Blogger is a free blogging app through Google. You can create several blogs using your school email address or a private Gmail address. What's great is that you can download the app to your tablet or phone. When something happens in the classroom, you can open the app, take a picture, and comment about it. If the device is too small, you can save the pictures, then use the computer to type up what you want to say. You may also upload files from your computer to create blog posts as well. Here are some blogs I have created or other teachers in our district have created: Classroom News, Home-School Connection, Students' Work Blog (only accessible to people in my class), Groton PV Technology Blog, LA Blog, and Mrs. Burton's Art Blog. Below are some screenshots for you to see what the app looks like. Below the pictures are some pros and cons...
How to Use the Blogger App:
1. Create an account: www.blogger.com
2. Download the app to a mobile device by searching for "Blogger."
- Click here to learn how to add it to Google Chrome.
3. Open the app on your device.
4. If you have multiple blogs, select the blog you want to post to. Otherwise, the first screen after logging in is this:
- You may click on the camera icon to take a picture to post, or if you would like to type something you can click on the notepad and pencil icon at the top right or the "New Post" link with the orange pencil.
- Below, I clicked on "New Post," then clicked on the camera icon. This menu will pop up. You can choose to take a new picture or upload one already on your phone.
- If you choose to take a picture, the camera will open. The capabilities of your device will determine if you can use a flash or not, or if you can flip the camera to the one facing you. Click on the circle to take the picture.
- A preview will pop-up asking if you want to use the photo or retake it. Choose "Use Photo," then it will appear in the edit screen.
- Type in what you would like to say above or below the picture. If you turn the device sideways, the keyboard is a little bigger and easier to type. You may choose to skip this step and do it on your computer.
- Click the camera icon to take a new picture or click done in order to add a title. In this picture, I'm adding a title.
- Click "Save," then this menu will pop-up asking if you would like to just save it as a draft or publish it for others to see on your blog. If you publish, another message will pop-up when it has posted asking it if you want to share it (like post it to Facebook or Google Plus). I usually say no. Sometimes I post things to Google Plus, but I haven't used that much for classroom communication purposes.
- You will then be taken to an overview of all your blog posts. If you click on a blog, you will get the options "edit, view, share, delete."
- Sometimes when I do this online, the whole screen goes grey when I post something. I just click the refresh button and everything appears as it should.
Here are some pros, cons, and other things to think about...
Pros
- Free
- Easy to take pictures using phone or tablet.
- Can edit posts on devices or on the computer.
- Links with Google Chrome - don't have to log in each time to use it.
- Layout on computer is user friendly.
- Linked with all other Google Products
- Few buttons to push - students (after being taught) can make their own posts.
- You may allow parents or students to post comments to content.
- You may embed the Remind app into your blog.
Cons
- Depending on the size of your device - it can be tricky to add words if a picture is included in a post. This can be challenging for students. The way around this is to have students take the picture, then you place the cursor where they should type OR have them type what they want to say using the computer.
- Security - if you want to secure your blog, only people with Gmail accounts will have access. You can give parents their child's Google account information to log in if they don't have a private Google account.
Ways to Use Blogger in the Classroom
- Classroom News - news about the classroom, allow students to blog about events in the classroom.
- Student Works Blog - pictures of students working or playing in the classroom, students blog about things they built or things they learned.
- Home-School Connection - information for parents / resources for parents to help support their child at home.
- Blog sharing resources or websites.
- Special Project - set up a blog where students post what they are learning about a specific topic.
Things to Think About
- This is a useful tool for giving students an opportunity to blog, have an authentic purpose for writing, and an opportunity for students to read each others work. It can help make another home-school connection. Also, your blogs are saved that you can reuse certain common events from year to year by just changing the date of when it posts (such as Parent Teacher Conference reminders, field trip reminders, field day reminders, etc).
