Kidblog

I have known about Kidblog for some time now. I thought it would be a great way to give my second graders experience with typing on a keyboard before third grade, when the writing portion of the state assessment has to be typed.

We started using it sometime in February as a part of our Work on Writing station. The kids love it. Sometimes I have asked them to comment about something I have posted. During our poetry unit, I would ask them to write some poetry. A couple of weeks ago, we started a fairy tale unit, so right now they've been working on writing and typing their own "Once upon a time" three-little-pigs-style fairy tale.

I think one of the things that kids love the most is being able to write comments to each other. I have our blogs set so that I have to approve everything. Sometimes that can be disappointing to them because they can't see each others' comments right away, but it is what it is, and I'm not going to change that policy.

If you are considering finding an online platform for students to write and respond to each other, I would definitely recommend Kidblog. Just like the homepage advertises, it's very safe and very simple to get started.