Thing 4: Introducing Blogging in the Classroom

Jeff Utecht on The Thinking Stick shares some very useful ideas for introducing students to blogging without restricting what they can or cannot put on their own blog site. Providing access to a fifth grade classroom teacher's blog,Room 227, with additional access to student blogs, examples are available to share with students who often need models to get started. Jeff uniquely addresses the overwhelming use of widgets that students find cute for a time, and asks them to consider their own favorite websites and what exactly they find on these websites that attracts their attention and brings them back. As Jeff advocates allowing students to discover what does and does not work on their own, students retain ownership and pride in their own blogs.