Cool Blogs for Teachers

As I looked through the list of educational blogs, I found it difficult to find blogs that I really loved. I did find a couple however, that I found to be helpful and set up in a relatively easy to read format.

The first blog that I came across was an informative page instructing how to make classroom displays and bulletin boards. I view a classroom as kind of a second home. As a teacher, it is my job to make a classroom a comfortable and inviting place for children to spend their time on a daily basis. Also, it is important for me to demonstrate ideas of creativity in the classroom. I feel like this can only encourage my students further in their learning. This blog not only provided tips for making classroom displays, but also included pictures and comments/quotes from teachers who have actually used the displays featured on the page. Also, this blog contains links to other blogs and resource pages such as a classroom displays page on flickr.

The next blog I found was one used by a first grade teacher in Canada, Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog. The main page of the blog contains posts, pictures, and information posted by the teacher. To the left of the page is a list of links to pages where students are able to post comments and thoughts. Because this is a first grade level, students typed their own responses, and the teacher made notes in parentheses. At the top of the page was a link to a resource called yackpack. I thought this was really cool because it allowed the class to communicate with other classrooms across the world that were also members of this blogging host.

I could definitely see myself using a classroom blog in the future. I really like the idea of being able to include parents in what is going on in the classroom. Blogs allow you to post homework, show off pictures, projects, and make suggestions for parents to become more involved. I also think that blogs would be a great way for students to connect with other students from across the country or even the world. I really liked being able to view Mrs. Cassidy's classroom blog to see how she handled the posting and comments for students as young as first grade. This is important because I hope to teach lower elementary and I want my students to be able to experience technology and blogging. After viewing this blog I can see that with some extra teacher help, these younger students are able to gain this experience.