Learning about Blogs

Here are some quick tips to get the most out of your class blog that I have learnt through working with my class on the 2KM Blog. Leave a comment if there are any other good tips that I have forgotten!

• Encourage parents to be involved in the blog and leave comments. It may sound easier said than done but I have found that when students are involved in writing posts they are always keen to go home and show their work to their parents. I have also made this guide for parents so they know the basics of how to navigate the blog Your Guide to Getting the Most out of 2KM’s Blog
• Reply to comments. We usually try to write a reply when people leave a comment on our blog. Ensure you have the “subscribe to comments” plugin installed on your Edublog/Global Student blog so people can chose to be sent a notification email when new comments are posted on the entry.
• Use a variety of media on your blog. I started with just using text and photos but have extended on this to make the blog more interesting and rich with audio, videos and various web 2.0 tools (Voicethread, Wordle, Slideshare etc).
• Build a global audience. An important part of the blogging journey is learning is making connections and comment on others’ blogs as well as working on your own blog. Sue Water’s has a great list of class blogs from around the world on her Edubloggers Blog. This is an excellent place to find blogs that you can make connections with. My class has learnt a lot from the relationships they have formed with their global friends. My students also love checking out where their visitors are from on our Clustrmap. This is a great way to teach geography too!
• Keep updating your blog! While it does take a bit of work to keep your blog updated, it is well worth it! People will not keep looking at blogs that are seldom updated.