1. Blogging in the Classroom
Prepared By: Celine Francisco

2. Learning Objectives
To relate blogging with classroom instruction, administration and management
To set up a blog for teaching purposes and optimize it for better instruction and students’ learning
To determine the educational benefits of blogs, blogging models and special considerations for blogging

3. Learning Objectives
To create a blog post on a given topic, following the best practices presented
To develop a blogging rubrics and blogging plan

4. Blogging Basics
Blog
Website with regular entries (posts) on a topic or range of topics
Like personal journals or diaries; others with a professional focus

5. Blogging Basics
Posts
opinions, links, observations, commentary, reflections, discoveries, tips, announcements, advice, or anything else of interest
Automatically dated, archived, in reverse chronological order
Rich Media
- images, video, photos, audio, and graphics

6. Blogging Basics Blog Writing Standard English
Avoid formal, academic English and ‘text speak’
Tags
Used to identify each post with multiple keywords
For easy searching and retrieving content

7. Setting up a Blog Choose a blogging service. Examples: Blogger.com
Tumblr.com
WordPress.com

8. Setting up a Blog
2. Create an account. 3. Play around a little. Check the dashboard and the ‘front page’. 4. Design your blog using free themes.

14. Essential Widgets Tag cloud Archive Search box
Pages (if using static pages)
Links

15. Educational Benefits of Blogs
Pedagogy
Blogs: excellent for soliciting critique and reflection from students
 Students build their understanding of a topic
 Blogs are excellent for constructivist pedagogies.

16. Educational Benefits of Blogs
Pedagogy
Track the development of a student’s thinking over time
Identify struggling or disengaged students
Encourages students to evaluate ideas, advance positions, and to explore diverse perspectives

17. Educational Benefits of Blogs
Pedagogy Higher Order Thinking Skills: assessment, interpretation, validation, analysis, critique, synthesis, evaluation, creativity, and imagination

18. Audience, Writing and Community Awareness
Writing for a public audience
Making informed decisions on:
Writing (tone, style, length of post, readability)
Content (appropriateness, relevance, interest factor, accuracy of data or reasonableness of arguments, effective communication of ideas)
Presentation (organization, appearance, use of rich media, relevance of media, post frequency, correct grammar and punctuation)

19. Creativity and Flow To express oneself creatively and intellectually
Expose the development of their thinking
Go off on the occasional tangent
Take initiative in communicating new thoughts and discoveries
Certain level of ‘flow’ can be reached

20. Blog Ideas Blog questions or problems
Class blog for students to share their discoveries or opinions on a topic
Class management tool to post announcements, assignment information, feedback, tips
Comment on other students’ posts
Students keep their own blog on a class topic

21. Individual Responsibility
Students take responsibility for their blog.
Publish regularly with engaging, insightful, and useful material.

22. Administration Classroom management or administration tool
Central repository for all class-related information and news
Providing general advice, tips and feedback to the class as a whole
Contains details, syllabus or curriculum information, assignment details, etc.

23. Blogging Models Administration Blog Learning management system
Only the teacher writes blog posts
Class Blog
Learning-focused
All students are authors

24. Blogging Models
Write posts on topics you set (relevant to the class as a whole)
Teacher takes the lead on posting
Students are encouraged to come up with their own posts

25. Blogging Models Individual Student Blogs Learning-focused
Each student has their own blog
Gives students control and ownership over their blogging environment
Can be used as a lifelong eportfolio

26. Special Considerations for Blogging
Choosing a blogging service
Public or private blog?
Navigation (making your way around the website)
Static pages
Blogging model

27. 9 Content Rules (Handley & Chapman, 2011)
1. Define your purpose.
2. Size matters.
3. Write killer headlines.
4. Design with flair.
5. Create momentum. Add calls to action.
6. Moderate comments.
7. Categorize and tag everything.
8. Write the way you speak.
9. Don’t overthink.

28. Scaffolding Student Blogging
The “why?”
What a blog is
Types of posts/comments
Encourage critiquing and reflection
What makes a good blog post?
Choose a catchy title
Add rich media
Blogging – own genre of writing
Express opinion
Put some ‘personality’ into their writing

29. Scaffolding Student Blogging
Importance of audience
Think carefully about tags and categories
Give suggestions
Careful with comments
How you will assess students’ work
Model good blogging
Provide examples
Ask students to review and comment on each other’s blogs

30. How Much Do You Assess?
Setting an upper limit to the number of posts or comments students can make
Asking students to submit their ‘best five’ posts or comments
State minimum expectations for the length of a post or comment

31. Blog Rubrics Content Comprehension Development of ideas
Intellectual engagement with subject matter
Critique and analysis of key topics
Reflection on core themes
Demonstration of creative thinking or approaches
Accuracy of data or information presented

32. Blog Rubrics Communication and Posts Writing / communication quality
Relevance of links/embedded media
Post frequency
Encouragement of community contributions

33. Blog Rubrics Management and administration of blog
Navigability of blog
Design and administration
Organization (use of tags, archives, categories, feeds)
Appearance
Use of enhancements (esp. if using widgets)

34. References
Poore, M. (2012). Using Social Media in the Classroom: A Best Practice Guide. SAGE Publications Ltd.: London.