How to Use Blogs in the Classroom

Blogs are a great tool to use in the classroom and there are a number of ways teachers or students could use blogging. The teacher may find that creating a class blog, where the teacher can publish assignments, resources, and keep the students and parents up to date about the happenings in the classroom, is much easier and more useful than passing out papers. The teacher could also have the students post their writing assignments to the blog. Students in clubs or on teams could create a blog informing their fellow classmates about their organization.

Before setting up a blog, it’s important to set guidelines and expectations, not only for your students, but for you and the blog, as well. Check with your principal for a written guideline, as some schools may not allow pictures of students on blog pages or they may require you to get parent permission before posting. Research other classroom blogs, so that you can get a clear idea and examples of what you want your blog to be. It’s important to remember that blogging isn’t something that can only be used in an English class to improve writing, but also as tool that can be used across the curriculum. Before having your students post, review the rules for plagiarism, as well as your rules for blogging. As stressful as blogging can seem, it’s a fun way to help improve your students’ writing.

Good luck and happy blogging my fellow teachers!