Kidblog Keeps Getting Better

For all those Kidblogging or to-be Kidblogging teachers, in case you missed this announcement, I am posting a link to learn about the new features.  Click on the image below to access the information about the 14 New Kidblog Features. And if you're not using Kidblog, you might start wondering why you're not. We already know blogging empowers students and avails them of powerful ways to communicate, interact, and engage.  Although I don't endorse any individual product, I must say the folks at Kidblog figured out a lot to make blogging safe, easy, and productive for students. Plus, the platform easily creates a community of learners within the classroom as well as outside the classroom, especially as students join with other blogging classrooms. And don't let the name put you off. High school teachers, not just elementary and middle school teachers, have adopted Kidblog for its ease of use and versatility.

A great way to explore how teachers use platforms such as Kidblog is by checking #comments4kids on Twitter. Just enter the hashtag and term in the Twitter search box, and you'll find teachers inviting you to read their students' blogs.

For beginners, Linda Yollis, a long-time blogging teacher, suggests these tips for getting started.

And if you say you don't have time for students to blog, check how blogging meets the new Common Core with this resource:

Digital Literacy Demands of Common Core

In particular, note that "production and distribution" are included in the writing standard. Blogging does both and also addresses collaboration, another skill included in the writing standard.

So will you implement blogging any time soon with students? Why or why not? If you already have integrated blogging, how's it going for students? How are they reacting? Are they meeting the standards noted in Digital Literacy Demands of Common Core?