Why Edublogs?

elementary students using the computer lab

Edublogs, or educational blogs, typically consist of posts created with educational purposes as made by teachers and other professionals. The main appeal of edublogs is the casual, conversational manner they portray. The informality of these blog posts allows for teachers to create a more genuine tone when discussing important subjects with their students. Aside from the lighthearted tone, the multimodal media aspect is also a benefit. Edublogs give many ways for educators to visually display content for their audience through text, images, and even video links. As explained by Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, edublogs can be used as a form of instruction within the classroom to enhance communication between students and teacher while also creating increased student engagement. Some teachers even utilize blogs as a way for students to display their writing skills by allowing each child to create individual blogs. This approach to using blogs in the classroom for students to take greater ownership of their own writing and learning. 

Specifically, I have been able to learn a lot myself from reading others' edublogs. For instance, Tom Frank's Blog, a blog created by a secondary math educator, has a post that focuses on the importance of the arts in education. I quickly learned that artistic outlets are critical in stress management for students as it offers a safe space for self expression. Another interesting blog I recommend others to view is Miss Sanchez's Teaching Chronicles. The creator features many key issues within education, including the importance of parental involvement. This particular post discusses how the teacher-parent relationship is critical for effective collaboration towards student achievement. An additional edublog to check out is Educational Hot Topics with Haylie, a blog that stars educational debates from the perspective of an elementary educator. A post from Ms. Haylie that I found most intriguing is her discussion on flipped classrooms. Within this post, she writes about when the flipped classroom approach is appropriate and other times it might not be very effective, such as if the content might elicit many questions during the lesson to comprehend what is being taught. 

Educational blogging, for me has given me the opportunity to develop my teaching philosophy along with providing outlets to utilize research to support my educational ideals. The heart of education is based on a combination of evidence based practice and love, and blogging has allowed me to see the connection between the two. I hope to continue to use blogging platforms, specifically in my future classroom, to create resources for other professionals as well as educational content for my own students. Much like previously mentioned, edublogging can be a great platform for displaying visuals for key concepts while also providing a more interactive method of exploring content. I think more than anything that edublogs can be a method of differentiating instruction for students who might need a more individualized way of expressing or comprehending information.