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Blogging with students

The blogging genre is, although a more public medium for writing and publishing, I would argue a more informal style of writing. Bloggers typically write about the thoughts, opinions and discoveries. For students (and teachers!) this style of writing can be liberating. I also think that blogging also allows small glimpses of personality can shine through, whereas in many academic forms of writing this is discouraged. That is not to say that blogging work is not as polished, but I feel because of the authentic audience, there is more consideration for allowing ideas to float and evolve through audience engagement and feedback. I personally find blogging an instinctively natural genre!

Why blogging is suitable for the engaging students:

• Blogs can mould to a variety of uses and audiences of uses
• Form part of a journal style presentation for an individual
• Can be frequently or infrequently
• Can be presented in an informal or conversational style
• Can incorporate a range of commentaries
• Can integrate a range of tools including video, audio, text, pictorial through embedding
• Can draw together a learner's online presence into one spot through rss feeds and plugins

• Blogs can be used as e-Portfolios to present student work
• Reflection of learning activities as part of an assessable journal
• Class portals - learners can access class work, homework, resources, feedback and announcement platform
• Public face to the classroom - display what is produced in everyday classroom activities, student achievements, goals, involvement in projects either offline or online
• Encourage collaboration between two distance schools/institutions
• Blogs invite comments from others which can then stimulate conversations, debate and reflection

Blogs of Note:
So lastly I have done a little investigative work and selected a few classroom or student blogs of note. Most of them are lower primary but hopefully I have made up for that by pulling together some international examples. I have also tried to find a range of blogs which use different tools and plugins and blogs where the teacher has set up the space for slightly different purposes and audiences.

Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (Canada)
Tools used: You Tube, Audio messages using Vocaroo
 
Wojtera's Words (USA)
Tools used: Looky Book, Voicethread, Shelfari

Year Two Blog (UK)
Tools used: Teacher Tube, weekly "blogstar" featured , Follow the adventures of Sam the Class Tiger
  
Little Voices (NZ)
Tools used: Capzles, Blogger video, FeedJit Live traffic feed
 
Mrs Toa (China) -
Tools used: Google Translator plugin, Photos fed through with Picasa, Flip cameras, Blog roll
 
Mrs Millers 10 Classroom Blog (USA)
we read, we think, we discuss... we post
Tools used: Due dates calendar, Google Reader RSS of interesting things to read, Wiki plugin
  
2M Gems (AUS)-
Tools used: Skype, Google maps, Voki, yackpack

So, do you have any student blogs from sectors other than school that you have come across? Do you have any great examples to add to my list? What do you feel are the benefits or disadvantages or students blogging?Feel free to leave a comment!

Tags: bloggingcorner09 students blogging corner blogs
Posted at 01:21PM Feb 24, 2009 by Alison Hall  |  Comments[0]