Blogging

__// Blogging //__

My blog page: http://cbdegrand25.blogspot.com

Articles on using blogging in the classroom: 1. __Blogs Give Students an Audience__: [] - Discusses how an English teacher inspired her 8th graders, even those performing well below grade level, to write using a blog. Creating a blog was motivational to them and served as an authentic purpose of writing. The students blog various writing activities from poetry to journal entries. They are excited to share their work, read classmate's blogs and even have unfamiliar people reading their work. Because many other people are reading their blogs, they have become much more interested in editing their work, too!

2. __Blogging in Class__: [] - Stresses how blogging is an excellent way for students to express themselves, have classroom discussions, and to stay connected with each other and the teacher when they don't meet or see each other on a regular basis. Several teachers recommend the site Kidblog - http://kidblog.org/home.php to use with your students. It also discusses blogs vs. moodles and notes that students seem more interested in blogs due to the conversations or replies with the world outside of school. The following site is recommended and provides "Teacher Tips for Blogging Projects" []

3. __A Blogging Classroom__: [] - This article points out how students initially treated their blog like a notebook writing as if only the teacher were reading it and how that perception changed over time. Once the students started using their blogs and becoming comfortable with them, they were visiting classmates' blogs, responding to one another, and taking more pride in the quality of their work. They also became more confident in their work, therefore, requiring less confirmation of a job well done from the teacher during independent work time.

4. __Classroom Blog Ideas__: [] - This page lists real examples of blogs used in classrooms. Ideas include various subjects, communication with parents, and several grade levels including elementary.