Classroom Blogs and Blogging Ideas

I am looking for ideas for our K-6 teachers on what they can write about for their classroom
blogs. This is NOT for student blogging ideas, but it is for teachers that have a blog they share
with parents, students, and staff. Please share any examples of classroom blogs and if you
have any ideas for writing in them, please add below. Please feel free to add your twitter name
beside your idea and or blog. Please make them as general or specific as you like.

Examples of Classroom Blogs

Individual Blogs:
Pernille Ripp (@4thgrdteach) - http://www.mrsripp.tumblr.com
David Fleming (@mrdfleming) - http://misterfleming.com/
Angela Cunningham (@kyteacher) - http://blogs.bullittschools.org/iclassroom/
Jill Fisch (@jillfisch) - http://jillfisch.edublogs.org/
Conchi Fuentes (@conchifm) - http://eiris.edublogs.org/
Louise Winsor (@louwinsr) - http://www.eastwood.nsw.edu.au/kinderclips
Not a classroom blog but I just linked my pre-service teachers in - https://sites.google.com/site/
cep452fall2010/ (Ira Socol)
Jennifer Pearson (@mrsjpearson) 3rd grade http://www.pearsonclassroom.blogspot.com
Jan Smith (@jansmith) http://huzzah.edublogs.org
The Smarties (@lisagallin) http://thesmarties2.blogspot.com
Wm Chamberlain (@wmchamberlain) http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/
Mary Kreul (@MaryKK) - http://www.mskreul.edublogs.org
Room 7 Super Scoopers, Dunedin NZ- sharing our current learning, thinking and
activities. Communication and homework via our team wiki page. (@MrsBee12)
Eddie Thompson (@thompseg)- http://mrthompsonsclassroom.posterous.com 2nd grade
Dave Hill (@hilld) - http://hilld.edublogs.org/ info on grade 6 science class
Karla Duff (@teacher6th) http://spottoread.blogspot.com
Kathy Cassidy (@kathycassidy) http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337
Joe Stahl (@jrsteach) http://mrstahlkindergarten.blogspot.com
Sue Wyatt (@tasteach) Kids in the Mid grade 6/7 IT classes
Lauren Lockyer (@LaurenFLockyer) http://bit.ly/1Lblog
Geri Coats @gericoats: http://coatsclassroomblog.blogspot.com 9th grade ELA
Jen Roberts @jenroberts1 http://imdoingmyhomework.blogspot.com/ American Lit -11th grade
Audrey Nay @sandynay http://parents-partnersinlearning.blogspot.com/ Parents-Partners in
teaching and leaning (support and guidance for parents)
http://chteacherlibrarians.blogspot.com/ Long Live Libraries4Lifelong Learning (helping updated
info about libraries reach TLs)
http://www.audreynay.com/ Teacher Talk- Embracing 21C Challenges ( feeding our teachers
with updated learning practices and ideas)
http://favouriteweb20things.blogspot.com/ These are a few of my favourite web2.0 things ( introducing
web 2.0 tools to interested teachers out there)
http://sandylibrarian.blogspot.com/ Latest happenings from Mrs. Nay’s Library (news
about new things happening at school and displaying students work from library lessons)
Pam Thompson @pam_thompson http://thompson67.edublogs.org/ Room 13 Year 6/7 class in
Adelaide
Shane Freeman sorry no twitter account: http://mrfreeman.shorturl.com I recommend google
sites from inside the pages you can Iframe any other blog or wiki that you like. I just discovered
www.posterous.com which allows you to post from your phone via text, picture and video, yes
its that cool. You can even post through email.
Jaki Braidwood (@5_Alive) http://rippleeffect.edublogs.org (Grade 6/7)
Patrick Johnson (@patmjohnson) http://www.mynetclass.com/ (Grade 2)
Paul Gray (@paulegray) http://bit.ly/2GBlog (Grade 2)
Mary Bell Classroom Blog for French I - 5 students

Collections/Directories:
Edublogs’ directory of elementary/primary classblogs is here: http://edublogs.org/blog-directory/
directoryelementary/ (via @butwait) (and folks can add their blog(s) to the directory if they want
to, here: http://bit.ly/2010classblogs )

