We all love blogs. They expose us to new and amazing things. I can travel the world through one blog, learn how to cook a gourmet meal through another and discover the newest trend in fashion through yet another. The world of blogs is endless, and education can capitalize on the unique platform it provides. There is the amazing resource of knowledge that I already mentioned, but the educational possibilities of blogging go far beyond that. Giving students the opportunity to learn through blogging empowers them in many ways. Blogging allows students to express themselves, be creative, process content, and collaborate with their peers (Abdul & Tasir, 2020). Blogging can also build confidence and critical thinking skills. Beyond the curriculum, it leads to important discussions on digital citizenship, cyberbullying, and internet safety (Ottenbreit-Leftwich & Kimmons, 2020). Click below to learn more about teaching digital citizenship.
There are many ways to incorporate blog writing across the curriculum. Students can journal and make observations about their science experiments. They can write stories and book reviews for language arts. Students can interview veterans or grandparents for social studies. The possibilities are endless. Blogs are also a fantastic way to track progress. Allowing students to see how much they have improved from the beginning of the year to the end of the year by scrolling through their posts builds confidence in themselves as a learner and in the content area. Click below to get some great ideas on how to get started blogging with your students.
References
Abdul Kadir, N. I., & Tasir, Z. (2020). Students’ Perceptions and Information-Sharing Patterns in Learning Authoring System Course through Blogging. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 15(19), 187–199. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i19.10950
Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. & Kimmons, R. (2020). The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook (1st ed.). EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/k12handbook
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