Kidblog.org may be just what the teacher ordered, especially for students under 13 years of age. I have spent many years looking for a way for my under 13 students to create content on the internet with limited success. Most sites require a person be 13 years or older before they can create an account. If they create an account under 13 they break the TOS (terms of service) which means their account could be suspended or deleted.Kidblog allows teachers to create class blogs for their students under 13 in a very easy way. After a teacher signs up for an account and create their blog, they can simply add the students name and password. When the student goes to the blog site, there is a drop down menu for their name and they only have to enter their password.
Another great feature of the site is that both comments and posts can be moderated. For those of you that have students that are beginning their online experience and may be inclined to share too much information or those who might want to start flaming others this is a must.
The major drawback to the site is that it has no customization options. You can't add the great widgets, slideshows, or plug-ins you may be used to. You can't even change the template or colors.
Despite the drawbacks, I think Kidblog is a great way to introduce new teachers and new students into blogging. While it does lack some functionality, it will definitely hit the spot for many students and teachers.
7 comments:
Hi, my name is Zachary and I will be following your blog as an assignment for Dr. Strange's class, EDM 310, at the University of South Alabama for the next 3 weeks. I will be summarizing everything I learn from your blog on my post, forezachary.edm310.blogspot.com, either before or on March 21. You might also want to take a look at our class blog at edm310.blogspot.com. Thanks for sharing the information you found about kidsblog.org. As a future educator, I'm always looking for advice and to build my PLN. I look forward to reading your new posts.
@Zachary, welcome to the blog. Have fun with summarizing everything you learn from this blog. You never know when several of us will come up with a bunch of posts.
You may want to look at the first post to get an idea about how the blog began.
This looks like a great site for blogging with students. I use wordpress with my students, but it looks well-suited for the classroom. I'll have to check this out.
@James Thanks for the comment. I guess your class is around the Joplin areas some where? I teach at Noel in Mac County. Howdy neighbor!
Sounds like an excellent way to begin blogging at an early age. You know I am a proponent of that. I hope it allows for comments. I'll take a look and add it to the tools we are collecting for future teachers in EDM310.
Thanks!
Kidblog.org will be a great tool for elementary teachers that want to introduce their students to blogging. I think that comment and post moderation is a fantastic feature, you never know what kids are going to say! Maybe the limited blog options is a good idea. Younger students might get distracted by all the bells and whistles and forget the importance of the actual blog. I myself am new to blogging, I never had one until this semester in EDM 310. Its a whole new experience.
Grreat blog you have here
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