@pysproblem81’s list of edu-blogs: http://classroom201x.wordpress.com/teaching-links/

teaching-blogs/

@cybraryman1’s list of edu-blogs:

http://cybraryman.com/blogs.html

Classes taking part in the bi-annual student/class blogging challenge - Sept. 2010

Category - Student Discussion

1. Ask students a question about a classroom event that is happening and what are some
suggestions they would have for the party. Encourage discussion between students so
they can come up with an idea. (@gcouros)
2. Have a quote of the day that reflects your values - ask for reflection comments and how
it affects their lives.
3. Allow students to preview upcoming topics by posting an outline, some weblinks,
preview video, etc on the blog. Encourage questions, comments and further relevant
links contributed by students as well. (@DaveDodgson)
4. Ask students to share about a previous assignment that they loved (at any age) and
describe a bit why this assignment appealed to them (@FifeWOW).
5. Ask students to imagine that they are a teacher. Have them describe their classroom
(environment, lessons, assignments, etc...) (@FifeWOW)
6. After reading a story, section of a book, post comprehension questions or prediction
questions. Have students post their response and then have them reply to three others.
(@MrMacnology)
7. Interview an expert and publish the video. Invite other people to the discussion. (@gret)
8. Create book trailers or reviews. You can share your recommendations with the world.
(@gret)
9. Invite other people to your class discussions by using Wallwisher. (@gret)
10. Have students share what “they”are experts on, How to’s or How to do’s What I know...
(@nesredna1234)
11. Pose questions about the book you are reading aloud in class to have a discussion
 about the book- reading response blog online! (@kelalford)
12. Use an image as a writing prompt (I use the Ed Tech 365/2010 group on Flickr).
Primary students write one sentence (or more) based on the image. The BEST part?
Providing the link to the post to the creator of the image so they can read (and hopefully
comment) on what my students are saying (@nsharoff)
13. Students map out their digital footprint and then blog about the necessity to be aware
about this. (@briankotts)
14. Have students create blogs (videos, glogs, wikis) of them teaching topics they are
learning about in class-to be shared with fellow students, parents, etc. (@kmhmartin)
15. Have students create an Animoto for classroom hopes and wishes (@4thgrdteach)
16. Facilitate an all-class conversation about how things will go in class during the year...
then write it up, share it out, & invite comments. (e.g. http://mskreul.edublogs.org/2010/
09/06/class-contract-2010-2011/) (via @butwait)
17. Have students discuss, compare, contrast, and critique primary source documents.
pictures and videos. Have students read and generate the questions for each other.
(@Folmerica)
18. Discuss being internet savvy, including use of mobile technology (@tasteach)
19. Discuss the importance of using links when writing on the net (@tasteach)
20. Ask students to students provide feedback about a field trip (@thetechieteach)
21.

Category - Making home connections

1. Share upcoming events in the classroom and invite parents to be a part of the session.
(@gcouros)
2. Discuss something from class, an event in history, a science experiment, a story you are
reading, and ask a question for parents to weigh in on. Get their ideas. Help make them
contributors to the learning as well. (@MrMacnology) Share the parent reflections in
class as part of your lesson. (@katyvance)
3. Create a post asking parents to share successful ways they are encouraging learning at
their home. (@FifeWOW)
4. Ask parents for their feedback on your teaching, certain lessons that you taught, how
their child is responding to school/you. (@theteachinggame)
5. Create a post asking families to share information about who their children are - as
people and as learners. Attach a link to a Google Form which the teacher has created
to gather this information. Then the data would be collected in one place so that the
teacher could easily view and consider it from time to time during the school year.
(@Fife WOW)
6. Post a video a week of a student interviewing another student or teacher-student
etc. I did video posts with a homebound student with cancer. It helped her to
not feel so isolated. (@jmholland) ps. maybe this should be a google form?
7. Post direct student quotations, with or without students name depending on your
school’s policy. The first day of Kindergarten was..... This Thanksgiving, I am thankful
for..... This Christmas I would like to give Santa..... This could also be done in a
voicethread and shared with a partner class, then they could give their ideas to the
project. (@jmcmcmahon)
8. Share the topics currently being addressed in class, and ask parents for real-life
 applications of those topics from their experiences. Ask for volunteers to come in and
share their experiences. (@acmcdonaldgp)
9. Post an Animoto, Photopeach, or VoiceThread, etc., and ask parents to leave a
comment sharing what their child enjoyed the most about the activity. Encourage
parents to watch the slideshow with their child, so that they can talk about the events
together. (@grade1)
10. Post your weekly newsletter and if something went super well in class that day, also you
can have parents ask their students a specific question about their day (@4thgrdteach)
11. Try posting support links that students can use at home to practice the skills being
taught in class (@thompseg) Students can comment about their experiences/questions
12. Write page about blogging in the classroom - parents to leave a comment to show they
have read and understood it (@tasteach)

