Blogs - the forgotten topic

I realized that after blogging for an entire semester, I never covered how I feel about using blogs in the classroom! Let's change that now.

I think that blogs can be an incredibly useful tool for the classroom - and there are so many possibilities. Blogs could be used to have the class communicate - think about the shy kids you don't hear in class. Blogging could give those students an opportunity to share their opinions and get their voices heard. This class discussion online could also serve as a form of assessment - what did the students get out of your lesson? By reading their responses, you can tell who grasped what and who may need some more help. Blogs could also get the students interacting with each other. Class communication is so important, and blogs could certainly help facilitate that.

I wanted to see how real classes were using blogs, so I did some googling. Here are a few examples I really liked.

Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog - link below

Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog - This teacher shares what the class is up to - including guest speakers, projects, and more. This could be a great way to keep parents involved. Each student also has their own blog, which are listed on the side.

Youth Voices - link below

Youth Voices - This blog is a place for students and teachers to discuss topics across several categories via podcasts, videos, and blogs. It's a nice way for students and teachers to learn from each other.

There's obviously a lot more blogs out there to see and learn from! Here's where I got these from. Go out into the digital world and explore! You may be inspired by what you find. I feel that blogs are an amazing way to transform learning. There's so much you can do with them and they're extremely motivating for students. It gives them a real audience - they'll feel like real writers, knowing their writing will possibly be read by people all over the world. I will definitely be incorporating blogs into my classroom in the future.

Are there any educational blogs you love? Share them with me in the comments.