Blogging with Students

Kid Blog is a free blogging site and it is safe and simple to use. Kidblog requires a login and password from both the teacher and the students. All posts and comments are moderated by the teacher. I have used this with my fourth graders and they quickly learned the ins and outs of the site. There are so, so many uses for student blogs. I had students respond to situational problems, they posted book reviews and shared their own topics of interests. One teacher in a nearby district has students post their final draft writing so others can comment and give feedback. The uses for blogging in education are unlimited.

Of course there is much to teach here, and since this new digital genre is here to stay, it is worth teaching students how to blog and comment well. The first thing we did was to examine other quality blogs, especially ones written by children. Next we came up with rules for blogging, which provided a great opportunity to discuss digital citizenship. 

We also watched a few videos made by students in Mrs. Yollis' class. Mrs. Yollis is a teacher in California, whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting in person, but I have learned much from her through my Twitter PLN. A big thank you to  Mrs. Yollis and her students!

Learn more about teaching students to comment well.

So, why blog with students? Here are just a few reasons.

Blogging is learning
Blogging is teaching.
Blogging is written communication.
Blogging is reading.
Blogging is interactive.
Blogging is engaging.
Blogging gives us a voice.