Category - Celebrating classroom success

1. Share any pictures or videos of classroom success and have parents and students
comment on the day, (@gcouros)
2. Display best of students’ projects on the blog - either uploads of computer/web-
based projects or scans/photos of paper-based projects. (@DaveDodgson)
3. Publish a Voicethread. Students can describe their projects and parents see them
too. You can also encourage parents to comment on their kids’ work. (@gret)
4. Maybe a weekly (Fridays?) reflective post celebrating that week’s successes
- big and small - as seen through the eyes of the teacher. (@FifeWOW)
5. Display student work and not just the best of the best but a good sampling to show value
of all students (4thgrdteach)
6. Posting work that exhibits the “quality” you hope for others to produce. Discuss what
makes the work excellent. (@thompseg) Allow for students to give praise for their peers
efforts.
7. Students have different roles regarding the blog - Joke teller, Safety Tip, Reporter,
Photographer - have input to blog weekly about classroom happenings. (@tasteach)
8. Post a podcast/radio show about classroom/school events (@pam_thompson)

Category - Other?
1. Blog about their changing pedagogy or teaching practice. For early childhood teachers:
how play fits into their classroom, or how parents can help children develop early literacy
skills at home (@mrsmaley)
2. How teachers use art, music, drama, etc. in their classroom. I have found that posts on
using art in the classroom have been very popular on my own blog.(@wmchamberlain)
3. Blog about Edtech topics and experiences for attendees of your PD classes.
(@kellysmith6)
4. Building on @mrsmaley’s point, share the research you are reading which is currently
informing your instruction and discuss the connections between the current research in
your field and the way you are teaching. (@katyvance)
5. Write about what is going on in your life and how it changes your views on education,
students or life in general. Students and parents get to know you and your students see
that you write about daily life, too! (@kelalford)
6. Share what you are passionate about learning. Ask for reader comments about what
 they are passionate about. Use this with the kids to help them identify a passion of
theirs. (@acmcdonaldgp)
7. Use the Blog as a Learning to Learn Tool. What do they find interesting about
HOW they are learning what they are learning, what observations do they have
about the challenges they faced - how do they overcome them etc (@theavanos)
8. Use Wikipedia to expose the benefits of critical thinking by analysing, reviewing and
editing posts. (@briankotts)
9. Share a slideshow of a classroom activity that demonstrates a student teacher in action.
This informs and reassures parents and is great for the student teacher’s portfolio.
(@jansmith)
10. Write a letter to your class about your hopes and dreams or what you learned
over the summer; show them you are human - and excited (@4thgrdteach)
11. Let the whole blog become the learning hub of your classroom. Link to others. Connect
with others. Demonstrate through the @replies in your comments that the blog is a place
of dialogue.
12. Use your classroom blog as a node of connection to another group (or groups)
of learners. (See one class challenging another to a kind of math duel, here:
http://cnps2.edublogs.org/2010/09/06/mathletics-challenge/) (via @butwait)
13. Use your blog as a place to reflect on your own journey as a learner (e.g. http://
taylorslearningblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/on-our-way-to-becoming-learning-school.html
)