First blogging steps

The following is intended as a guide for teachers looking to blog with students.

I - Go to Blogger.com and have each student sign up for a blog. They should use their e-mail address as the username. They'll then create a password. Have students write this info down on a notecard.

II - The blog URL should have some uniformity. For example, my students URLs will contain their first name and the class section (NateEnglish9B). The blog title should have the students' first names followed by something creative (Mr. B-G's Bodacious English Blog).

III - Have students e-mail the URLs to you (bgvocab at yahoo dot com).

IV - Create a link list with all students' blogs

V - Have students create similar link lists on their blogs

VI - The next step is personalizing the blog. Students can fill out their profiles (without any identifying info), change their templates, and add gadgets.

VII - As students begin posting writing, you need to make sure they have identical blog post categories. The first piece of writing students will be posting is a compare/contrast assignment I call the Value Essay. They will label the post that contains their Value Essay "Value Essay." That way, when I go to view their blog to read their essay, I can go to the categories section and easily find it.

VIII - The next label students will use is "Book Reviews." As they finish their quarterly reading books, they will write reviews and post them to their blogs. The book review requirements can be found here.