Blogger

I was easily able to find this image and just drag it into the blog. You can also upload images from your computer or use your webcam.

Hello fellow teachers. Are you tired of other educators name dropping a laundry list of applications that you "have to try"? Are any of them actually worth your time? Will they help you in class? Or will they just waste your time?

In my class this year we started to use Google Classroom a lot and it went really well. It allowed my grade 6 students to work on their assignments with each other seamlessly both in class and at home. It improved their collaboration and it cut down on the huge stack of marking I usually have piled on my desk.

Now that I am officially a 'techie' teacher, I want to find more programs for my students to use. In the spirit of constructivism, I want to give my students options of different programs they can use in my class.





For my first exploration, I'm going to take on Blogger. Which of course is the program I am using to set this up. My inaugural blog. So Far, it's been very easy to set up. The navigations tools are very similar to the Google programs I'm used to. One problem I'm having is with the layout. The design of my posts looks very different when I create them compared to after they're published. This has lead me to go back and edit this post several times. For future posts/reviews I will be adding links to what I have been able to create using the programs. There is no need to that here. You are looking at my first foray into Blogger. Not bad for my first shot at it.
You might notice that I have a few words highlighted. I was able to make each of these words into a link. Go ahead and click n them. Each one will lead you to a fun video that gives you more information on the topic. Adding links in Blogger is very easy and adds an interesting layer to your work. Blogger seems very straightforward, you can choose if your reads can add comments and if your posts can be found by the public in a search engine. These are two things that will need to be taken under consideration by teachers before letting your students loose on Blogger. I know my students love posting pictures of themselves. Privacy issues will certainly be an issue if their posts can be seen by the general public.

You can easily add images from your webcam,
even sneaky cottage pics.
Just go to the images icon.

Could it be useful in the Classroom? 

This is what really matters. Would this program actually enrich your student's learning. 

I think regular writing is essential for students. I teach in the junior grades and some of my student's have atrocious grammar and an even worse attitude towards their writing. Letting them create a regular blog about whatever interests them might really increase their engagement. Blogs could be about specific classes or could just be an excuse for students to write about their favourite subjects. Students who complete their classwork early could be directed towards their individual blogs. Links to all the blogs would have to be easily accessible. Perhaps on Google Classroom or on a Google Sites Website. That way you as a teacher could dip into the blogs every so often, and students would look and comment on each other's writing whenever they chose, even post comments. A mini lesson on constructive criticism would be necessary.  The built in spelling and grammar check would save us all a few tears as well. 

The verdict...I WILL TRY IT IN CLASS

Will you?