The SAN Script – Thursday, March 24
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Digital Portfolios – all students are required to do these – here is a creative way to do this – blogging!!
I will send you your account information via e-mail this morning
If your class is blogging, please let me know so I can comment on them – I will also tweet them out so more people will comment on them – keep them open so everyone can access them.
Also, if your class is blogging, you have satisfied the Ministry requirement to maintain a digital portfolio.
Blogging Platforms for Teachers Compared and Ranked
Last week I published an updated version of one my popular ed tech tools comparison charts. That chart was about creating multimedia quizzes. This afternoon I updated my chart of seven blogging tools for teachers. The chart is available as a Google Doc or as a PDF embedded below. Unlike some of my other charts, at the bottom of this one I included my ranking of the tools. That ranking is also written below the chart embedded into this post.
This chart was created by Richard Byrne to help teachers quickly identify the blogging service that meets their needs.
Note, WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not the same thing. WordPress.com provides hosting for your blog and all of the software necessary to blog. WordPress.org is simply the sofware. The only way to use WordPress.org is own a domain and have a place to host the blog. Selfhosting a WordPress.org blog is the most expensive option and most timeintensive option on this list, but it does give you the most flexibility and control over your blog.
Blogger
Blogger.com |
WordPress.com | Edublogs.org | Kidblog.org | WordPress.org | Weebly for Education education.weebly.com | SeeSaw
seesaw.me |
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Technical knowledge required? | No | No | No | No | Yes, but many easytofollow tutorials available. | No. | No. |
Manage students’ accounts? | Yes, but only in Google Apps for Education domains. | No | Yes, but only with “Pro” account. Pro account costs
$39.95/year. |
Yes. subscription required. | Yes, but you are responsible for managing all aspects of account. | Yes. | Yes. |
TOS states “13 or over?” | Yes. Exception for Google Apps for Education. | Yes. | No | No | No, again you manage all aspects of accounts. | No. | No. |
Offers native iPad and Android Apps? | Yes. iOS | Yes. iOS | Yes. iOS and Android apps available here http://help.edublog s.org/userguide/m obile/ | No. | Yes. iOS | Yes. iOS
apple.co/1oQbdUx Android bitly.com/1XCrgRA |
Yes. app.seesaw.me/ |
Support for multiple administrators
? |
Yes. | Yes. | Yes, but only with “Pro” account. Pro account costs
$39.95/year. |
Yes, subscription required. | Yes. | Yes (with a fee) | No. |
Make blog private? | Yes. | Yes. | Yes, but only with “Pro” account. Pro account costs
$39.95/year. |
Yes. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes, but parents are charged for access. |
Supports embedding media from 3rd parties? | Yes. | No. | Yes, but only with “Pro” account. Pro account costs
$39.95/year. |
Yes. Some limitations may apply. | Yes. | Yes. | Yes. |
Displays advertising? | No. | Yes. Ads can be removed for a fee. | No. | No. | No. | No. | No. |
Custom domain mapping (use your own domain). |
Yes. $1015/year |
Yes. $13$26/year |
Yes, but only with “Pro” account. Pro account costs $39.95/year. |
No. |
Yes, it’s your only option. |
Yes, for a fee. |
No. |
Theme / layout customizations | Unlimited | Many free themes. More for a fee. | Limited, more available as part of “Pro” package. | Limited. | Unlimited. | Limited, more available with paid packages. | Limited. |
My ranking of these services:
- WordPress.org If you have the technical accumen or the time to learn it (it’s not that hard), selfhosting a blog that runs on WordPress software will give you the ultimate in control and flexibility. You will be able to create and manage student accounts, have a nearly infinite variety of customizations, and you’ll be able to move your blog from server to server whenever you want to. That said, you will have to pay for hosting (or convince your school to give you server space) and you will be responsible for maintaining security updates and backingup your blog regularly.
- Blogger It’s free and easy to setup. It can be integrated into your Google Apps for Education account which means that you and your students can use the same usernames and passwords that they use in all other Google You can make your blog private (up to 100 members invited by email). The drawback to it is that a lot of school filters flag it as “social media” and block it on those grounds. (all our students have Blogger accounts as part of their Google tools)
- Weebly for Education It’s free to have up to 40 students in your You can manage your students’ accounts. You can have students contribute to a group blog and or let them manage their own individual blogs.
- Edublogs or Kidblog Both services allow you to manage your students’ Both require you to pay for a subscription in order to get the features that you really want. Those features include embedding videos and other media from third party sites. Both services are powered by WordPress. I give a slight edge to Edublog because they have proven, outstanding customer support. Edublogs also offers mobile apps while Kidblog does not.
- SeeSaw.me SeeSaw was originally launched as a digital portfolio tool. The addition of a blogging component was made in January 2016. The blogging component of SeeSaw allows you to import and display your students’ digital artifacts publicly or privately. There is not much you can do with SeeSaw in terms of customization of layout and color scheme. SeeSaw is free for teachers and students to use, but charges parents for access to see their students’ digital portfolios.
- WordPress.com It’s easy to use and is free, but with some serious limitations at the free level. The free version displays advertising on your blog which you cannot control. The free version also doesn’t allow embedding content from many thirdparty sites.
1. WordPress.org – If you have the technical accumen or the time to learn it (it’s not that hard), self-hosting a blog that runs on WordPress software will give you the ultimate in control and flexibility. You will be able to create and manage student accounts, have a nearly infinite variety of customizations, and you’ll be able to move your blog from server to server whenever you want to. That said, you will have to pay for hosting (or convince your school to give you server space) and you will be responsible for maintaining security updates and backing-up your blog regularly.
2. Blogger – It’s free and easy to set-up. It can be integrated into your Google Apps for Education account which means that you and your students can use the same usernames and passwords that they use in all other Google tools. You can make your blog private (up to 100 members invited by email). The drawback to it is that a lot of school filters flag it as “social media” and block it on those grounds.
3. Weebly for Education – It’s free to have up to 40 students in your account. You can manage your students’ accounts. You can have students contribute to a group blog and or let them manage their own individual blogs.
4. Edublogs or Kidblog – Both services allow you to manage your students’ accounts. Both require you to pay for a subscription in order to get the features that you really want. Those features include embedding videos and other media from third party sites. Both services are powered by WordPress. I give a slight edge to Edublog because they have proven, outstanding customer support. Edublogs also offers mobile apps while Kidblog does not.
5. SeeSaw.me – SeeSaw was originally launched as a digital portfolio tool. The addition of a blogging component was made in January 2016. The blogging component of SeeSaw allows you to import and display your students’ digital artifacts publicly or privately. There is not much you can do with SeeSaw in terms of customization of layout and color scheme. SeeSaw is free for teachers and students to use, but charges parents for access to see their students’ digital portfolios.
6. WordPress.com – It’s easy to use and is free, but with some serious limitations at the free level. The free version displays advertising on your blog which you cannot control. The free version also doesn’t allow embedding content from many third-party sites.
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