Classroom Blogging

We found several resources this week on the topic of blogging. Rather than reading our long narration, pick at least two of the following articles and read more!

Inspiration to blog: How & Why teacher's should blog
New to blogging? Be sure to read this guide to blogging terminology.
Great example of Classroom Blog rules>
Kindergarten bloggers? You better believe it! One teacher explains the benefits to blogging in her kindergarten classroom
More inspiration- One teacher's blogging success story
Practical blog advice on building an audience

Blog Tools for Teachers

1. Blogger - Free blog platform through Google. If you have a Google account, you have a Blogger account! This is a tool that can be turned on with Google Apps for Education, so if your district has Google Apps already, this would be a great choice. Highly customizable; no student management on regular blogs.

2. Kidblog - Free service designed for teachers to use with students. E-mail addresses not required for students and teachers can reset student passwords.Powered by a limited customization of wordpress. While the user management features are nice, there is limited customization of the blog appearance. Extra credit* for someone who can tell us how Kidblog is funded since there are no ads and no upgrade options.

3. Edublogs- Easy blog to create with many customization options. Some options are limited to the pro version ($40/year). With paid version you can manage your students' accounts. Also powered by Wordpress.

*Extra credit is worth as many points as regular assignments :)