I'm honestly surprised it's taken so long for me to make a post about this, especially as I've been updating my own blog all this time. Blogging is one of the best ways of implementing ICT education into classes. With so many great platforms out there offering free (or in some cases paid) hosting, domains and a variety of customisable features, setting up a school or class blog is a solid first step in developing children's digital literacy, particularly in KS2.
Boys Writing is something many teachers struggle with, and blogging has proven to be a great way to both engage boys in writing, and to improve the quality of their work. Having children post and comment on their class blog grants them agency and empowers them to take control of their learning; feelings of dis-empowerment have, in my experience been a major contributing factor in turning children (particularly boys) off certain subjects. The comments system in place on most blogs also allows children to self and peer assess, as well as work on communication skills, and grants a genuine audience for the children's writing, so that their writing for purpose really does have a purpose. Lastly, through collaborative blogs such as Quadblogging children can develop their skills in working as part of a greater team, and have the opportunity to work.
Of course, granting this level of control and freedom to the children can have its own risks, as allowing them to comment and work on the blog outside class means that as teachers we must be able to trust the children to be safe and sensible. Publishing on the internet to an audience that hasn't been, or cannot be as easily vetted is something that must be done with caution, and any blogs must be moderated carefully to keep the class safe. This does however provide a great segue into talking to children about E-Safety and educating them about the perils of online social networking.
I'm currently using the free blogging tools provided by Weebly, but have had great experience with Tumblr and Blogger in the past. Below are just some of the many great, free blogging platforms online:
Boys Writing is something many teachers struggle with, and blogging has proven to be a great way to both engage boys in writing, and to improve the quality of their work. Having children post and comment on their class blog grants them agency and empowers them to take control of their learning; feelings of dis-empowerment have, in my experience been a major contributing factor in turning children (particularly boys) off certain subjects. The comments system in place on most blogs also allows children to self and peer assess, as well as work on communication skills, and grants a genuine audience for the children's writing, so that their writing for purpose really does have a purpose. Lastly, through collaborative blogs such as Quadblogging children can develop their skills in working as part of a greater team, and have the opportunity to work.
Of course, granting this level of control and freedom to the children can have its own risks, as allowing them to comment and work on the blog outside class means that as teachers we must be able to trust the children to be safe and sensible. Publishing on the internet to an audience that hasn't been, or cannot be as easily vetted is something that must be done with caution, and any blogs must be moderated carefully to keep the class safe. This does however provide a great segue into talking to children about E-Safety and educating them about the perils of online social networking.
I'm currently using the free blogging tools provided by Weebly, but have had great experience with Tumblr and Blogger in the past. Below are just some of the many great, free blogging platforms online:
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