Top 10 Tips for Using Blogs in the Classroom

1. Parents can access a teacher's blog in order to find out more about their student's homework assignments, class projects, participation and more. 
2. Student can use a teacher's blog to collaborate and share ideas in forum discussions.  
3. Teachers can monitor forum discussions to measure their students' comprehension, misconceptions, and participation. Teachers can also give feedback to students using forums. 
4. Blogs can be accessed from anywhere.  If a student is sick, out of town, or absent for any other reason, they can check the blog for class notes or information about upcoming assignments. 
5. A blog works as a kind of portfolio for students and teachers who want to keep track of their lesson plans, or academic work. 
6. Both students and teachers improve their technological skills by using blogs.  This will everyone as the world become increasingly technical. 
7. Students may be more open to blogging than they would be keeping a traditional "response journal." Along these lines, teachers wouldn't have to collect response journals to check students' work.  It would be as simple as clicking on a URL.  
8. Building a classroom blog where students showcase their work might help build community and increase the likelihood that students will do their best work. 
9. Students can use a class blog to access links to all kinds of learning websites and facilitate global connections.
10. Blogs facilitate creative, student centered learning opportunities.  For example, students can use blogs to post podcasts, screencasts, YouTube videos, surveys, and polls.  Opportunities for learning are endless when teachers use blogs.