Classroom Technology: Blogging - The New Literary Journal (Page 3 of 4)

You need to consider the access your students will have to blogging technology before you require them to make one. I have been very lucky that in my classrooms, I have always had several computers (this is the bonus you get for agreeing to be the Yearbook Adviser). So I could give my students time to work on Internet-based assignments during class without changing our routine at all. If you are not as lucky as I have been, then consider your options. Can you take your students to a computer lab once per week to work on blogging? How about a portable laptop cart to bring into your classroom every week? If you have regular computer access at school, you can make blogging work. Even if you have to use this tool only once per month, it can still be a valuable skill for your students to learn.

You also need to think about how much Internet access your students have outside of school. If you can only get to a computer lab once per week or once per month, what will you do for the students who are absent on the day you have scheduled your computer time? Do most of your students have regular Internet access at home? How are the public library facilities in your area? Personally, I have always felt that if we are truly going to prepare our students for life in college and/or the “real world,” we need to expect them to be able to get access to the Internet. They may whine about it, and their parents might even complain to you; but stick to your guns. Not having your own computer is not a valid excuse for never using one, in my humble opinion. You will have to decide what is best for you and your students on this issue, though. Keep your expectations realistic, but stay firm.

Before you use blogs, you will need to spend a little time teaching students how to set them up. I recommend using a computer lab with an LCD projector set-up, so you can demonstrate how to sign up for and create a blog and have your students work together to build their blogs as they go.

Decide which format you will use for your classroom blogs. You should have all students use the same blog creation site, to avoid confusion. This way, you can show them how to create their blogs all at one time, and they will all do it the same way. Also, if a new student joins your class late in the year, you can create a “how-to” document to guide them through the process individually.

Show your students the web site and have them work with you, step by step, to create a blog. You may even want to use one student in each class for a “guinea pig,” and have them create their blog on the projector screen as the rest of the class follows along on individual computers. Allow students to choose their own blog title, URL, and background decorations; but provide guidance so that they know you expect their blogs to be entirely school-appropriate.

When you finish your demonstration and all students have created a blog, you can pass around a sheet of paper and have them write down their blog’s URLs for you so you will be ready to grade, when the time comes. You may need to repeat this process using the projector when students are ready to create their first blog post, as they may be unfamiliar with the process of doing that.

If you have never used a blog before, you should practice by setting up your own blog before you try to teach your students. Experiment with trial and error and use the FAQs or helpful hints from your blog creation web site to help you. The best part about this is that now you will have a blog for your classroom! Use it to post homework assignments, link to web sites of interest, and assign extra credit. It would be especially useful to use your own blog to post the assignments you want your students to create on their blogs. If you want to see an example, feel free to browse my classroom blog here. I set it up in a few minutes, and I have found it to be very useful.