Thursday, September 2, 2010

Edublog vs. Classchatter

Edublog commonly used websites for classroom bloggers.

Edublog features:
  • Share lesson plans
  • Students can share discussions
  • Parents can view blog to stay in touch with what is going on in the classroom
  • Create a class publication
  • Share information, news, links, and more
  • Gain feedback
  • Create a fully-functioning website
Classchatter features:
  • Allows teachers to be in full control of their websites
  • Easy to use
  • Class email
  • Has personal, group, and assignment blogs

Features of a Classroom Blog

  • Posting Assignments
  • Student Roster
  • Posting Pictures and Helpful Videos
  • Classroom Calendar of Upcoming Events/Assignments
  • Class Discussion Threads
  • Links to Classroom Resources 
  • Contact Information
  • Live Traffic feed of Blog Visitors
  • Quick Search Labels
  • Archives of Posts
  • Post Homework and/or Projects
  • Daily Schedules for the Class and School

Examples of Successful Classroom Bloggers

Mr. C's Class Blog
We liked Mr. C's blog because he had a lot of information for the class, but also some interesting features. For example, there was a tool that showed a map of all the visitors who have viewed his class blog. It was also well organized and very user-friendly.

The Greatest Middle School Blog in the World
This was an 8th grade teacher's blog. She used this blog to post assignments for her students. Each of her students had their own blog where they would post their homework or  projects.

Miller's English 10 Classroom Blog
Miller's blog featured the class assignments and was organized in an easy to read manner. There were many links additional resources for the students to research. There was also a calendar with due dates for each assignment.

How to Create a Blog

For a helpful video on creating blogs, click here!


Blogs are free! You can create your own blog by creating an account with such blog sites as blogger.com, wordpress.com, or thoughts.com as long you have an active email account.
They are simple to create. Each blog site will take you through the simple steps of creating your account. Once your account is created, you will "Edit" your blog. While editing, you will create a name, the display, and the format. To add text to your blog, you will "create a new post." This is where your up-to-date information will be added to your blog. Inside each post you can embed or link pictures and/or videos. All text will be automatically saved. once you have completed your post, you must publish the post for others to see it. After the posts are published, your followers can comment on each post.

What is a "blog?"

Teachers and students can share ideas by writing, commenting, adding links, videos, and images, and following blogs. By using this in the classroom, teachers, students, and parents can stay in contact and updated. Students can collaborate ideas and create portfolios. Teachers can create discussion for the students to participate in. It is also a quick and easy way for parents to ask questions and stay informed about their student's curriculum.