Blogs Create Digital Portfolios

When considering a blog to implement into your classroom, you may be perplexed on which platform would be best for your students. My first year incorporating blog writing with my first graders, I tried the platform of Blogmeister. This is a blogging platform created by David Warlick. This was created for utilization in the classroom setting. It allows teachers to monitor posts/comments. You can upload images as well as manage student rosters with little ease.
The second year of having part of my writing curriculum centered on blog posting, I learned about a platform called Kidblog. I have been using this platform ever since. It is very similar to Blogmeister but provides a few more options for students when creating posts.
I have even played around with Edmodo as a tool for blogging. However, considering my goal for students posting online, a blog was more suited to my needs. There are probably other platforms that are out there but I have found Kidblog to be the most user friendly and appropriate for my class needs.

How have I used the blog....

1. Pen Pals--I had a pen pal class that used the same blogging platform. My students practiced letter writing, collaborative stories, sharing movies, pictures and much more with their pen pals. 
2. Stories--My students used the blog as a vehicle to share their creative stories. This allowed all my students to read and comment on the stories versus having one student come up in front of the class at a time to share. 
3. Parent Involvement--I encouraged parents to comment on the blog. This created some genuine conversation between students and their parents. 
4. Digital audio/video vehicle--Any digital projects my students created using audio or video programs were posted to the blog. 
5. Assessment--I have posted math questions and students would respond in the comments with their answers. I have also listed an external link for them to view a digital book then use the blog to write a summary or answer questions. 
6. Writing Portfolio--Starting from early in the school year until the end, writing was saved on the blog to allow change to be seen over the course of the year. 

I know a lot of teachers do not really see how they could effectively implement a blog into the classroom. In addition, you might think your students are too young to use blogs. My first graders do a lot of one finger typing but progress so much with their typing skills. I have had great success with this digital tool.

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me.