Introducing Blogging to my School (Oh My!!!)

I have to admit something. I am a little intimidated by the idea of using blogging in my lab. I can think of ways that I might do it, but they really make me uneasy. One way I could use them despite my misgivings would be as a way for my children to share book recommendations with their peers. This would not only encourage their use of this new communication tool, but they would be motivated to read and publish their writing to an authentic audience. I think I will soon be brave enough to try this, but I need to play with this technology a whole lot more before I am ready to jump in with elementary students.

One way I can easily imagine using blogs is as a means to keep my parents informed of what we are working on in my class. As I teach all grades in my school (K-5), connecting with my parents can be a real challenge. I have had parents email me to ask about lesson we have worked on, and I have even had parents ask me in person. They love the idea of their children becoming technologically proficient, and I think sharing details of the process would be wonderful. Honestly, I much more likeley to start with this implementation first.

Does anyone else have novice-friendly ideas of how to implement this technology in a manageable way?