The Future of the Passport?

Wordpress, who release the blogging software that the olchfa smart website is running on (and yes, I know I need to do some work on it!) have released a stable version of a multiuser blogging platform. Or in English, we can install a program just like we have for the smart website and every pupil can have their own blog.

I'm going to try using this with a couple of classes in the new year, once I've got installed on my server, but a friend of mine is already using it with his year 10 History class, as you can see here.

He talks about his rationale for doing it here, and reflects on some early (and unexpected) sucess here.

Why would this be a good thing? Well, becuase pupils could refect more on what they'd done, and in a more meaningful way, in a place that was their own (they can customise the skin for example) and, possibly more importantly, they can comment on each others reflections. It also allows more meaningful long term reflection on what they've done and makes it easier for pupils to spot their own improvements. Certainly at the moment niether myself or the pupils are completely sure what star was awarded for what (although I accept that some of you are a lot more organised on that front that I am!)

So I'm flagging it up now for discussion further down the road. I'll post again on the subject when I've got some personal experience of it.