Starting a Classroom Blog with Blogger

My students in the design classroom are on a roll with 'Blogger' as our classroom blog for writing warm ups and also a place to share ideas and interact with each other online. 

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

I've written a lot about blogging over the years. A classroom blog has numerous applications such as providing a platform for students to share their writing with a larger audience, practice digital citizenship and also create learning networks with their peers, potentially across different classrooms. I have used 'Wordpress' and 'Blogger' blogs have found both have their merits. 

"If we are proponents of teaching writing, why does there seem to be so little authentic writing happening in so many classrooms?"

As schools teach reading and writing skills, I have been fortunate to visit a number of classrooms with teachers and administrators and we often ask ourselves, "If we are proponents of teaching writing, why does there seem to be so little authentic writing happening in so many classrooms?" Of course there are your token worksheets and fill in the blanks but much student work is done merely for the purposes of assessment and students may rarely see the work of others. 

A Snapshot of our Blog's Landing Page

Setting Up a Classroom Blog in Blogger

1. Going to blogger and creating a blog and giving it a domain name. (Your display name can be changed later) 
2. Deciding if your blog will be public or private. This can be done in the settings. In my case for MS students, I have elected for the blog to be 'private' so students can only see each other's writing. I have also invited the parents to be readers. 
3. Invite others to join in the 'Settings'. After accepting they'll need to create a blog to join blogger, but can delete that one later. 
4. Get kids writing! This is a great platform for writing warm ups at the beginning of class, having kids comment on an essential questions and extended writing. 

As Your Blog Takes Shape

• Consider an application to be a blog 'editor'. I have used a form application to invite students to apply and with that, give them the ability to change the layout, theme and install unique widgets. 

ISTE Digital Citizen Standard #2 Supporting By Student Blogging

a. cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.

b. engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.

c. demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.

d. manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.

Related Posts

• What Teachers Need to Know About Student Blogging
• Don't Just Teach Writing, Teach Visual Literacy
• The Genius Hour Chronicles Day 2: Student Blogging