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** Welcome to Blogging Basics 101... **** A Road Map for Student Blogging. **

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** First Stop: ** Benefits of Student Blogging
 * Provides a forum for students to learn effective communication skills
 * Provides opportunities for students to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions
 * Allows students to develop better writing skills, both in content and mechanics
 * Aids in developing better reading skills; improves comprehension and the ability to read critically in a very authentic format.
 * Provides students the opportunity to use Web 2.0 technology as tools for publishing their work

Second Stop: Things to consider...
Having students on the Internet always entails risks that need to be considered. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the concept of digital citizenship. Examine the infographic below to get a better understanding of the risks involved and the need for digital citizenship instruction: Infographic Source: The Spicy Learning Blog

Here are a two sample Permission to Blog Parent/Student Letters:

Third Stop: Building Background Knowledge
(Plan about one week for this phase of the unit)

Introduce students to blogging. Chances are they will know about blogging, but it is important to reveal tips for effective blogging! Begin by showing the BrainPop video on blogging. While most content on BrainPop costs money, this is actually free content on the site. media type="custom" key="9987359" As you are going through this content, have students take notes to use for creating a foldable upon completion of this phase of the unit. Pair students and have them complete the //Compare It// activity. Included below is the form for notes, the Compare It Activity, and instructions for the foldable activity. Student Notes Mind Map Compare It Activity Foldable Activity

Upon completion of this information, have students complete the BrainPop quiz on blogging.
 * Once students have built an understanding of good blog content, introduce the various components to the basic blog. Refer to the graphic provided to introduce the various parts of blogs.

While not all blogs have all of these components, these are some of the basic ones. Today, there are a wide variety of widgets that can be added to make the blog more interactive and to drive up traffic. As students become more proficient bloggers, exploring these options may be a fun venture for them. **Resources:** **Blog Sites to Use:**
 * KidBlog
 * Blogger
 * Edublog

**For additional blog elements:**
 * Blogger Widgets
 * Free Widgets
 * Mashable's 25 Best Blogger Widgets
 * Blogger Tips

**Tips & Tricks**
 * Richard Byrne's Tips
 * How to Use Blogger
 * How to Use Edublog
 * Tips On Blogging With Students
 * Blogging Tips & Tricks
 * Writing Tips & Tricks
 * Ideas for Blogging || [[image:blog_page_display.jpg width="800" height="1411"]] ||

**Fourth Stop:** Getting Started (Plan about one week for research and getting the blog set up; once the blog is set up, allow for another week for blogging and evaluation) Provide students with a list of possible topics for blogging. You could have the overall topic be your core subject area with various posts covering a variety of related topics, or you could provide a list of topics. Regardless of the approach you take, begin with:
 * selecting the topic and initiating the topic research
 * recording a welcome
 * creating a file folder to house research, graphics, multimedia, and links for blog posts
 * setting up the blog
 * students assemble research/multimedia/links for first blog entry
 * students post entries and go live with blog
 * have students comment on two peer blogs along with a question to stimulate further discussion
 * evaluate blog posts/comments using the evaluation rubric

Blogging Basics 101 Rubric

Fifth Stop: Extension
As an extension activity, have students explore adding widgets, new templates, basically adding design and interactive elements to their blog. Also explore the embed process. This will allow students to explore advanced features of blogging. Below is a list of resources to check out: Kids Learn To Blog Using Blogs To Promote Authentic Learning In The Classroom Conneticut Writing Project Classroom Blogging Resources

Contact Me: ann_witherspoon@midlothian-isd.net