Our resource: The blog!

It is not necessarily the tool itself. It’s how it is used and for what purpose.

How could you implement the use of a blog within the classroom?

* To engage the whole class in online conversations. This could consist of providing feedback, reflecting on what has been learned, the teacher or students posting learning challenges, recording highlights of lessons and sharing resources.

* Blogs can provide students with a new avenue for communication. They can provide us with a tool for opening discussion outside the classroom as well as in it.

* They can give teachers and parents new ways of assessing what their child is learning and where their interests lie.

* To communicate with parents about what their child has been learning at school and involving them in their child’s school life.

* To facilitate reflection or revision of work.

* To give children the opportunity to build on relationships and interactions outside the classroom.

Classroom blogs can take on many forms, depending how they are structured.

Here are some examples of existing classroom blogs:

Year 5 at Napoleans Primary school

Year 3 at Bletchley Park Primary school

Year 4- The classroom connection

Year 1 at Point View school NZ

 

“One of the hardest things for a teacher to do is to treat students differently.” (Johnson, 2009)
Blogs are an excellent tool to use for differentiation. They are able to be edited, a variety of media can be added to them, they promote reflection and the opportunity for students to write for a purpose, as well as display information in a variety of ways suited to them.
Blogs are highly motivating to students. Their work is published to a large audience and can be commented on by a variety of people. For example: experts in the field, parents and peers.

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