Classroom Blogs: Step 1

One of the hardest parts about using technology in education is getting started.  You go out, searching through the abyss of the internet, and see so many great ideas (surrounded by a lot of terrible ones).  You immediately want your blog (or website, presentation, etc) to look and be exactly like the ones you see.  So many people want their classroom blogs to be extremely deep and engaging right from the beginning...but they do not function that way.


So, my advice is to start small.  Teach students safety rules while introducing and defining blogs.  Bring them into the blog design...show them great blogs, and come up with ideas on what your class' blog should look and feel like.


Next, teach them how to post comments, and have them write one of their own.  Take it a step further by asking them to have someone from home or another class to comment too.  This begins the community-building aspect of a blog.  Keep in mind that for a blog to be a real place of learning, it needs to be open to the rest of the world.  Protect the safety of your students by teaching THEM how to handle themselves.  Blocking outsiders keeps students from forming an authentic audience!


Remember...it is all about COLLABORATION!