Educational blogging tools are ideal for promoting communication within the educational system.
How Educational Blogging Tools Can Change the Classroom
A valuable learning experience is one that results from a strong network of teachers, students, school administrators, parents, the local community and the rest of the outside world. The internet blog is one of the most powerful tools available for educators to establish and support such a level of communication.
Classroom Web Blog
Using blogging tools, a teacher can set up a single web page consisting of multiple blogs. These blogs can serve several purposes, including providing students with assignment information, questions and answers, classroom announcements, and assignment results.
Real-Time, Real-World Feedback
Educators use student blogs to provide feedback about writing from the general worldwide population. This approach allows educators to teach students about the value of constructive criticism; how to accept such criticism and how to improve writing skills based on such feedback.
Community Updates and Information
Teachers and school administrators utilize blogs as a public relations tool. For example, they keep parents and the community updated on special school activities, sporting events, fundraisers, or other activities that require the active support of the surrounding community.
Student Collaboration
Blogs are an ideal collaborative environment for groups of students to conduct research or to complete large projects together. A blog project provides students a place to communicate with each other and to develop results in a "living document." It also allows the teacher insight into the development process students' use.
Tools Available For Teachers to Use Blogs
A number of educational blogging tools are available to make the classroom blogging experience as easy and painless as possible for both the teacher and the students. The technology of blogging is occasionally overwhelming but with the right tools, teachers easily incorporate blogs into all aspects of education. Additionally, since there are a number of free blog options available, using this technology doesn't have a significant impact on a school's budget.
Blogger.com
Blogger is a simple and easy-to-use web blogging tool owned by Google. Blogger integrates with Google so that you can use the same Google user account credentials.
Using Blogger to create a blog is extremely simple. In three easy steps, the blog is immediately ready for updating. The steps are simply:
- Create an account
- Name your blog
- Choose a template
Because it is so easy to set up, a Blogger account is ideal for students to get started on their very first blog.
Chart of Other Educational Blogging Tools
| Tool | Website | Cost | Customized for Education? | Major Features |
| Edublogs | edublogs.org | Free | Yes | Easy to use, customizable themes, tutorials |
| Blogger | blogger.com | Free | No | Easy Setup |
| iWeb | apple.com | Must buy iLife | No | Highly customizable, beautiful themes, many features |
The Future of Blogging in Education
Educational blogging has the technical capacity to change how education takes place in the classroom, assuming that the culture of various school systems and communities embrace this new tool. With appropriate blogging tools and safeguards in place, web blogs are a powerful and integral part of the educational experience. Used wisely and effectively, they greatly enrich the learning process.
