Getting+Started+with+Blogging

Lyn Hilt, ELANCO Blogging is a fantastic way to encourage your students to publish their writing digitally to share with an authentic audience. Through blogging, students will not only enhance their writing and reading skills, but will practice essential elements of digital literacy and citizenship. Learn how to get started using the very friendly and safe platform Kidblog with your elementary students, as well as explore other blog platforms (Edublogs, Wordpress, Blogger). We will also look at the benefits of blogging for teachers and administrators and ways to engage parents and the school community!  media type="custom" key="24594776"
 * Room ** : 106A
 * Presenter: **
 * Audience: K-6 **
 * Description ** :

1) What is a blog? Why blog? Who should blog?
 * Blog definition
 * Blogs in plain English []
 * Why blog?
 * Develop communication skills
 * Great platform for reflection
 * Communication tool - two-way communication encouraged
 * Writing shared with an authentic audience- students want to put their best work out there
 * Digital citizenship and digital footprint building -they are in control
 * Collaborative opportunities and Global connections
 * Who should blog?
 * Students!
 * Teachers!
 * Administrators!
 * Parents!
 * Types of blogs
 * Classroom blogs
 * School blogs
 * Student blogs
 * ePortfolios

2) Platforms to use
 * [|Kidblog] - free accounts for classrooms and kids; easy to use; many protective features in place; embedding options; links to Google accounts
 * [|Edublogs] - free accounts for teachers and students; easy to get started with use; excellent customer support; designed for education use only, so no exposure to other blogs with adult content - [|see comparisons here]
 * [|Wordpress] - highly customizable and feature-rich; a learning curve to get started
 * [|Blogger] - integrated with Google Apps; easy to use, many templates available; some districts block this platform due to possible exposure to other non-educational blogs

3) Setting the stage/getting started
 * Determine the purpose for your blog - what are some various ways of using blogs in the classroom/school? [|Check out the results from Sue Waters’s survey on educational blogging] (2012)
 * Silvia Tolisano Resources here [] -Scroll down to RH side menu stepping it up: Learning about Blogs for your students
 * [] -- all of the sections listed here
 * Her blogging unit plan is also on the RH side menu - an excellent resource!
 * Student introduction
 * Purpose, methods, tie to the learning - [|Great commenting tips with student video] from Mrs. Yollis’s class
 * Teacher modeling is important! Skills must be taught and practiced! Consider [| paper blogging] as an introduction.
 * Parent education - one idea is to host a [|Family Blog Night]
 * Sue Waters is another go-to resource for all things blogging; Here are some resources to help teachers get started- challenge yourself! []

4) Points to Consider Before Beginning
 * Accounts and passwords - who will create and manage accounts? What levels of access and permissions will teachers and students have?
 * Student blogging guidelines/district policies - ours developed from this list [] and [|other examples here]
 * Sharing permissions - will readers need to sign in to read posts? Comment?
 * Approval processes for posts and comments - do posts go through the teacher for approval before going “live?” Comments? Will students moderate? Teachers? Both?
 * Tip: Set up and use a Google Reader/other RSS reader feed to keep track of the feeds coming in so you can devote some time to commenting and sharing student work!

5) Blog Uses/Examples
 * Student reflective writing and portfolio development
 * [|http://www.psdblogs.ca/graminiastudent/]
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 * Home-School Communication (from classroom)
 * [|http://blog.elanco.org/jmuhr]
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 * Home-school communication (building-wide from principal/office)
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 * Personal reflection
 * Pernille Ripp - [|Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension]
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 * Principal-staff communication []
 * [|Moving to a staff blog post] from principal Scott Elias
 * Organization for staff PD []
 * Other examples: [| Edublog awards list 2012]

 **Additional Resources** I highly recommend everyone read **this series of posts from Silvia Tolisano - Learning about blogging //for// your students** - with the focus on the teacher as reader, writer, learner. View the slide set here. Graphic organizer with this info here.

 [|__Blogging Framework from Silvia Tolisano__]  - ideas for student “blogfolios” uses K-6 __ [|B] logging Unit__

 __ Stepping it up: Learning about blogs for your students __

__ Blogging Skills, Not Tools Graphic __

[|__Thirteen Thoughts on Student Blogging__] [|__Getting more out of student blogging__] [|__Blogging with students__] __ [|14 steps to meaningful student blogging] __ __ [|20 ways to think about your class blog] __ __ [|Blogging is the new persuasive essay] __ [|Blogging] [|Blogging as Portfolio Creation]  - __ [|Student example] __ [|Digital Portfolio reflection prompts for students] [|Using blogs with students] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #231f20; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">-resources from Sue Waters - <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|all of the resources she shared in her PD sessions here] and getting more out of student blogging __ __ [|Blogging in the classroom] __ __ [|Ideas for classroom blogs] __ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|PhotoPin] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|Compfight__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> and Pics4Learning - free photos for bloggers <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|5 steps to starting a class blog in 2012] [|Educational blogging] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|14 new features in Kidblo]g __  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #616161; display: block; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|How blogging can improve student writin]g [|Six reasons why kids should know how to blog] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|Making time for reflection - lower elementary students] __  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|Think before you post online] __  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|Tips and topics for student bloggers] __  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|Write to learn: how blogging can inspire] [|The Influence of Classroom Blogging on Elementary Student Writing] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: arial,sans,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|Give students a voice: how blogging changes education] [|Blogging commenting rubric] [|Example commenting guidelines] __ [|Preparing students for commenting with wall blogging] __ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #616161; display: block; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 14.399999618530273px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #835ea5; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none;">[|Global classroom wiki] [|Comments 4 kids] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">__ [|My Kidblog settings for ultimate global collaboratio] n____ [|Student Blogging Resources from Pernille Ripp] __ __Many a__ [|dditional blogging resources are located on our Elem. Instructional Tech Blog]