I've seen some excellent examples of authentic learning using blogging with elementary school students and I've seen some really bad ones as well. I've put up links to some of them (only the good ones!) to give you my thoughts on what constitutes good use of student blogging. When I am evaluating a blog for elementary students, I consider how it's being used. I like to see writing that includes all subject areas. I like to see teacher directed prompts or assignments that relate to the curriculum, are thought-provoking or are an extension of classroom learning. The class blog,
Blogical Minds, is an excellent example of authentic classroom learning using blogs, podcasts, and wikis. It has some outstanding student products created by fifth grade students. Another good fifth grade blog is
Mr. Brune's Fifth Grade Class that also includes wikis. Mr. Brune clearly connects his classroom learning with the blog.
Although I can see how powerful using blogs with elementary students can be, as an administrator, I can also see some areas for concern. My school is located in a fairly affluent section of our city and, while nearly all of our students have internet/computer access, we do deal with some issues unique to affluent schools. Our parents are usually quite involved in their children's education--volunteering in classrooms, helping their children with homework (sometimes a bit too much), attending school functions, and supporting the teachers in their classroom needs. However, they are also quite protective of their children. They live in gated communities and are very concerned about anything they perceived may put their child in danger. This is definitely a consideration that would need to be worked through before presenting a classroom blog to the parents. Care would need to be taken that student identities are not available. time would need to be spent making sure that parents were comfortable with the use of blogs and that the teacher was keeping student safety at the forefront.
