A Fantastic Walled Garden

I think there are so many possibilities with blogging besides just creating with the language and working on the writing skills, students can peer review and work on their reading skills as well. I like that it is so quick to start, easy for students to use, they can respond on their phones, at any time, and so it is very accessible. As a teacher, I want to promote student ownership of their learning, let them have a choice in how they show what they have learned and can do, and to be creative as well. it makes it more exciting for me to read their stories, whether they be real or imaginary, and I get to learn more about them personally as well as their needs with the content being covered. Blogging can serve so many purposes, in any level, and is something that can benefit all students, but also the teachers as well because it is another way to assess students in a manner that is more authentic. it gives students more empowerment and hopefully more engagement and motivation in their learning.

This tool is amazing, specifically for blogging, because each post must be viewed and approved by the teacher before it is able to be viewed. My 5th grade students were able to navigate the site with ease. I found that students were eager to respond to each post. I hope to use this resource again. I find it helpful for facilitating discussions.

This is an excellent teaching tool but it does require some set up and tweaking to get all of the preferences to your specifications. Students will need guidance at first as the interface is initially a bit cluttered. Same goes for the teacher interface, largely because there are some many settings and options. Don't let this discourage you, as we have had great results with Kidblog.