This page will explain what the different gadgets on student blogs are and also how to make a comment on a blog.
If you have any questions around blogging that aren't answered on this page please let me know by emailing me (Kelsey Morgan) at kmorgan@urumanuka.org.nz
The Blog Itself
What is a Blog and why do we do it?
“Blogging has become an important way in which our young people share their learning with the world. Blogging empowers our learners to establish an authentic audience for their learning outcomes and personifies our cluster goals and learn, create, share pedagogy. Over successive years an impressive portfolio of learning develops.
Blogging is also a key component of our Cybersmart Curriculum. “ - Manaiakalani
Why the Platform Blogger? Why not something else?
Blogger is a tried and tested platform. The Woolf Fisher Research Centre have been analysing the effectiveness of blogging within The Manaiakalani Programme since 2012.
Blogger resembles the spaces our young people want to be on. We are providing a stepping stone into the world of Social Media in a way that is able to be provisioned legally, systematically and securely.
Added bonuses of using the platform Blogger are:
No new sign in required for GSuite users, Blogger has the largest audience reach via Google, it is multi-purposed and provides a space for both students and educators.
Commenting on a Blog
If you have a gmail account…
Go to blogger.com and sign in > Create a limited Blogger Profile. This means that when you comment your child will see your name. It also means that if you click “Notify me” on your comment you will receive an email when your child replies to your comment.
If not you can still leave a comment but you will need to select Name/URL and go through to prove you are not a robot.
"When Whanau comment on students blogs and engage digitally with what students are learning in school, student achievement accelerates by over 1 year." - Jesson, Teng, Shepherd & Manda 2018
How will I know when they have posted to their blog?
There are a couple of things you can do to check in and engage with your child/ren's blog. These are follow it by email and bookmark it so that it is easy to find. To follow a students blog by email follow the steps in the slide below. If you would like help with bookmarking please see your child's teacher and they should be able to help you bookmark to your phone, tablet or computer.
