How to Make a Blog

Since Zaara shared her blog "Stories for Kids" I have had some requests for information about how to make an educational blog. There are many sites where you can set up a free blog. I, myself, am only really familiar with blogger.com (blogspot).

Zaara's family set up her blog at wordpress.com. Zaara uses her blog to publish her stories. She uploads drawings or cartoons as illustrations for each stories. Her blog is set so that comments made by other people need to be checked and approved by her family before they are published on the blog. This is also the case for our class blog. If you have ever wondered why there are never photos or videos of our students on the class blog, it is simply a measure taken to protect our identities. Some advice: *Keep informed. Remember to read the weekly cyber-safety tip in the school newsletter. Our school promotes eSmart behaviours so that students will understand the nature of the internet and think critically about what they are putting online. *Keep personal details safe. Only use first name or a nickname online. Don't share your surname, address, phone number or the name of your school. *Keep your identity safe. If you really want to have a "profile picture", use a drawing of yourself instead of a real photo. Or choose a cute or funny photo of a favourite animal or character. This shares a bit of your personality without exposing your identity online. There are many benefits to blogging. Here are some websites with advice for parents who are considering helping their child set up a blog. http://www.ehow.com/way_5895185_kid-can-make-blog.html http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/i/KidsBlogging_2.htm