WordPress

Web Based ToolsAssignment #3

WordPress

Tool Description:

WordPress is a free blogging tool. Users can sign up using their email address, and can create a blog in minutes. The website offers many different themes for users to choose from so you can customize your blog.

The site provides stats of how many people have viewed your blog, where your viewers are coming from, and what posts were most popular.

The site also automatically saves while you write, and uses a high efficiency spam tracker. Images can easily be imported into your blog as well.

www.wordpress.com

WordPress

Classroom Implications:

WordPress would be a great tool to use as a classroom blog. It would be great for keeping parents up-to-date on classroom activities, and reminding students of important deadlines. A blog would allow parents to access information about the class at their convenience, instead of having to arrange a meeting with the teacher.

WordPress could be a good tool to use in an online environment as a place to post assignments, due dates, and expectations.

It can be used a reference resource, where students can review instructions or assignment explanations.

Students can create their own blog. For example: Students could create a blog detailing their virtual trip across Canada and post about the cities and provinces they’ve “travelled” to, significant places they went to, landmarks, etc. Students could then comment on each other’s blog posts.

I think that by having students comment on each other’s blogs, it could really enhance the sense of community in the classroom.

WordPress

Pros: Free! I found this site easy to use, but I have worked with blogs before. Potential to create a class community, stay in touch with parents, creative assignments.

Cons: For those who have never used blogging sites before, it could be confusing at first. Time consuming to continually update. Would need to give student tutorial on how to use the site properly. Time consuming student project (but worth it, in my mind).

WordPress

Concluding Opinion:

I think there are a lot of interesting ways you could utilize this tool in your classroom, whether it be a traditional class or online. Student projects could be very creative using this tool, and I think as a tool to keep in touch with parents it is wonderful.

I would definitely try to incorporate this tool into my teaching, or at least as a classroom blog. I would recommend teachers take a look at the possibilities of this site, and decide whether it is something they would want to take the time to use.