During last year’s EVO session Blogging4Beginners, participants helped outline the following principles and practices for a successful blogging endeavor:

• Integrate blogging to the rest of the work done by the class.
• Surprise your students.
• Let the learner feel relaxed and confident.
• Make the content meaningful and relevant.
• Build networks of learning that can cross continents.
• Develop an atmosphere that encourages and respects the learner and their ideas.
• Invite guests to post on your blog and to comment.
• Teach your students some blogging skills.
• Give prompt feedback to commentators.
• Vary your post style.
• Set tasks that lead to interaction.
• Use the blog for activities the students could not do in the classroom.
• Exploit errors, but do not correct students explicitly on blogs.
• Blog safely.
• Use syndication tools to keep track of posts and comments.
• Turn on the word verification in your blog settings to avoid spam.
• Define who can comment in your blog.
• Add your email to receive notifications when someone leaves a comment on your blog.
• Attention to copyright issues!
• Ask for permission to publish photos, videos, audio etc
• Always give credit to the source.

What would you add or suppress in the list?

We’re eagerly waiting for your own views.

The Blogging Team

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

We’ve been talking about blogging and we’ve been blogging from the beginning.

Which are the key points of the readings of the week?

Do you think that the examples of the blogging activities on Week 5 had the essential elements suggested in the readings? In what ways?

What would be your first steps to start blogging with your students?

You are about to create your own blog.

• After watching this video, how do you think your students would react to a blogging experience?
• Is blogging suitable to your teaching environment?
• Do you know if any of your students are already blogging?

We’re eagerly waiting for your comments.

The Blogging Team