Phase 1: Blogging



Blogging is an essential component of Genius Hour and one of the most powerful ways to communicate today. Students having their own individual blogs allows them to have a digital space that is their own, one where they can share their thoughts, talents, ideas, experiences, and learning with the world. Blogging gives even the quietest students, a global voice.

Blogging is critical in Genius Hour because it is where students are writing and reflecting on their individual process of learning. It is where they are sharing their journey and gaining valuable feedback from authentic audiences. It is also what is being assessed by the teacher. Each week as students are reflecting via blog posts, teachers can not only assess their writing, but their process and thinking behind the decisions that they made each week. It gives the teacher a more comprehensive look at what the student has done, rather than just an end product, which may or may not be reflective of all the work a student has done.

First and foremost before students begin any kind of blogging, students must have a solid understanding of appropriate technology use and digital citizenship. Safety is always a primary concern and all students must understand all the aspects of being a digital citizen before they are engaging in sharing their learning and engaging in digital conversation.  It is crucial to avoid the ‘one and done’ approach and make sure you teach and promote Digital Citizenship to your students throughout the year. Technology can be an amazing tool to empower our students, but Digital Citizenship needs to go hand in hand. Common Sense Media has a fantastic digital citizenship curriculum that is highly recommended. These lessons build a solid foundation of digital safety for students and what it means to be a global citizen.


Like anything else, and highly dependent on the grade level of the students, there is a progression of blogging that teaches students what and blog is and how to do it appropriately and safely. Take the time to start where you think is appropriate for your students. However, don't be afraid to start small and allow your students to master blogging and engaging in digital conversation before creating their own individual blog.

Paper Blogging:
Paper blogging is great for students, especially primary students who are just learning the concept of blogging. It allows students to become familiar with the concept of blogging and commenting on paper before diving into using a digital platform. Paper blogging requires students to think of a title and formulate a blog post about a topic of their choice. It should be something the student is passionate is and wants to share with their peers. Following the writing of the blog post, students can circulate and 'comment' on each other's blogposts by using post its! 
Paper Blog Post Example

When creating classroom and individual blogs, Blogger is the platform that is recommended as it is Google and integrates nicely with students work in Google Drive.

 Classroom Blog:
  • The blog is created by the teacher
  • Privacy and monitoring settings can be adjusted to fit your need
  • Daily or weekly blog post about what the class is learning
  • Teacher will embed some kind of question in post
  • Students will learn to digitally communicate through commenting
  • Increase the school to home connection
  • Pictures and videos can be included
  • Incorporate “Student Blogger” as a classroom job

Individual Student Blogs:
  • The blog is created by the student (Blogger Set Up for Students)
  • Privacy and monitoring settings can be adjusted to fit your needs
  • Daily or weekly blog post about what the student is learning or interested about
  • Pictures, videos, student work can be included
  • Incorporate blogging into lessons and instruction
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