The “5” Series is Back-with Blogging!

A few months ago, we launched a “5 ways to use a…” series, giving you new and creative ideas to utilize some of the fantastic tools we have available for your use! To refresh your memory and keep you inspired, here is a “flashback” of…

5 ways you can use… a Blog!

The internet has started a new era of educational tools that have great capabilities to be an effective addition to your classroom.  One of the most versatile and useful tool is the blog. Blogs are a great way to communicate with students outside the classroom in an environment which is both easy to update and easy to navigate. Blogs lend themselves to be useful in various aspects of class including writing and journaling, collaboration, classroom management, and tutoring.  Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

1. Promote collaboration and reflection among your students by posting a meaningful quotation, excerpt from a novel, or a news article, and ask them to reflect in writing and relate the piece to the material being covered in class.
2. Blogs encourage participation in discussions, which can be particularly effective with shy students. Post a question weekly to your blog requiring students to respond and comment on their peers’ responses.
3. Assign a project requiring students to create their own blog and use it as a portfolio of their work and career goals. The blog will become a valuable tool they can use to build connections and network.
4. Easily incorporate sources from the “real world” such as news articles, videos, or websites to relate class material to the current events in the world.
5. Try hosting a debate on your blog. Post a question or controversial topic and have students make their points and debate with one another. This encourages collaboration, discussion, and critical thinking.

UIS’ newly launched blog service, WordPress, is available for all faculty, staff and students for free. It is simple to navigate and update, and a great communication tool for educators and students alike. Checkout our WordPress Blogging Service informational page to start your blog today!