KidBlog

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=What is KidBlog? = = = KidBlog is a website designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. It is a safe and secure way for children to blog. It was extremely easy to sign up and has an orderly navigation that is suitable for children. It took me approximately ten minutes to sign up, add other users, and make a class page. KidBlog values security- blogs are only viewable by classmates and the teacher. It does not collect email addresses from students and gives teachers options on privacy so that parents can view the blogs given a password.

=How can KidBlog be used in a classroom? = 

KidBlog can be used in a classroom for students to reflecting or responding, journaling, participating in a discussion, or publishing their writing. As described in the Chapter 4 introduction, the quality of student writing significantly improves when student work is shared with others. Teachers can set up a classroom on KidBlog and have students read each others' work and respond online. Teachers can also change the privacy settings to allow parents to read the student work (given a password to join the site). Kid Blog is very secure so teachers can use it in any grade level or content area. KidBlog is also very convenient because students can also work on and submit their school assignments from home without having to email it to their teacher.

=Advantages & Disadvantages =

Advantages Disadvantages
 * Free and easy to set up
 * Simple navigation for young children
 * Safe & secure
 * Provides a way for children to publish their work online
 * Teachers can approve or delete posts from students
 * Teachers need to check KidBlog frequently to approve posts
 * Students cannot edit each others' posts

=How can teachers hold individual students accountable? = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers can check student posts for spelling and grammar, frequency of posts, and for relevant content. Students can read and respond to each others' posts. KidBlog is not necessarily a collaborative tool for learning because it does not support student to student work; however, teachers can arrange for it to be collaborative. Teachers can have students read and respond to their peer's work. From there, teachers can grade students on the quality of the response or the edits that a student would make if possible.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Navigation =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Check out the next collaborative tool, Skype.


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Chapter 4 Introduction || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Bubbl.us || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Collaborize Classroom  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">CrocoDoc  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Edmodo  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Google Documents  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">KidBlog  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Skype  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">VoiceThread  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">WikiSpaces  || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Chapter 4 Conclusions ||

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">References =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">eduTeacher. (2010, May 16). //KidBlog.// Retrieved March 17, 2012, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKhMeHcCG_8

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//KidBlog Logo//. (2010, April 21). Retrieved January 28, 2012, from BlogTap: http://www.blogtap.net/kidblog-a-free-blogging-platform-for-the-elementary-and-middle-school-classroom/

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Open clip art// (2011). Thumbs [picture]. Retrieved from Open clip art, @http://openclipart.org/