Student Blogs

This week, we launched our individual student blogs.  In the weeks leading up to our launch, we learned what blogs are from our friends Tim and Moby at Brain Pop.  We read sample student blogs from our learning friends on Twitter.  We also discussed some safety rules and blogging etiquette to ensure that we are being safe and responsible with our posts.  Parents were also informed about our blogging endeavors and had the option to opt out.  

We are using Kidblog to host our student blogs.  I chose them because they offer a free hosting option.  Most importantly though, they have the added security option that enables me to preview and approve each student post and every comment made before it goes live.  

To help facilitate our first blog post, I asked students to write about the top three things their readers would want to know about them.   The students were very excited about having blogs after all their learning.  

I emailed parents the link and invited them to share it with their extended families.  Additionally I mentioned we were launching to our principal.  I was not prepared for what happened next.  Within 24 hours, the comments were pouring in--64 and counting.  Cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, mothers, and fathers were commenting.  My principal even spent her Friday night commenting on every student blog post.  Wow!

Kidblog will become one of the choices in our Working on Writing station.  I know it will be a popular choice and with only three laptops in my room, we will have to work out how we might take turns.  I am excited to see how our blogging year goes.