This has been a topic I have been debating for awhile. When I first started researching blogging platforms I was introduced to Easy Blog Jr by Kathy Cassidy (@kathycassidy). Unfortunately, it cost money and I did not have a budget for it, despite it's kid-friendly, ease of access, and appealing looks. So I, like many other first grade teachers, decided to use KidBlog. Of course, Kidblog was free, safe, and for the most part easy to use. I "used" kidblog for the majority of the year this past year. I use the term "used" loosely, because my students had a hard time navigating to the webpage via our laptops and the app did not always work on the iPads. Then I discovered Seesaw and my kids were ECSTATIC! They could not wait to create and share! However, they were only able to share with their parents, this is a bummer when you want their voice to be shared publicly. In preparation for this upcoming year, I was all set with Seesaw and hoping they would add the global connection piece at some point. However...
Recently, there have been many changes to the companies that provide the platform for our students to blog safely. KidBlog announced that they will no longer provide a free blogging service. But, Leka DeGroot (@lekadegroot) posted the announcement of EasyBlog.org, A new blogging platform by The Easy App Co. (creator of Easy Blog Jr) in which they state will be "Everything you love about our blogging apps and so much more." Both apps will still be at a cost, which for some of us, is a problem. So I have set out to research the best app for the cost. I hope that this information helps you to make an informed decision for your classroom and if you have any corrections please let me know! I am by no means an expert on these applications, I am just trying to make the best informed decision for my classroom and thought this may help others. All information provided on this table was found through the respective websites and informal conversations on Twitter. Note: EasyBlog.org is not currently operational and many details are unknown until it is released in August. But you can sign up to find out all the new information when it is released by going to www.easyblogjr.org and signing up.
Recently, there have been many changes to the companies that provide the platform for our students to blog safely. KidBlog announced that they will no longer provide a free blogging service. But, Leka DeGroot (@lekadegroot) posted the announcement of EasyBlog.org, A new blogging platform by The Easy App Co. (creator of Easy Blog Jr) in which they state will be "Everything you love about our blogging apps and so much more." Both apps will still be at a cost, which for some of us, is a problem. So I have set out to research the best app for the cost. I hope that this information helps you to make an informed decision for your classroom and if you have any corrections please let me know! I am by no means an expert on these applications, I am just trying to make the best informed decision for my classroom and thought this may help others. All information provided on this table was found through the respective websites and informal conversations on Twitter. Note: EasyBlog.org is not currently operational and many details are unknown until it is released in August. But you can sign up to find out all the new information when it is released by going to www.easyblogjr.org and signing up.
Tutorials of Each Platform
KidBlog
Easyblog.org
Seesaw
Information gathered from: www.kidblog.org, easyblog.org, web.seesaw.me FAQ sections.
Easyblog.org
Seesaw
Information gathered from: www.kidblog.org, easyblog.org, web.seesaw.me FAQ sections.