Blogs

A **blog** is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning //to maintain or add content to a blog.// Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

=Teacher Blogs=

Homework
For years there have been web-savvy teachers who posted their homework on a website for their students and parents. This can still be done with blogs, and with many services teachers can post assignments daily with no knowledge of html, css, rss, and other random combinations of letters.

Keep Parents in the Loop
Of course parents often like to know more about what's going on in your class than just "Do #s 2-106 on page 42." A teacher's blog could become an online newsletter that discusses all kinds of notable events such as units, scans of student work, field trip information and permission slips, and more.

Virtual Inservice
Many teachers have decided to use their blogs as a forum for sharing their views on educational psychology, technology, and so on. Other teachers have the power to post comments in each others' blogs or even write larger responses in their own blogs. The result is a series of conversations where teachers share their knowledge and experiences with each other where everyone comes out better informed at the end.

=Class Blogs=

This week in class, we...
Some teachers encourage students to work as a group on a single blog, resulting in a sort of online newspaper where different students work on different articles. Knowing that their audience is now not just the teacher but the entire world, students often end up going above and beyond what they would ever do if they just had to submit a report, two pages, double spaced, MLA format.

Student Work
Along the same lines, each student could have their own blog where they can post their assignments. The teacher and classmates could then comment on each student's work, providing concrete evidence of class participation.

Share the achievements, learning & successes that your students are having in your classroom. Parents and relatives from overseas can view and comment on learning taking place. This is also a great way to celebrate the great things that are happening in your classroom.... no longer will students be able to say to parents that they did "nothing" at school today!
 * Celebrate and Share Class Learning & Successes**

Use your blog to network with other schools within the country or across the world! Perhaps you could exchange mascots/toys via mail and then use your blog to record all the amazing things they get up to on the other side of the country/world. Great to encourage writing and digital photo taking.... plus you would have a REAL audience (the other class!). Students could also find out more about the other students in the class... do they have similar likes/dislikes/hobbies etc.
 * Networking**

=Why students //shouldn't// blog:=
 * 1) People will read it.
 * 2) People might not like it.
 * 3) They might share test answers with others.
 * 4) They might be found by a child predator online
 * 5) They might write something inappropriate.
 * 6) They might find something inappropriate.
 * 7) They might get other students to start blogging.

=Why students //should// blog:=
 * 1) People will read it.
 * 2) They might like it.
 * 3) They might share what they've learned with others.
 * 4) They might participate in a collaborative learning project.
 * 5) They might become inspired to learn.
 * 6) They might inspire others to learn.
 * 7) They might get other students to start blogging.
 * 8) If they don't talk in class, they might on a blog.

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