Creating a Blog

Blogging in the classroom has many benefits to students and teachers. Dunmire (2009) states that blogging is a useful tool as it has the potential of linking teachers to their increasinly iternet-connected students.Blogs allow families to acces their student's learning at home and students are able to share their learning with a real audience. Thus, motivating and enhancing their engagement in their school work. Students feel they have ownership of something with in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers do not need advanced ICT knowledge to teach blogs because blogging is all about trial and error. Blogs can be used for communicating with parents, reflection activities, students can write about a particular part of the day and experiments the class has conducted can be posted. Below is a PMI chart showing the potential of blogs in primary classrooms.

Plus	Minus	Interesting
-          Motivates students -          Students can set a goal and write about their progress -          Allows students have more control of their learning -          Reflection activities -          Students become independent learners -          Improved ICT skills -          Meets needs of all learners -          Students can teach each other	-          Blogs may be viewed publicly -          May not contain factual information for student research -          Difficult to mark -          Takes longer	-          Normally quiet or shy students may open up when blogging -          Peer editing -          Only able to upload certain files

References:

Dunmire, B. R., (2009), Blogging in the classroom: the state of the field, United States Military Academy: West Point, NY
Glencoe, (2005), Teaching Today, retrieved from: http://www.glencoe,com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47/
Priceless Teaching Strategies, (2008), Priceless Teaching Strategies, retrieved from: http://www.priceless-teaching-strategies.com/student.motivation.html
Zaka, P., (2012), Opening your classroom to the world, retrieved from: http://educatingthedragon.blogspot.com/2011/12/opening-your-classroom-to-world.html