Kidblog sets up blogs for each of your students. Privacy controls are set by the teacher: posts shared publicly, shared with other Kidblog connected classrooms, classroom only, or just student-teacher. What makes Kidblog a real winner with me is that it is able to embed the Google Apps Suite–which is what my 5th-graders use.

I’ve been meaning to set up digital portfolios for months now but have never got around to it. These past few weeks looking at Web 2.0 tools it came up again in module 6 and I finally registered for my free account. I have a 30-day free trial, then I need to pay for a yearly subscription.

I’ve included a student blog post/reflection to Kidblog for my final Web 2.0 lesson plan and I will see how the kids like it. If it goes well, I plan on sharing their posts with parents and a connected classroom and purchasing a yearly subscription.

I did mention to my students they would be getting their own blog and you could see them really perk up. I also told them there was a possibility of other students from around the world seeing their work and their excitement became even more noticeable. These kids really like to produce content, and better yet–they like to produce for an authentic audience.

My students having their own blog opens up our classroom to different possible learning opportunities: digital citizenship, creating content that is beneficial to others, reflecting on their work/growth, and having a positive digital footprint . I feel that this has been an important piece missing from my classroom and I’m looking forward to seeing the results.