Other Blogs

Some of the questions on the Web 2.0 survey we’re currently carrying out (see previous post for details – it’s still not too late to respond!) ask for feedback on this service, and the overwhelming response so far suggests that while our students find the information here useful, they are not generally big readers of other blogs. So today’s post will focus on some other interesting blogs which focus on the childhood and education sector.

A number of teachers use blogs to document their professional experiences and development. The Masterplan describes itself as "Musings on Maths, education, teaching, technology and other things" and is written by a maths teacher from Manchester. For different perspectives on teaching, try looking at Student Teacher which is an honest account of the experiences of a shortly-to-qualify trainee, while the Ranting Teacher does what it says on the tin, though it often includes flashes of humour too.

Perhaps not surprisingly, there are some particularly good blogs dealing with ICT in education. There are way too many to include here, but for starters, try looking at Space for Me to Explore, which is a very engaging blog written by a teacher who talks about his successes (and failures!) on using ICT in the classroom. Also worth a visit is Butterfly 42, which is written by an educational consultant, looks at how computers can be integrated into teaching and learning, and particularly deserves a mention because it provides a link to this site… :-)

For an example of how children themselves can use blogging constructively, try looking at this report of how a group of Year 6 pupils were encouraged to interact during the last Football World Cup. Oakland Junior School have a blog which serves as an excellent example of how to keep visitors up to date with activities in the school; recent posts include photos of trips, a video of an assembly performance, and information about a class project. Would any of our students be interested in doing something similar in their workplace?

There are literally thousands of relevant blogs out there on the Web, so this post is only a snapshot to give you an idea of the different types of information that they can provide, or the different purposes that they can serve. If you know of any particularly good blogs relating to any aspects of childhood and education, please leave a comment and link below to share them with other readers.