Interactivity is one of the best features of “modern” websites. WordPress not only provides options for visitors to your website to leave COMMENTS, it also supports a web technology called “trackbacks” which shows when other people have linked to your blog and are referencing it in their own posts. This feature can increase your awareness of “who is writing about your ideas” and provide links so you can follow up with those posts on other websites. Support for trackbacks is yet another reason to consider using WordPress for your classroom blog, professional portfolio, or other website.
In July 2012 pre-service education students enrolled in “Technology for Teaching and Learning” at Kansas State University, taught by Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, were required to create WordPress blogs as part of their day 1 assignments. The course website informs students:
The Purchase of your web space replaces the purchase of a book.
Just a few years ago, students were using iWeb software from Apple (now discontinued) and creating websites on university-hosted servers. As a technology integration specialist for K-12 teachers, Cyndi recognized the value and importance of students creating THEIR OWN websites which they can maintain and update (if desired) after they complete their student teaching semester, graduate with their degree, and secure employment as classroom teachers. Because of its power, feature set, and flexibility to meet a variety of website needs, WordPress was the platform Cyndi selected for all her students. They are each REQUIRED to create a WordPress site for their course and share a wide variety of content to it as they complete assignments.
I learned about Cyndi’s students using WordPress this summer thanks to the “trackback” feature on my own blog. When you log into your WordPress dashboard, one of the screen options available is “Incoming Links.” These are links other people have created on other websites which reference specific pages or posts on your WordPress website.
Trackbacks are similar in function to “pingbacks,” although they use different protocols or technologies to work. The WordPress Codex has a thorough article explaining both trackbacks and pingbacks.
This summer on day 2 of Cyndi Danner-Kuhn’s “Technology for Teaching and Learning” course, students were required to write a reflection on content they found on my own weblog. In the screenshot below, you can see three different trackbacks which show up as “Comments” on my WordPress blog. Since WordPress supports moderated comments, I was able to “approve” these trackbacks before they showed up on my website for public visitors to see. This is beneficial, since spam bloggers sometimes link to posts to try and boost their search engine ranking, and you don’t want to permit spam (as comments or trackback links) on your website.
Thanks to WordPress’ support of trackbacks, I was able to read the comments written by students in Cyndi’s class and respond to some of their questions with comments on their blogs. An example is shown in the screenshot below.
If you use WordPress, it’s a good idea to turn on trackbacks and pingbacks. You’ll find those options after logging into your dashboard and selecting SETTINGS – DISCUSSION.
With these features enabled, you will have more opportunities to interact with other people reading and writing about your ideas on your WordPress site!
Why WordPress? Class Blogging with Moderated Posts and Comments
When considering different options for creating an INTERACTIVE classroom blog as a teacher, it is vital to look for MODERATION features. In this post, I’ll explain how WordPress (a free, open-source blogging platform and content management system) provides content moderation options for teachers.
“Moderation” is the process of approving new blog posts and/or new comments to a blog. In our litigious U.S. society and communities often hyper-sensitive to social media when it comes to students, it is vital teachers use interactive blogs which support moderation. In WordPress, there are two different places where blog post and blog comment moderation settings can be changed.
To enable different levels of blog post moderation, as a teacher you’ll want to assign different ROLES to students than you have as the teacher and blog administrator. These are addressed in detail in the WordPress Codex in the article, “Roles and Capabilities.” That article explains:
For a classroom blog, generally it’s a good idea to assign students as either “Contributors” or “Authors.” If students are assigned the “contributor” role, they can write and submit posts to the blog, but someone else will have to APPROVE the post before it’s “live” or visible to the public. These users who have permission to approve posts made by others can either be assigned the “administrator” or “editor” role. As the teacher owning the blog, you’ll most likely have the “administrator” role.” If you have a parent volunteer or other adult helping you moderate the blog, you might give them the “editor” role. That way they can approve and modify posts when needed, but won’t be able to accidentally change your overall blog settings. In the screenshot below (click it for a larger version) you can see these steps. After logging into your WordPress “dashboard” to access the settings as an administrator:
After a “Contributor” user (a student in your class) submits a post, you or someone else with the “administrator” or “editor” role will need to approve their post. When you click ALL POSTS in the WordPress dashboard, you’ll see posts which need approval and be able to both read and either approve, edit, or delete posts. Because of the potential for spam, generally it’s best NOT to let anonymous people sign up for your blog and obtain any role other than “Subscriber.” My preference is to turn off user registration after all students and teachers have user accounts in your class blog. This helps prevent spam blog posts written by others or spambots.
To enable the desired level of comment moderation on a WordPress blog, click SETTINGS in the left sidebar and then choose DISCUSSION. The best setting for classroom blogs is “Before a comment appears – An administrator must always approve the comment.” This prevents surprise comments from appearing on your public blog without your prior approval.
To approve comments, click COMMENTS in the left sidebar and then “mouse over” each comment which is waiting for your action. You can approve, reply, ‘quick edit,’ edit, mark as spam, or trash a comment. This process is shown in the screenshot below.
WordPress is an outstanding platform for interactive classroom blogging, and its ability to permit teacher moderation of both posts and comments is a key feature. Don’t use a blogging platform with your students which doesn’t permit different levels (or roles) of access for posting and commenting!