Planning to use a blog

In this part of the course you plan the ways in which a blog might be used for learning and teaching in your context and share your plans with others. You will also look at a range of blog tools and select the most suitable tool for your learning purpose.

Activity 8 How might you use blogs?

Timing: 1 hour (online) and 1 hour (offline) during weeks two and three of the course (2 hours total)

The objective of this course activity is to produce a plan for the use of blogs in your classroom using the planning sheet [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

8.1 You will need to consider:

how you might you use a blog in your own teaching
the intended purposes for using the blog
the classes or groups of learners might you include.

Go to the forum to share your initial ideas with other participants.

8.2 You need to download the blog planning sheet and, reflecting on what you have seen and discussed so far in the course, complete to show how you will use a blog in your classroom.

Having discussed this with others, complete the blog planning sheet. This planning sheet is designed to help clarify your thoughts on how you might use a blog in your own teaching. It prompts you to consider:

the context of the use of the blog
the purpose of using the blog
the learning gains or learning intentions
what evidence you will look for of this impact.

Once you have completed the planning sheet you should post it in the forum. This provides an opportunity for course participants to offer critical feedback on your plan.

Activity 9 Selecting a blogging tool

Timing: 1 hour (online) during weeks two and three of the course

The objectives of this course activity are to:

develop your knowledge and understanding of the types of blogging tools available
select one that meets your learning purpose.

You may be able to use a blog tool as part of your school learning platform. If so, then speak to the person at your school responsible for this and ask for guidance.

If this is not practical then there are a range of free blogging tools available on the internet. TeachersFirst and Teaching Tips.com provide a list of some of the most popular blogging tools for educators. Alternatively, word of mouth recommendations are also a good source of information.

If you don't feel confident enough to make a choice, then select one of the following blog tools and view the accompanying tutorial.