Blogs

Blogs, short for "web-logs," are online sites that are made up of separate entries on various topics. These entries are usually shown by post-date: the most recent entries (aka posts) are on the top of the front page, while older entries can be found further down on the page or even on subsequent pages. Blogs have been around for a while, and were actually one of the earliest examples of "Web 2.0" tools (websites consisting of user-generated content). It is very likely that you have read a blog about cooking, home decor, pets, etc. But do you ever read blogs from other music educators to get ideas for your own classroom? What's more, have you ever thought about making your own blog? The thought of creating your own blog may seem intimidating. How do I make a blog? Once I create a blog, how would I use it? What purpose would it serve? Who would want to look at it? These answers and more below!

**On this page:** Getting Started with Blogs Uses for Music Class Recommended Music Education Blogs

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**Getting Started with Blogs**
Create a Blog Post on Weebly Other Blogging Websites Publicize Your Blog
 * In this section:**



Create a Blog Post on Weebly
For information on getting started with Weebly, click here.

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 * 1) Create a Weebly account or log in.
 * 2) The site editor defaults to the "Build" tool. On the bottom right you should see a blue button that says "New Post." It will automatically date your post to the present day, but you can also edit the date to make it seem like an older or newer entry if you wish
 * 3) Give your new post a title.
 * 4) Drag and drop elements from the left side menu to add content to your blog. The simplest tool is just "Text" - it's like opening a text box. Weebly offers MANY additional elements, and MOST of them are free.
 * 5) In order to save your post for the world to see, click the orange button in the top right that says "Post." If you want to save your post but you're not quite ready to publish it, then click "Save." You can access blog drafts at any time.
 * 6) The blue "Post Options" button on the bottom left has some additional features you may want to consider:
 * You can set the post to either publish at that moment or at a scheduled time in the future.
 * You can change the comments feature to be either open (meaning anyone can comment and it posts automatically), closed (meaning the comments feature is turned off and no one can leave a comment), or require approval (meaning anyone can post, but you must approve the comment before it is published). With a classroom blog especially, you may want to leave the comments on the "require approval" setting. This way you can make sure that all comments are appropriate and do not contain students' last names before they are published "live" on the site.
 * You can add categories/tags to your post. This helps group your posts based on similar subjects. For example, you can have category tags for performances, lesson ideas, just for fun, chorus, polls and surveys, Kindergarten, rhythm, etc. This makes it easy to go back and look at all your posts about the same topic.
 * 1) Check on your blog comments from the Stats page, if your comments feature is turned on. If you have comments set to "require approval," then you can check on each individual comment and either approve or delete depending on the appropriateness of the comment.



Other Blogging Websites

 * Blogger (a Google site)
 * Wordpress.org
 * Wix

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Publicize Your Blog

 * Make sure there is a link on your school's website under the teacher directory. Email your school technology specialist to ask him/her to add it or to ask who is in charge of editing the website.
 * Notify parents about your new blog in a school newsletter at the beginning of the school year. If your school doesn't have any sort of newsletter, ask classroom teachers to include it in their weekly communication or take-home folders.
 * Create blog posts that include pictures or videos of your students (make sure they have publicity releases!) so that the students will want to visit the blog and show their parents.
 * Host a contest on your blog where students have to answer a question or just make a comment on a post. Names of participating students can be put into a hat and a winner gets a prize. This will entice students to visit and interact with your blog!

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 * Update parents about classroom happenings: I am always looking for easy ways to communicate to all my parents about what is happening in my music class. As music teachers, we only get to see our students once a week and it's very possible that parents have no idea what happens in our classes. Blogs offer an opportunity to communicate about performances, lessons, and ideas, as well as post pictures, recordings, and videos of students.
 * Get students engaged with music beyond class time: Again, since we only see them once per week, I want to give my students additional outlets to access and think about music beyond our 45 minutes together.
 * Post surveys and questionnaires: Can be for either students or the wider school community.
 * Trivia: Which composer wrote _? What is the name of this melody? Which instrument is the oldest in the world?

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Recommended Music Education Blogs
The following blogs are great resources for getting lesson ideas! Many of these blogs even let you subscribe by email so that when they create a new post, a notification or even a copy of the new post is sent to your inbox. This makes it much easier than continually remembering to check back for new information!


 * Beth's Music Notes
 * Celtic Novelist
 * Color In My Piano
 * Elementary Music Ideas
 * Let's Play Kids Music
 * Midnight Music
 * Mrs. King's Music Class
 * Mrs. Miracle's Music Room
 * Music a la Abbot
 * Mustech.net
 * So La Mi: Elementary Music Class
 * Susan Paradis Piano Teaching Resources

Fulton music teachers' blogs and websites:
 * Crabapple Crossing Music
 * Dolvin Music
 * Fulton County Children's Honor Chorus/North
 * Great Groovy Green Guitar
 * [|Ison Springs Music]
 * Mrs. Ahmad's Music Notes
 * Ms. Flinn's Music Class
 * Ms. Hancock's Music Class
 * Mrs. Sims' Music Website
 * Mrs. Snell's Music Classroom
 * Music with Mrs. Fash
 * New Prospect Chorus
 * Roswell North Music
 * SBCE Music Department
 * Shakerag Music
 * Summit Hill Music
 * Sweet Apple Music Department
 * [|Mrs. V. Bradley's Website - Stonewall Tell E.S.]

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