Parents
As a teacher I believe it is important to transform instruction in order to better prepare our students for the lives they will be living in the future. The way people are learning, communicating, and working has changed dramatically during the expansion of digital technology. While I am not savvy when it comes to social media, I am striving to learn about it's uses and applications in the classroom.
Despite my lack of experience, I will be delving into blogging with my students, building my skills as well as the skills of my students.
I have used a classroom blog in limited ways in the past, and I am hoping that I can expand on that this year.
Despite my lack of experience, I will be delving into blogging with my students, building my skills as well as the skills of my students.
I have used a classroom blog in limited ways in the past, and I am hoping that I can expand on that this year.
Why blog?
Students will only be identified by their first name.
Posts written by students are checked by Mr. Balke before they are published on the blog.
Posts will not include personal details about students such as addresses and family information.
All comments submitted have to be approved by Mr. Balke before they are included on the blog.
Parents who leave comments are asked to use their first name only so as not to identify their child.
All students must abide by the blogging rules that we have established as a class.
- Blogs are great because you can share things with a wide audience. Instead of just the teacher seeing the students’ work, all of the parents can view the work and leave comments. Having a blog helps to strengthen home-school partnerships and build a sense of classroom community.
- Using blogs is also a great way for students to improve their ICT (information and communications technology) skills and get experience using an emerging technology.
- Students improve their literacy skills while blogging and it a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about appropriate online behaviors.
Students will only be identified by their first name.
Posts written by students are checked by Mr. Balke before they are published on the blog.
Posts will not include personal details about students such as addresses and family information.
All comments submitted have to be approved by Mr. Balke before they are included on the blog.
Parents who leave comments are asked to use their first name only so as not to identify their child.
All students must abide by the blogging rules that we have established as a class.
BLOG Jargon
Blog: Short for “weblog”, a blog is a website that is like an online journal which is regularly updated. A blog is made up of a collection of posts. Each new post that is published moves to the top of the blog. Readers can comment on blog posts. Blogs often contain pages too.
Post: These are found on the home page of the blog and contain a title and text. Some posts also contain photos, images, videos, slideshows and links to other sites. Posts sometimes end with questions for readers. Readers are encouraged to comment on posts.
Page: You can find pages at the top of the blog (on some other blogs, they might be on the side). Pages contain static information that doesn’t change regularly such as information about the blog.
Comment: Comments make blogs come alive! They allow the blog to become an interactive space where people can connect, converse and offer their thoughts and opinions. The administrator of a blog moderate and screen all comments.
Category: When posts are written they are usually put into a category. This helps people find collections of posts on topics that interest them.
Post: These are found on the home page of the blog and contain a title and text. Some posts also contain photos, images, videos, slideshows and links to other sites. Posts sometimes end with questions for readers. Readers are encouraged to comment on posts.
Page: You can find pages at the top of the blog (on some other blogs, they might be on the side). Pages contain static information that doesn’t change regularly such as information about the blog.
Comment: Comments make blogs come alive! They allow the blog to become an interactive space where people can connect, converse and offer their thoughts and opinions. The administrator of a blog moderate and screen all comments.
Category: When posts are written they are usually put into a category. This helps people find collections of posts on topics that interest them.