Student Blogging

Our first Tech Talk is about the one thing I’m passionate about: BLOGGING.

Student blogging is one real way for students have a voice. I have used Kidblog in my classrooms for the past 3 years (in Grade 6, Grade 3 and currently in Grade 1). Blogging gives students an authentic audience. More than just their teacher who usually reads their writing, anyone can read what they write. It gives students a reason to write - for others to read it, to others to learn from it. Not only is this space for students to write, but you can include (embed) art projects, other classroom work, Educreations and voice clips of reading (to name a few). These blogs have become an online portfolio that allows me as the teacher, as well as parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) to see student growth.

One of the best features about student blogging, is that as the teacher I still control everything that gets posted. All student posts come to me first to be approved and any comments that come in, must be approved by me. I love this, to ensure nothing inappropriate gets posted. I haven't had any issues or spam yet, but it's a great safety net. If you'd rather allow everything to go through without your approval, you can set that feature as well. Check out these step-by-step instructions from Pernille Ripp to help guide you through this process.

To read more about my thoughts about blogging, check out my personal blog post or  listen to my interview from Mark Carbone here.

Need some inspiration?
Check out this list of various blogs Kathy Cassidy put together to get an idea of what student blogs can look like:

Primary Blogs (3-8 years old)

Junior Blogs (8 - 12 years old)

QUESTIONS? THOUGHTS?
Please ASK! Leave a comment or message me (@jennivanrees) or others on twitter. We'd be more than happy to help you through the transforming power of student blogging!

Welcome!

How do you feel about using technology in your classroom? Scared? Wary? Intimidated? Please don’t be scared or intimidated - just be open to try something small on a regular basis. 

I’ve created this blog for you. I’ll suggest new topics, apps, technology tips, etc. that you can try in your classroom. You can start small and see how it goes. I’d like this blog to be open to your questions and input so that we can learn together. It want it to be practical to your learning needs and your students’ learning needs as well.

Before we start I want to clarify one thing. Technology is only ONE tool for learning. It is NOT the ‘be all and end all’ of learning. Using technology can change the way you approach some learning expectations in your classroom. It’s a great way to connect and collaborate with others globally, but once again, it is only ONE tool. You need to planned and purposeful with your learning goal in the forefront. Technology may help in your classroom, but it’s not everything. Please don’t think that technology is more important than learning, it’s just another route to get to our learning.