Using Blogging in the Classroom

I currently teach 4th grade and my mind immediately turns to how can I use blogging in my current classroom. I think that there are so many ways I could turn blogging into a useful tool. My kids would be so excited to use a blog, hopefully soon I can implement one of these ideas.

First, I think how blogging could work as a class portal as Richardson discusses in his book. By creating a class portal, all of the classroom information would be available to students and parents alike at the convenience of any internet connection. This could include student expectations, rules, homework, reminders etc. The possibilities are endless. I think that this would especially come in handy if parents wanted to check what their student's homework was for the night.

A second way I could see using blogs in my classroom is for homework assignments. Not only posting what the homework is for the night, but posting the assignment and having students virtually turn in the homework. I beginning to think of a paperless classroom! (ahhh how nice that would be!)

Another idea that I had would be to have students complete writing assignments via a classroom blog. I think that students would be excited about having a published writing assignment where their classmates could comment and respond to their thoughts. I think in my 4th grade class I might have it geared toward a controversial social studies topic such as "Do you think that our New York State government is running an effective state? why or why not?" This would allow students to post varying opinions and use evidence to support their writing. Also, students could respond back to one another.

This assignment would hit many New York State standards for both ELA and Social Studies. I believe that this would include all of the New York State ELA standards, which include:

Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

Also, the Social Studies Standards that this would include are:

Standard 1

History of the United States and New York

use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 5

Civics, Citizenship, and Government

use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.