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EDUBLOGS

Page history last edited by Jennifer 11 years, 5 months ago

Blog Discussion                

 

https://voicethread.com/share/3476760/  Click this link to view a voice thread that takes a tour through basic features of an Edublog.

 

 

 

Advantages

Disadvantages

Free version is ad free as well as paid versions

Classroom control requires a paid subscription $40 per year

Custom domain

Must pay to manage a class blog.

Moderation controls that allow teacher to review all comments and/or posts before they are made

Must choose to review all comments and/or posts before they are made.  You must approve every single one if you choose to review them

Mobile blogging with Apple and Android supported

Students get 10GB of storage space with paid version, 32MB free version.

Embed videos and HTML with upgraded version

May be difficult for some students who have lower computer skills

Email support

 

Can make site private and share with only desired people

May be difficult to keep the students blogging about subjects relevant to class

Forums, threaded discussion, wikis and blogging available

Writing may be more casual than assignments turned in by traditional methods

Access at anytime from anywhere

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does a blog promote interaction and higher order thinking?

 

  1. The process of blogging addresses the problem of “wait time” in questioning. All students, regardless of learning style, have the time to consider the prompt and formulate a response.

  2. Blogs foster interaction between students. They can read and review what their fellow classmates write, which can encourage critical thinking as students defend or refute the comment posts of others.

  3. Students have a way to compare the quality of their comments, form and content, to other comment posts. This provides a interesting twist on peer edit and using student work to model writing skills. 

  4. The blogging process encourages critical reading. Students must learn to carefully read what others have written in order to write meaningful comments.

  5. In addition, students must also learn to read a wide variety of sources in order to write meaningful posts of their own.

  6. Students with limited social and/or verbal skills, and who are often unwilling to contribute original ideas in class, may have a more equal footing in online conversations conducted through the written comment responses on a blog.

  7. The nature of writing comments to a blog post, including the ability to preview your post, encourages self-editing and re-writing by students.  

 

 

How do I use a blog? 

 

Create a Blog for Problem Solving 
Assess and monitor your upper elementary students' problem-solving skills using a special blog you create for this purpose. Post a weekly challenge, like a riddle or brainteaser, that requires your students to think

creatively in order to find a solution. Ask students to post their solutions on the blog, then discuss the solutions with the whole class at the end of the week. Each week's post and comments will be saved in the blog

archive for later reference. Expand this activity by inviting students to find and share challenges with the rest of the class.

 

Blog Daily Language and Math Activities
Teachers frequently ask students to keep a personal journal where they complete short, daily activities such as proofreading several sentences or solving review math problems.  These activities can be taken

online by posting them as prompts in a group blog and then having students post their work as replies.

 

Collaborate to Create an Online Study Guide
Students can work collaboratively to build an online study guide using a group dialectical blog journal. Frequent posts to the blog build documentation that serves as a reference when it's time to prepare for

a quiz or exam. As you cover material, post prompts that ask students to explore important concepts. Then redirect students to earlier prompts and group comments when it's time to review material.

 

Challenge Students to Write Prompts
Once students have journaled for a period of time and are familiar with the kinds of prompts you provide, invite them to create prompts for the class and use these prompts whenever possible.

 

Outline Online Etiquette
Invite parents and students to help you develop a list of guidelines for online etiquette when using a blog. Compile the top 10 ideas and post them on your blog.

 

Create a Blog Tutorial
Challenge your students to write, record, and post an online tutorial explaining to their parents how to use the blog. Use free tools such as Wink (www.debugmode.com/wink/) or VoiceThread.com

to create the tutorial.

 

Meet the Author 
When reading a work written by a contemporary author, invite the writer to interact with your students using a blog. Ask students to brainstorm and post questions and comments about the text

for the author to respond to. Depending on interest and the author's availability, this can range from a one-time week-long Q&A to an activity that extends throughout the time you're reading

the text in class.

 

Create a Class Compendium
A compendium is a summary or abridgment of a more extensive topic. Have students work in small groups to write and post summaries of content covered in class to build a compendium for

content covered over a semester. Entries may be reviewed and edited by all class members. When finished, students will have study guides for exam review.

 

Blog-Pals 
Enlist a teacher at another school who is willing to have students blog with your class. Identify an instructional unit or activity you'll be teaching at the same time such as a weather study or

reading a specific book. Take turns posting activities that students from both classes respond to online. Encourage students to comment on posts from other students.

 

Web Site Links
In addition to the static and dynamic information you post on the blog, adding links to content areas or research Web sites can be helpful. Make a list of the sites you want substitutes to use

and add them to the links area of your blog.

 

 

 

 

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