Thing #3

WOW! There are so many uses for a blog in the classroom. I'll just share a few of my favorites.

In my classroom, I like to use a blog linked to our classroom website to keep parents up-to-date on the happenings in our classroom. I send out a weekly newsletter, but also make the same information (presented on the blog by a student helper) available on a blog. I haven't actually gotten this started this year, but I have used it successfully in the past. Even if parents do not get a hard copy of the newsletter, they are still able to get the information. Many are appreciative of the extra effort made to keep them in the loop.

One way that I would like to use a blog in the future would be to present some of the ideas I have for the classroom. There are so many things that we can do for each of the very different areas of the classroom (instruction, materials, storage, etc.). I think it is very important, as teachers, to share our ideas and help others as much as we can. There is always a chance we might stumble across something that might be extremely helpful for us as well!

My favorite way to use a blog in the classroom is for writing. My students are really excited about getting to write blogs for their writing assignments. In the beginning this just means they are taking the stories they have written and are posting them, but then they realize that others have posted and they can read what has been written. Further into the process, we will take the stories and work on editing our writing. Students can work with partners and proofread, edit, and offer new ideas for writing pieces. I find it's a great way for students to share their writing. The best part for them is that they can read them at home if they don't get the chance to at school!