What's that blog doing in my classroom?

By Elisabeth Arnold Siddle
Language Arts teacher, Milton Middle School
and Katri LaPointe
Business Technology teacher, Milton High School

Last year, we used blogs in our classrooms with great success. Students responded positively to blogging. They appreciated having their writing read by other students, and they liked getting and giving feedback this way.

Online writing and discussions are becoming a larger part of many students’ lives. This was a medium they could understand and enjoy. We encourage other educators to experiment with using blogs in the classroom — providing steps are taken to ensure students’ safety and privacy.
A blog (short for Web log) is a Web site where a person or groups of people write, post pictures, link to other Web sites and insert audio and video files. Blogs can be organized around a common theme or common groups. They create an opportunity for outside readers to interact with the writer.

In our schools, we found that blogs are useful in creating a center for thoughtful discussion among the students who act as both readers and writers. The blogs also give students the opportunity to receive direct — and sometimes instant — feedback from their peers and, perhaps, invited guests from the outside world.

In some cases, we heard more from students than we might have otherwise. The classroom blogs motivated students to write: Sud-denly, their work was out there for the world to read; they tended to make more of an effort because they knew their audience was “real.”

Creating class blogs — Elisabeth Arnold Siddle

SiddleIn my Language Arts classes we practice free-writing to prompts in weekly journal assignments. Journal writing and sharing has always been a favorite of students; it is their chance to write, read and share their thoughts off the cuff without the pressure of writing multiple drafts or of creating the dreaded portfolio piece. So we decided to ditch paper and try blogs.

I let students and parents know what we would be doing.

I felt it would be too cumbersome to create individual student blogs; I also wanted to create a site where student writers could share their writing and help one another. This would add to the sense of community. So I created blogs for each classroom by going to the free blog service at www.blogger.com.

One challenge: Blogs require students to have e-mail accounts in order to set up the blog invitations. Some children didn’t have e-mail or were younger than 13; many services have restrictions for that age group. I obtained permission from parents and used Gaggle.net to get e-mails.

I established strict rules and boundaries for the students in order to maintain a safe, civil environment. They did not include names, pictures or any personal information (such as where they live). I also restricted the environment: Our class blog did not allow people outside our classroom community to comment (except for parents whom we invited). Outsiders could, however, view the students’ writing.

At first, students were timid; some liked it while others didn’t. I started the blogs by writing my own entry and ending with a choice of prompt questions. My entries sometimes connected to conversations from class, curriculum or topics that would interest middle school students. Students would read my entry and choose from a selection of questions. After a few writing sessions — and after receiving a few encouraging comments from their peers — even the most shy students became excited about blogging.

Here was another outcome: Over the years I have seen talented writers scribble away in their journals without ever sharing what they wrote. The blog changed that. It gave all the students the benefit of receiving feedback as well as a chance to read viewpoints and writing very different from their own. Students saw a variety of writing and strong feedback instantly before their eyes.

I regularly checked the class blogs and students’ comments to make sure their writing was appropriate and their comments were encouraging. In the end, blogging created excitement around writing and created a community for feedback. It was fun.

Individual Student Blogs — Katri LaPointe

LaPointeIn my graphic design course I had each student create and publish their own blog; they were free to personalize the design of their blogs. The blogs were used to gather student opinions on my course and the technology used in the school. The blogs gave students practical knowledge in using Web technology. Ultimately it also helped inform the school about technology planning and decisions. Some of our discussion questions — “Do you think technology makes your life simpler or more complex?” and “How do you feel about the technology resources and access available to you as a student at MHS?” — helped students share their ideas on how technology is used — or should be used — in our school. They also wrote about how technology has an impact on their lives.

The blogs were an easy way for the students to create their own Web site. They could choose backgrounds and fonts, add pictures and links and organize how their writing was viewed and stored. Students were very comfortable with this medium — this is how many of them communicate every day.

If teachers out there are interested, I would like to work with teachers to help spread the use of blogs in other subject areas.

We discovered that blogs engage students and motivate them to write. They encourage students to share and interact with each others’ writing. One of the most powerful things about blogs is that the learning and writing does not end when the school day is over. Blogs are accessible from anywhere and can reach anywhere — even to students across the globe. These are just two examples of ways to use blogs in the classroom. Blogs are versatile and can be customized and integrated into any curriculum — whether it be for a short project or an ongoing experience.

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