Use of blogs in the primary grades can be tricky. For example some of my students can write sentence after sentence on their assignments and others have difficulty writing the words why or can. Based on their varied writing and reading levels it would be very difficult for ALL of my students to contribute to a blog. If I had a classroom that had enough computers to accommodate approximately five or more students I would use blogging to help with differentiation. I would have my advanced students who constantly finish their work early go over to a computer and blog. I would have discussed with them in advance that their comments must be appropriate and that they are only to provide the information necessary to answer the questions asked. I would use prompts such as "What did you learn from today's reading lesson?" or "What is something that you would be interested in learning about?" By asking students what they learned today I can see if they are actually learning anything or if the information is so easy that they are no longer learning anything. Differentiation is also easier to do if I know what the students' interests are because then I can use that as way to hook students in.
Another way I could use blogging with my students and get their parents involved in the learning process is when doing the Super Student of the week. Teachers often give students a poster to complete with their parents at home and bring back to school the next week. The poster asks a multitude of questions about the student such as their age, favorite color, etc. I could have students and their parents complete blog posts based on a list of questions I would provide instead of posters. This allows students to use technology and allows their parents to become involved. This allows other students and their parents to get to know the other children in the class. In addition to saving paper which is always a plus.
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