Teaching with Blogs
Ideas for Integrating Technology into Established Curriculum
Blogs are a simple way to include technology in more lessons while increasing students' interest in writing.
Web 2.0 has increased the variety of interactive educational tools available to teachers. One of these tools, blogs, is a useful addition to already established writing assignments.
What is a Blog?
A blog is an electronic journal or diary, sometimes also called a web log. Entries are published to the web and can be searched by web browsers. Topics depend on the blogger and can be devoted to a singular topic or a variety of topics. Many blogs permit visitors to post comments to the blogger, allowing for two-way virtual communication.
Software Options
Blogs are created by web based software. There are companies who provide blogging services for free, as well as some who provide fee based development. Most of these are dedicated to providing searchable access to the blog to help increase the blogger’s visitors. This also can lead to much more accessibility than a teacher might desire for a learning environment.
Accessibility considerations for education have prompted some software providers to develop versions specifically designed for educators. Sites such as Saywire and Class Blogmeister provide free and secure blogging options. Teachers and administrators have the option of making blogs available through a site’s services or, in some cases, install the software on a server controlled by the school or district.
Lesson Ideas
Before introducing the use of blogs, provide each student with a rubric of expectations. Clearly indicate that a classroom blog is not MySpace or LiveJournal and their contributions will be assessed in a similar way to other writing assignments. Stress the use of proper writing conventions; spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc. Encourage time to think about responses, perhaps even requiring comments be posted as homework if appropriate.
One way of incorporating blogs is as an interactive comment session. The teacher would post the initial piece; a poem or essay would work well. Then student post comments about the piece. Place a minimum on the number of comments and moderate them for content and appropriateness. Students who are usually shy about responding in class tend to do well when they have the relative security of typing and posting their response.
Another lesson that can be modified is to have students post their initial responses to a controversial issue. Students should be required to post at least one comment to a specified number of posts and moderate their comment session as well. The teacher should also moderate so that heated debates do not get out of control. This enables students to experience how their expression of opinion online affects others.
A third lesson idea is to have students post their own question for others to ponder. Once again, place a minimum requirement for posts both in quantity overall and number of other students for each student to respond. Similar to the controversial issue blog, this one also provides students with the additional experience of how their comments online affects others.
