I developed a version of this presentation originally for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference all the way back in 2005, but I have given many subsequent versions of it over the years.
Note: I have used many different blogging platforms for my class blogs over the years, but I had finally settled on WordPress.com (the platform for this website and one of the most widely-used blogging and website creation platforms). Unfortunately, WordPress.com is not SOPPA-compliant (does not meet the Illinois requirements for student privacy). Luckily, Edublogs.org — which uses a version of WordPress to power its platform — is SOPPA-compliant and has worked well for me since 2024, even though it has fewer customizing options than WordPress itself.
My Resources
All About Blogging (rationale for blogging +Edublogs posting & commenting instructions for students)
Responsibilities for Blogging (example of an ongoing blogging assignment — from AP English Literature)
Independent Reading assignment for freshmen English class (see second page for blogging responsibilities)
Music Poetry assignment (students post their analysis on the blog)
Sample Class Blogs
Story Power (AP English Literature blog)
Our Stories (Freshmen English blog)
Edublogs.org
Edublogs has a free version that should give you most everything you need. I pay $39.95 per year/per blog to get more functionality.
Edublogs.org (click on “Get a free blog” to get started)
Set Up Your Class Blog (scroll down for practical step-by-step guide)
Students and Classes (how to create My Class and make students the authors of the class blog)
CriticsandBuilders.com 