Creating a classroom blog
My big question for today is …. Do I create
a single classroom blog where all students can create posts and make comments with me as moderator?
or
one blog for each student linked to my blog but where I have admin moderation control over each student blog?
Can I create these by using edublogs or do I need to do it in learnerblogs? I have looked in the forums at edublogs and the responses are so confusing. Would it be easier with classblogmeister or 21classes ?
Teachers who blog with their students – do you have one class blog or a separate blog for each student attached to a general class blog?
I have about one week left to get myself ready to start with blogging with the students in my new class for 2008.
Hi
I just came from a blog post from Kim Cofino, who writes about this very topic and how she set up an Edublog (but it could have been a Learnerblog) using her gmail account and the option of sub-gmail accounts for setting up students as contributors to a shared, classroom blog.
http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/02/05/students-as-contributors-on-edublogs-the-quick-and-easy-way/
Hope that helps
Kevin
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I started my students from grades 4-10 on blogs this week. You can see the links (which I am setting up)on the RHS once you scroll down a little under the grade level headings. This is still all work in progress. If you goto Hannah she has rather a gorgeous blog up in a few days and Kara has a teenage sense of humour. Nat has already got a page for his digital movies etc. They are all technoteens. I gave each student their own blog space with me as a co administrator. I do not have time to check all mail, comments etc. However, we are a smaller school and will be keeping a watchful eye on them. Some of the older students are developing their own personalities and this could present a bit of a challenge. However, we will monitor and revise with time. I think you have to trust students, teach and advise them as they go.
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Oops!!!Forgot to mention that my students are linked to my blog at http://www.murch.globalteacher.org.au Our principal is commenting on each blog over time and hopefully, form teachers will also comment peridodically.
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Hi,
I use Class Blogmeister with my fifth graders. I have found that I don’t need have the students get email accounts. All they need is the user name and password that I assign.
I also love that fact that they cannot post anything unless I okay it. This includes to each other or to me. I am notified through my email account at gmail when someone has updated their posts.
Also, they have their own blog plus I have mine. I love this feature.
Since, this is my first year working with blogs with my students, I find Class Blogmeister the easiest to handle.
Best Regards,
Pam (PaulPam2)
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I contacted a teacher who uses Edublogs with students and he has been nice enough to write a post on how he does it with his students. Here is his information about setting up blogs with students using Edublogs.
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Hi,
I think class blogmeister has come a long way. When I used it back in 2005 it still had lots of hiccups and not many add ons. Now it looks good. I just started a project with Kim Cofino having our third graders use a class blog at learner blogs. We are just writing our first posts in Word, will paste them in this week. Once we are actively using the blog, I could better tell you whether it is better than blogmeister.
Since blogging is so new to you and your students, I would use one that lets you approve (or not approve) every student post and every comment) so that you can do the gradual release of control on student posts. Even if you have immersed them in reading really good blogs, they are still going to need time to practice posting and commenting. It allows you to honor approximations. It also gives the families time to grow comfortable with having their children online.
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Im starting small. Trying to give the kids a little voice first by having them respond to prompts in a blog. The blog acts more like a discussion board in this regard. I use blogger, public settings, and tell kids to pick a nickname and use firstname lastinitial when they comment. After getting them used to the blog format, will move to having them each contribute assignments in personal blog. Somewhere in there have them blog about non-school stuff so that they can get their full voice. Continually making non teacher voice comments, using conversational tone so as not to ever belittle or “grade” a post.
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Everyone, thanks so much for all this help and replying to my post.
Kevin – I headed straight over to Kim’s site and certainly gave me some clues of how to go about my class blog.
Murcha – I made a few comments on some of the blogs from your students and hopefully, my class might be joining the Global Bloggers site with Kate Olsen. I noticed your class is there as well.
Pam – thanks for the information about classblogmeister. I have decided to go with edublogs for my personal blog and create a learnerblog for my class blog. I will be administrator and students will only be able to comment first off, then write posts which I will publish and then if very keen interest shown, negotiate with student and parent to have an individual blog.
Sue – thanks for the link to Al’s site. It was easy to read and certainly verified a few things in my mind about what I was going to allow or not allow with the students in my class.
Susan – your comment is very much how I feel at the moment – start small and gradually allow more rights as they show they understand about responsibility and internet safety.
Cory – I also think that way now – comments from assignments I set, then gradually a post of their own topic not necessarily related to school.
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Hello
I think the 1st one coz it sounds a little more fun from a students point of veiw. I would like to get my own blog.
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