Utilizing Blogs in the Early Childhood Classroom

This week, I have been considering how I will begin to integrate blogs as an instructional tool in my classroom. According to Alan November, author of Web Literacy for Educators, “Blogging represents one of the many tools that pioneering teachers are using to empower students to take more responsibility of managing their own work and adding value to the world” (November, 2008). I am new to blogging, but through my experiences and research thus far, I have discovered their value to enrich the learning experiences of my students. As a kindergarten teacher, my students are new to reading and writing. Unfortunately, I believe this technology could be a little advanced for my five- and six-year old students' capabilities. They will not be able to interact with their classmates through written expression independently, but I still think that it is very important to expose them to this vital technology at an early age. A class blog could be a beneficial resource to involve parents and family members into the realm of kindergarten learning. 

My idea on how I could utilize a blog as a resource in the early grades is to create a “Kindergarten Home – School Connection” weblog.  Parent involvement, especially in the early grades is essential.  Research suggests that parental involvement is a huge indicator of a student's success in school (November, 2008).  I would like to start a kindergarten weblog to post class-related pertinent information like calendars, daily schedules, upcoming events, homework assignments, and various home enrichment activities.  This blog could be a forum for parents and families to check-in for the latest updates, stay informed of current kindergarten events, and ask any questions that they may have.  I already create a monthly newsletter that I send home in a paper version. I could easily upload my newsletter to the blog and use it as another great tool for communication. I always try my best to inform parents of the many ways that they can help their child succeed at school and at home. I could use the blog as another tool to point parents in the direction of free resources and opportunities available in our school and community, such as math and literacy nights, family game nights, free resource fairs, school supply drives, food banks, uniform swap meets, free tutoring services, etc.  Moreover, I could also use the space to share digital photographs of learning experiences and make comments on various class events.  Furthermore, I could publish examples of exemplary student work to showcase the learning and growth that is occurring throughout the school year.  Lastly, I could use the weblog as a resource page to link students and the families to vocabulary practice, grammar games, and helpful learning websites that they can use to practice and reinforce language and math skills. 

It was not until just recently that I was introduced to the world of blogging. I never knew how simple, effective, and powerful a blog could be when utilized as a teaching tool.  I am excited about the possibilities, and I cannot wait to employ a blog for use in my classroom! It will be so much fun to discover all the new directions this technology can take my instruction and my interactions with families.  It is clear that weblogs have the potential to enhance and deepen learning for students in the modern day classroom.  The possibilities for the usage of blogs in an educational setting seem endless. I’d like to know more about how other educators are currently using, or plan to use, blogs to support classroom learning.  What are you doing? What works best for you? What have you tried, but was unsuccessful? What examples of lessons can you provide that incorporate blog work? What suggestions can you provide me as a rookie to the world of blogging? How can I further develop an effective blog site that will enrich the learning experience for my young students and their families?

Your insight and recommendations are always appreciated,

Happy blogging!

-Cristina Stratton



Reference:

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Chapter 6, “Expanding the Boundaries: Blogs, RSS, Podcasts, and Wikis”