and have a thousand ideas swimming in my head about how to utilize the information I read. The article shares how an eighth grade teacher in Missouri created a book discussion blog for his students. The blog enabled his 300 students, their parents, other staff members, and students in a California school to discuss __Guerilla Season__ by Pat Hughes.____ This in itself sounded like a wonderful way to encourage students to read and respond to literature, but to make it an even richer experience, the author was invited to join in the blog as well. Students were able to ask questions about all aspects of the book and get immediate responses from the author. Sure beats writing letters to the author and waiting months for a reply.

[|All the World's a Stage: Teaching Through Online Journals]

Another great article! This one gives a brief overview of some of the ways teachers have utilized blogs. Blogs can be a communication tool for parents and students; some teachers use it as a weekly newsletter, and others post daily or weekly assignments. Blogs give students an outside audience, and some teachers have utilized older students as writing mentors through the blogs. Senior citizens or other adults can also read and comment on student writing.

[|Blogging Options for Educators]

I've been using Blogger.com in my classroom the last couple of weeks, and so far, it's going pretty well. The students are eager to be our weekly bloggers, and every week we learn something else that we can do with the program. This article shares other blog options for educators and gives the pros and cons of each.

[|Blog Basics]

Teachers who are thinking about starting a blog will find the information in this blog useful and to the point. The author points out the benefits of blogging along with the risks. The functions of blogging in the classroom, namely classroom management, collaboration, discussion, and student portfolios, are defined. Teachers will also be reminded of what needs to be done to prepare themselves and students for this learning opportunity.