Blogging with pupils

some notes towrads a first draft

Getting started

Classroom Organisation

  • 1 computer per child in media room or suite. Idea in someway, you probably need to give each child some space, their own blog or category. 33 posts on the same topic does not always make an interesting blog.

Advantages: children can have a greater sense of ownership and autonomy, make personal contact to other individual bloggers through comments. Disadvantages: consuming of class time a whole session in the suite may be needed for all children to post or even to comment on another classes blog.

  • Whole class blogging with projector, this can be a shared writing type of activity with class working together to create post (this could review learning or be an example of a type of text etc).

Advantages: Children who are less able writes can be fully involved, you only need one networked computer, a good way to introduce blogging to children. Disadvantages: Need a projector, some children may become disinterested if this is to frequent an activity.

  • Designated individual bloggers. In advance, to schedule or ad-hoc.

Advantages: Children have individual ownership of post. Disadvantages: They may be a tendency to favour the more able pupil, pupils miss out on main class activity. With shift to more whole class teaching there may be less opportunity for this to happen.

  • Designated paired bloggers. In advance, to schedule.

Advantages: mutual support, democratic if a rota is used. Disadvantages: less able pupils may just sit in for ride (this may be a good thing, exposing them to good practice etc)

  • Blogging as homework, need to ensure all have opportunity
  • Blogging ‘outside’ classroom, children may be able to be supervised from afar, chance to concentrate improve. Opportunities to dally may occur.
  • Children my leave classroom to blog under supervision of another member of staff. I’ve been done this successfully, pairs of bloggers from four classes meet in media room to post about previous days events and learning. It removes organisation and support needs from classroom teacher but may distance class from blog as it is separate from the rest of the class activity.