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BLOGS

What are they?

A blog is a place where you can post information and have other people respond to it. A blog is constantly changing. You post a question, idea or link, and others respond to it. It can have almost any feature a regular webpage can have, like pictures, audio and video, but even better, you can add interactivity to it by letting others comment on your "musings." A new blog is being created every second!

What Can I Do With It?

You can have TEACHER blogs or STUDENT blogs, or both. One of the COOLEST things I have heard of is The Guerilla Season BLOG. 8th grade American History students at South Valley Jr High in Liberty, Missouri read Guerrilla Season by Pat Hughes. Teachers got together and posted discussion questions about the book online, which students responded to. Then, the AUTHOR posted as well! Very cool!

Some teachers are posting questions online and requiring kids to respond to them for credit. Others use them as online file cabinets to keep handouts, lesson plans and other teaching items where they can get at them- from any computer that has Internet access.

Some teachers are using BLOGS as online portfolios for kids. Kids post their writing, other kids can comment on it. They can show improvement over time.

Other teachers use a BLOG as a class portal. It's where you'll find the syllabus, course curriculum, class rules, handouts, homework, rubrics, handouts and presentations.

Blogs are great places to journal write, write reflectively and to publish creative writing for an audience to see.

An art teacher could post photos and have students comment on what kinds of elements it took to create the photo. A gym teacher could have kids log in and discuss how they kept physically active each day for a week. A science teacher could introduce a unit on Cells and have kids post everything they know about them to get a baseline where the class is at.

School committees and groups can archive minutes, continue dialogues, share links and store documents and presentations.

Examples of Blogs

1. Mrs. Spitler's Blog Homework on Teen Obesity
2. Anne Davis' 5th graders learned about writing through the use of a blog. If they can do it, so can you!
3. Speaking of History: Speaking of History is a podcast and blog maintained by an 8th grade American History teacher in Missouri who attempts to use technology to enhance the curriculum. And he does a great job of it.
4. SMS Library Book Blog (new)

How Can I Get One?

Blogger: You can train on Blogger for free at Atomic Learning. Ask for the password.