Would you like your students to become bloggers but you have concerns about student safety, the learning curve, or finding a reliable free blogging service? Worry no more!
Use a Safe Blogging Service Designed for Schools
TechnoBlog has the blogging resources you need to transform your students into responsible bloggers using the service Kidblog. Designed for schools, all blogs are private and can only be viewed by approved users. Step by step instructions guide you through setting up a class blogging account. Recommendations for how to use classroom management tools to moderate posts or comments and control student profiles are provided. In addition, TechnoKids offers free curriculum support if you have questions.
Integrate Language Arts with Technology
The blogging activities transform your students into bloggers. They engage in the stages of the writing process by planning, organizing, writing, editing, and publishing their posts. Using the first person narrative style they learn how to express insights, advice, and opinions appropriately. Sample posts, blog starters, brainstorming activities, and planning sheets are included with TechnoBlog.
Be Responsible Digital Citizens
Digital citizenship is emphasized throughout the activities. Students engage in an online blogging community responsibly and safely. Through a series of activities they learn how to be personal, but private; truthful, but not hurtful; and opinionated, yet respectful. Blogging guidelines, blogger’s pledge, commenting advice, comment starters, and digital footprint bulletin board materials are just some of the resources included with TechnoBlog.
Gradually Build Skills
TechnoBlog has lesson plans that are designed to teach your students how to blog. Your students acquire the basics with an introduction to the blogosphere and blogging terminology. Next, they complete brainstorming activities to get their creativity flowing. What follows is a sequence of creative writing activities that help your students gradually develop the skillset to blog and comment responsibly. Assessment tools such as checklists, blogging rubric, and commenting rubrics help teachers evaluate learning.
Meaningful Creative Writing Activities
Christa Love, author of TechnoBlog, piloted this project with 80 grade 7 and 8 students. Students wrote a series of posts related to a topic of their choice as part of a creative writing unit. She comments on the experience:
“The transformation in behavior and quality of work was fascinating. Students quickly realized they were writing for an audience of peers. However, they adjusted slowly to the realization they were experts and had valuable knowledge to share that others did not know. Seeing them become producers of knowledge, instead of just consumers was rewarding. Over time, the quality of writing and comments became better as they learned how to express themselves appropriately using social media.”