Best Practices in Educational Blogging

So you are ready to take your students to the next level and  have them blog in the classroom?!

 Before you begin, on your exciting adventure of collaboration, discovery and synthesis, there are some best practices to consider:

Norms and Guidelines for Blogging: Begin by clearly explaining proper online forms of communication. Introduce students to blogging by having them read other blogs and evaluating exemplary blogs. What do they notice about the blogs? What is included and what is not included? At this point it is important to have a discussion about appropriate blog topics, language used and your district's AUP, or Acceptable Use Policy. In addition, if you have students that are 13 years or younger, you must also address COPPA, Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Safety Issues: As an educator you must decide whether your student blogs will be private or available for all to see online. ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education has established standards for 21st Century teachers. One of these standards includes creating collaboration and communication in the classroom via virtual means. Blogging is an excellent tool with which to achieve this standard, but must be done with caution. It is imperative that when a student creates a blog that contains personal information, privacy protections are placed on the blog. Blogs can be set up to be viewed by invite only. If the blog does not contain personal information, it can then be made public, to be viewed by individuals around the world, encouraging relevancy and collaboration.

Bullying: To ensure safety and to prevent possible bullying, it is crucial that educators read student blogs on a regular basis and address any misuse issues immediately. Ideally, bullying and safety topics are addressed as a preventive measure when introducing the concept of blogging, and the school's AUP. 

Student blogs are a great way to encourage discovery, analysis, collaboration and communication with others around the world! What tips do you have for developing successful blogging in your classroom? I would love to hear your ideas!