Best blog site for a class blog?

[Mel Bezear]

I know we've got a few bloggers here.
I have a blog on blogspot (http://www.digimel.blogspot.com/) that I'm not all that fantastic at keeping updated - being very busy and all, but I have found it very easy to use.
What I'd like to do is start a blog for my class. I've been meaning to for a while, but have been distracted with other things.
Before I do though, I'd like to know what blog sites other people are using and what is the best site to use for a class blog (with the ability to have separate pages for each kids if necessary). I'd like to be able to set it up with an admin-type password but allow the kids to access it and ultimately take on the updating etc (especially using/updating it on the IWB)
Is blogger the best bet or should I go for edublog or something? Or maybe set up a community-type page like this one?
Cheers,
Mel

[Jo McLeay]

Hi Mel, I really like 21classes.com. Have a look here http://mcc7.21classes.com/ It's funny but you can't get to the correct page with using www so that is smething to watch out for if you use this. (Some ppl just put in the www automatically) I like 21classes because it is a good opportunity to teach the students about copyright and creative commons using photos from http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net to customise their pages. Easy to use and has all the feature you need

[John Pearce]

Hi Mel,

I haven't used 21 Classes however it does come with a lot of recommendations. I have though used edublogs and other derivative blogs, (globalstudent.org.au a portal set up for Victorian schools that has some 3,000 plus blogs in the community). Alongside 21Classes, edublogs should also definitely be considered as both are setup with education as their prime focus unlike blogspot which is much more generic both in structure and focus.

If you are setting up a class blog that you would like all students to contribute to, (which is I think the ideal way to introduce a grade to what blogging is), then edublogs is really neat. Once you have established a personal account, with the blog user creator you can quickly set up to 15 student accounts at a time. You can either decide to just enable an edublogs identity per student or you can create a blog for each one. If you are setting up a class blog then you would only need to allocate each student an identity and then make them a member of that blog. (If needed you can create a personal blog for each student later.)

Once you have added the students as a blog member in edublogs you have the option to allocate them to one of five levels of responsibility from Administrator who haas control over all function of the blog down to contributor who can write posts but must have them approved by an administrator before they can be posted to the blog and subscriber who can read and add comments for approval.

Once the class blog has been created then you can add a category for each student within the blog. When the students write their post they file their contribution under the category that bears their name. That way when viewing the blog they can click on their personal category to isolate all of their posts. For an example have a look at my class' 2006 blog.

I would definitely think that a blog is better entree to online environments than a Ning which would probably be a little too full of distractions for newbies. Plus it can also be a little trickier to manage for you as the teacher too.

[Mel Bezear]

Thanks John and Jo. Some food for thought. I will check out both the sites. What I shame the holidays are over already!!

[Chris Betcher]

I'm going to suggest something here, and I'll probably get some flak for it, but I really do think that teachers have to be personally committed to the idea of blogging before they get their kids doing it. I've worked with a number of teachers who are more than happy to get their kids blogging, but refuse to do it themselves. (Not saying that's the case with you Mel)
I think there is more to blogging than the simple mechanics of doing it... it becomes a cultural shift as you become a member of a thriving, vibrant online community, building a better understanding of what it means to be "a blogger"... it's not just about knowing how to write a post. I think that teachers need to have tried it themselves... and tried it to the point where they understand that blogger culture... before they can expect to send their kids down that path.

[Michelle Smith]

Hi Mel
I empathize with you completely. And I take Chris' comments on board. I have avoided blogging myself, mainly due to time demands, but agree that I need to use it myself before really getting into it. Thanks for the tips everyone.
Michelle

[Christen Jacobs]

I've only just joined this network, so am a little late into the discussion. I'm just interested to know which blog site you chose and how far you have come along the track of blogging with your class. It seems to take off very quickly. Have you seen Sue Wyatt's blogging challenge? It's a very good way of stepping your students through everything they need to know.