Elementary Blogging

Well, I'm starting to see more web 2.0 sites getting blocked in my district. PB Wiki (which I used for a project with my kids) is not accessible. I'm looking at some other tools to see how to incorporate them in my classroom.

There are two tools I've seen recently that have different strengths (and weaknesses):

1. Tumblr.com: a REALLY simple an intuitive blog interface. I would LOVE an interface like this for student blogs.

2. 21 classes: Recommended by Will Richardson. The environment has all the controls I would want as an elementary teacher, but they have ads (one teacher was admonishing students to ignore ads on his site for site selling term papers), and the look is not as flexible as I would like (sidebar widgets, etc.) from what I can see.

I still love my edublog, but there is no garden wall there. I'm sure I could get it, if I paid, which is another thing to consider.

0 members like this

Next Post >

Comment by Ellen Pham on January 30, 2008 at 5:32pm: Hi Alice, I am an elementary teacher just exploring the world of web 2.0 technology (I think of it as communication technology) for the classroom. As a novice (!) I've checked through several programs, trying to decipher a workable learning plan for myself. Tumblr has been the only program so far that I could easily, in the same session, get up and running and producing on. It was fun! But I realized it doesn't have the safety controls an elementary teacher needs.

I looked at voice thread today, and if I had access to a microphone, I think I could have gotten up and running on that too.

I set up an educator's account with edublog, and also 21 classes, but then I stumbled into Ning and have been stumbling around, learning but also feeling overwhelmed, since.

Do you have any advice on where to start first?

Thanks,
Ellen