Parent participation is extremely important when it comes to helping children get the best grades at school. Parents can support their children during difficult periods and can help students find new learning opportunities outside the classroom. Of course, teachers and schools work hard to involve parents in interesting ways, and many institutions now use edublogs to build relationships with parents. Learn more about the benefits of an edublog, and find out how to make the most of these useful tools.
What are edublogs?
An edublog is a school-sponsored online blog that allows parents to gain an insight into their children's classroom activities. Schools often run multiple edublogs, setting up each site according to an academic year or class, a specific subject or a key area of interest for the school. As your children progress through different stages of their education, participating institutions will give you access to new edublogs, which can help you understand what your child is working on at a particular time.
In many schools, edublogs have replaced more traditional methods of communication. For example, some schools no longer send out newsletters or paper updates to parents. Instead, your child's teacher will ask you to register your password with the school, after which you can then get access to the relevant edublog.
What sort of content appears on an edublog?
A lot of teachers like edublogs because they can customize the content to suit their style and their students. As such, it's often difficult to say what you can expect to see. In theory, almost any form of media could appear on one of these blogs, so you could find an audio file, a video or a normal text update. Unsurprisingly, the most effective edublogs mix up different types of content.
Do edublogs pose any security issues?
To get access to an edublog, you'll normally need to register your details with the school. These sites are not normally accessible to the public, so you don't need to worry about strangers seeing pictures or updates about your children. Some schools use generic edublogs to post general updates about the school, which anyone can read. In this case, the school will not use any personal content.
What are the benefits of an edublog?
Edublogs have lots of benefits for teachers.
With an edublog, teachers know that students cannot intercept the content. Students will very often lose or hide paper letters, but parents can log on to an edublog when they want. As such, these pages are more reliable and less time-consuming. An edublog can also save the school money, as the administrative team don't need to print out hundreds of pages of paper for newsletters and other publications.
Edublogs can also boost your child's education. Teachers will use these pages to introduce activities that stimulate creative thinking, collaboration, individuality and social awareness. With careful moderation, an edublog can also help children learn how to offer constructive feedback and reach out to students they may not speak to in class every day.
These pages encourage interaction between children, parents and teachers. Site owners will often ask all these groups to comment on posts or take part in activities. As such, edublogs are a great way to help children develop their Internet skills – and parents can benefit too. What's more, edublogs are good fun.
Edublogs also encourage parent involvement in school activities. Teachers will often ask parents for feedback on proposed lessons or ideas about how they can adapt certain activities to appeal to students. This simple approach opens up an ongoing dialogue that creates a much more rewarding relationship between the teacher and his or her student. In some cases, parents may not otherwise have spoken to a teacher unless there is a problem.
How can parents make the most of an edublog?
Parents should take time to visit the relevant edublog every day or when they receive an update email. Occasional visits won't allow you to get real value from the site, so this needs to become a regular habit. This will also help you see how your child's development is progressing. You may even see early signs of a problem.
Make sure you offer honest, constructive feedback. Teachers appreciate parental input. If your child's school uses these blogs, take up the opportunity to get involved. Many schools need parents who will actively support updates or management of these blogs and will appreciate the time you can give them.
Above all, you should make sure your children use edublogs as often as possible. Ask questions about what they are working on and let them know you are interested. If children can see you are keen to learn, they will start to see the value of these resources.
Edublogs help parents, children and teachers develop better relationships with each other. Reach out to your child's teacher to find out if your school offers this educational too. For more information, you may want to talk to your local schools and see if they have edublogs.
