Infuse rather than use

ICT can be a teachers nightmare. It is common to hear "i already have so much to cover how am i meant to fit in ICT into my programme as well" or "we don't have enough computers and we only get to use the ICT room for 45 minutes a week"

The idea of blogging and the other web tools is to make the most of what you have and use the time effectively.

Blogging should not be a task in isolation in should be infused into the everday teaching and learning experiences.
Setting up blogs can be time consuming but they can be set up over time. It is essentially something that develops as you use it and everything you add builds up the overall look of your blog.

Templates are available for you and your students to use and therefore you personalise it as you go.

Link blogs to a theme you are focusing in on class, or set up a blog for a maths or science investigation taking place. If you have one classroom comupter, set up a classroom blog and students can post results on as they achieve them. This can happen during the teaching and learning process.

Set up a timetable for your class computer, students can post throughout the day. You can timetable it so it is only during particular lessons or if you have an integrated programme then the posting can take part at any point during the day.

Encourage your student who have access to the internet at home to continue to develop their work at home and it is up to you if you offer those who don't have access extra time before/after school and at lunchtimes under supervision.

For all learning to be relevant and meaningful to students it needs to have an authentic context. It is the same with blogging. The novelty will wear off for students if they don't see the relevance.