Blogging in the Classroom

10 More Ways to Use Blogs in the Classroom

1. Introductions and Internet Safety!: Invite parents and students to your blog in the beginning of the year to better know who you are. Then, assign each student the task of creating a blog and posting about themselves. Require students to comment on their peers' blogs. This leads to an excellent lesson about privacy online and appropriate online communication.
2. Role Playing: Have students take on the historical role of a person or a group of persons currently being studied in class. Provide prompts to be used for weekly blog posts. Require peers to comment on posts. Students will not only develop analysis and evaluative skills, but also discover that their voice is relevant, as they begin to see views of their blog from around the world.    
3. Extension to Twitter: After students have tweeted about an article or event, have students evaluate and create their own response and better develop critical thinking skills.
4. Classroom Rules: Teacher creates a blog post regarding classroom rules and expectations. Link a survey relating to desirable rules and expectations.  Invite students to post responses and participate in survey. Post survey results on blog.
5. For the Joy of Writing!: Students are rarely given the opportunity to simply write! To encourage the delight of free writing, have students blog once a week on any subject that interests them.
6. Tips for New Students: A great way to encourage student reflection and for the teacher to assess her year, is to have her students create a blog for next year’s incoming students. This blog could include tips for how to be successful and how to enjoy the new academic year.
7. Flipped Classroom: After reviewing required content, students can show comprehension by applying and analyzing their newly received information by responding to a teacher provided prompt. 
8. Encourage Greater Community Involvement: Have students blog about highlights of their school: achievements, awards, contests, and have them invite school board members, administrators or school district members to read their blog.
9. End of the Year Assessment: Have students create a blog that showcases their best work throughout the year. Encourage students to reflect upon their work and explain their choice, and perhaps changes that they would  like to make in retrospect. Have their peers comment on each other’s blogs.
10. Cross-Curricular Alignment: Create a grade level blog that is used for a variety of content areas. Have one teacher from each content area post their weekly happenings. Encourage students to see connections between different content areas.