A Blog Is:

• A website that allows its creator to record information: thoughts, ideas, records, photos, videos, and much more. A blog can be used to track an idea or person chronologically as time progresses
• A website that features entries similar to diary entries and can link to other websites
• Usually presented in reverse chronological order
• Often focused on a specific topic like food, vacations, a person's life experience, etc.
• A way to express thoughts and share them with others
• A way to document a trip, an experience, a journey, etc.
• An engaging and interactive teaching and learning tool

Common Elements of A Blog:

• A main content area with articles listed chronologically, newest on top. Often, the articles are organized into categories.
• An archive of older articles.
• A way for people to leave comments about the articles.
• A list of links to other related sites, sometimes called a "blogroll".
• One or more "feeds" like RSS, Atom or RDF files.

• "Common Elements" & Image Source:  http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging 

How To Become A Blogger:

• Step 1: Go to a blogging website like Google's "Blogger"
• Step 2: Create an account, giving a username and password. Many blogs require having an email account in order to set up a blogging account.
• Step 3: Design your blog! Follow the blogging site's specific instructions for designing your blog. You can import pictures and link to other websites.
• Step 4: Enable certain functions like commenting on your blog so it can be an interactive tool to share your ideas.
• Step 5: Continue to update and monitor your blog. Respond to comments and archive information.

Example Blogs:

• 1) University of Northern Colorado: Bear Hug Club (http://bearhugclub.blogspot.com/) 
• 2) Ms. Cassidy's Classroom Blog: (http://mscassidysclass.edublogs.org/) 
• 3) Everyday Food Blog: (http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com/) 

Want to Get Started?

Here's a helpful tutorial video:

Ideas For Using Blogs In Your Elementary Classroom:

• For Language & Grammar 
• Punctuation Mark Blogs:
• 1) After introducing students to each of the punctuation marks, break students into small groups (3-4). Students will work together to create a blog about their punctuation mark.
• 2) Give students a rubric to follow, describing your expectations: Blog entries should be from the viewpoint of the punctuation mark and should use the specific punctuation mark at least five times in every entry. 
• 3) Assign yourself a punctuation mark as well and show students how to complete blog entries by modeling your use of the blog and your punctuation mark. 

• For Reading & Literature
• Character Study:
• 1) As you complete your read aloud, require students to take notes on their favorite characters. Students can then work in small groups to create a blog about their favorite characters.
• 2) Again, provide students with a rubric to follow describing your expectations. 
• 3) Model with a character from the read aloud. 
• This activity could also be completed for real life people in Social Studies

• For Science
• Phases of the Moon:
• 1) Assign teams of students one phase of the moon. They must research their phase and create a blog entry on our class's blog entitled Phases of the Moon. Students can include pictures, poems/stories, links, videos, etc. to help show their classmates the different phases of the moon.
• The blog can also be used as a study guide before an assessment and students can track the moon's progress in the comments section.

Helpful Websites with Blogging Ideas 

• http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47) 
• 2) ReadWriteThink: Teaching With Blogs (http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-blogs-30108.html) 
• 3) Example Classroom Management/Organization Blog: (http://www.theorganizedclassroomblog.com/) 
• 4) Idea for Creating Your Own Class Blog:  (http://mravery.edublogs.org/) & (http://edublogs.org/) 
• 5) More Ideas: I Love EdTech: Fifteen Awesome Ways to Use Blogs in Your Classroom:  (http://blog.simplek12.com/education/15-awesome-ways-to-use-blogs-in-your-classrooms/)