Blogging+in+the+classroom

__**Blogging in the Classroom**__

**Benefits of Blogs:**

There are many benefits to using blogs in your classroom. Blogs allow and encourage students to:
 * have more **ownership** of their knowledge.
 * **continue classroom discussions** outside of the class.
 * allow **quieter students** to be **actively involved** in the class through a different medium.
 * Blogs allow students to have some sense of what they missed if they are **absent from a class**.
 * Blogs allow you (teacher) to **introduce material to your students** in a different manner.

**What makes a good blog:**

Some common characteristics of good educational blogs are,
 * Interactive, not static.
 * Regular updates.
 * Safe and secure.
 * Combination of text, images and links to other related blogs or websites
 * Parental Access

Ideas for implementation:
 * student portfolio
 * debate controversial topics
 * continuing vocabulary
 * online classroom for those who miss class
 * posting site for teacher notes and student responses
 * directory for links and videos
 * data sharing site for science labs
 * school newspapers
 * reflection journals
 * class websites

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 * Links:**

Free Membership:
 * http://www.wordpress.com
 * http://www.blogger.com (free with a gmail account)

Free Trial:
 * http://www.typepad.com

Payed Membership:
 * http://www.edublog.com

Relevant Articles:
 * http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Nov_10/article03.htm
 * uartsassignment2011.blogspot.com/2011/07/use-of-blogging-by-students-in-special.html

Education Blog examples:
 * http://movingforward.wikispaces.com/Education+Blogs+by+Discipline
 * http://edublogs.org/community/#directory
 * http://legacy.teachersfirst.com/content/blog/blogideas2.cfm


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