Authentic Blogging

1. Authenticy of blog posts-focus on authentic topics
2. Teach audience and the power of writing for audience
3. Use blogging and commenting features for peer review of writing
4. Create a reading response-students read and write an interpretive blog post
5. Focus on metacognitive activities and have students reflect on learning
6. Involve the entire school community in blogging
7. Use blogging to establish connections and networks for learning
8. Focus on cross-curricular applications
9. Link to others to support content and create a culture of mashup
10. A goal/focus should be on student empowerment through self-expression, promoting a voice and an identity
11. Take advantage of the digital nature of the medium to include other types of information, repesented in podcasts, movies, graphics and hyperlinks.
12. Provide additional time to complete blog posts when computer access for certain student groups is limited or not available.
13. The teacher should model blogging by being a blogger.
14. Provide time to read and comment on other student blogs
15. Apply writing skills/traits to blog posts, no IM language
16. Consider using blog posts as an ongoing portfolio of student writing.