Many thanks to Ms. Orozco for her willingness to be a guest blogger on our blog. We truly appreciate it and can't wait to try out our own class blogs!
~Maggie and Laura
Class blogs can be of great use in engaging students, and fueling their success in and out of the classroom. I personally first started using a class blog in 2014 with my Geography students. I had already tried several blogging platforms for personal use, such as Tumblr, Blogger, and LiveJournal, but while initially impressed with their features and overall look, had since become disenchanted, when I stumbled upon WordPress. WordPress did have a learning curve, and I continue to learn new ways of interacting with it, and leveraging its tools, but it is well worth the time and effort because of all the customization you can do with it, and all the features available.
I created a class blog with the following features that I used and absolutely recommend to anyone just starting out with a blog:
- Create a “Documents” page, where I uploaded any and all handouts given to students in class, for easy access (this saved students on a number of occasions!)
- After class, create a post sharing what was discussed in class, and any YouTube videos shown, as well as the homework assigned
- When students form groups for working a class project, post names of students in groups and assigned task/topic on the blog (for privacy reasons, I put only students’ first name, and last initial) for easy reference later
- Extra credit! This was a great way to get students using the blog often. I would randomly post extra credit opportunities (usually articles that expand on the lesson, followed by a related activity and/or questions) on the blog). The rule was, I would not announce it in class, so they had to be paying attention, because any extra credits I posted on the blog, must be turned in within a week of being posted.
The class blogs I created were used with my 9th graders. However, if you are teaching lower grades, class blogs can still be a great communication tool. By sharing your class blog with parents, they can keep up to date and in the loop with what’s happening in your classroom. You can include any documents or resources that may be of use to them as they help their child study at home, as well as showcasing student work.
For inspiration, here are a few of my previous blogs:
If you’re just getting started and need a little help, YouTube has many tutorials to teach you the basics. Additionally, WordPress has some articles on their website about how to get started.
Author Bio: Amanda Orozco has been an educator for the past six years, teaching students ages 5 to over 50 both in the US and abroad. She is inspired by the way technology allows educators to work smarter every day, and seeks to provide materials that make technology more accessible and applicable to the classroom.
Comments
Post a Comment