Blogs+SU2012



=What Are Blogs? =

Richardson defines the term 'weblog' as: an easily created, easily updateable web site that allows an author (or authors) to publish instantly to the internet from any internet connection.

Merriam-Webster [|defines] blogs as: a website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

Dictionary.com [|defines] blogs as: a website containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other website. 

As you can see, this term is no longer just 'tech speak;' it has become an entity within our world. We use blogs to communicate, and they can be used individually or within a group of authors. Blogs give voices to people who want to express themselves and gain feedback from others in a digital way. Blogs can be used for personal or professional reasons; every blog is unique. Richardson believes blogs are different from regular websites. He states, "[Weblogs] are comprised of reflections and conversations that in many cases are updated everyday (if not three or four times a day)...they ask readers to think and respond. They demand interaction." This is in essence what blogs are all about. Blogs are a great way to share information at rapid fire pace, and can be continuously monitored by the blog's readers.

* Important notes about blogs:
 * 1) Anyone with access to the internet can create a blog, which means the content on certain blogs may be inaccurate or misleading. Blogs, as Richardson states, should be used for communication and not as research references.
 * 2) People have different motivations for creating blogs. It's important, as internet users, to be aware of what a person's motivation may be. Some blogs are created to be useful, while others are there for the authors to gain notoriety. Knowing the creator's motivation is helpful in figuring out how useful the blog may be.

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Check out this video for a brief online tutorial about what a blog is!

=How Can We Use Blogs in The Classroom? =


 * Create a space to store information for students such as homework assignments, calendars, and events
 * Writing prompts
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Post online readings for students to read and discuss
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Provide examples of projects and publish students' best work
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Provide links for students that relate to classroom topics
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Create student portfolios
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Provide students the opportunity to experiment with their writing voices and publish their writing for an authentic audience
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Share class activities so those outside the classroom can see what the class is doing
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Literature circles or book clubs
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Connect to other classrooms around the world
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students can create character blogs (both characters students create or characters from classroom/independent reading texts)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Invite authors or specialists to view and respond to the classroom blog
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Forge a connection between the classroom and parents
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Schools can work together so that students maintain the same blog every school year - creates a digital portfolio that spans years
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers can have a blog as well, and share with the parents and students

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Safety Precautions =

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 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Discuss expectations of using blogs in the classroom with parents, administration, and students
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Make sure all students have permission to use blogs
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Talk to students to ensure they understand the importance of not sharing personal information that may identify them
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students should not share photos, names, locations they frequent etc.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Make sure all students know not to communicate with people they don't know online
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Use first names only and create pseudonyms for students with unique names
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here is a [|Sample Blog Acceptable Use Policy] and [|Blog Contracts Created by Students]
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here is a YouTube video explaining safety features of [|Blogger] that can make using blogs in the classroom more secure:

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pros/Cons of Using Blogs With Students =

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pros
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students have the opportunity to retrieve information at any time
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students have the chance to interact outside the classroom, discussing school topics/content
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers have a central place to review work students have submitted
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students are writing for an authentic audience
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students have the opportunity to communicate with students from another state or country
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Blogs are environmentally friendly — if students misplace a handout, they can access the information via the blog
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students are invited to become active participants and writers
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students may be more engaged with their writing and have more fun because of the use of computers and the internet
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students practice the process of revising, editing, and writing by giving and receiving feedback
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students improve their typing skills
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students become members of the Web 2.0 community
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students learn the difference between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers can use blogs to differentiate for different learning styles/preferences
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students can access the blog from home if they are absent from school; this will help them stay current on assignments



<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cons
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Technological issues may occur — if an entire lesson revolves around using the computers and the Internet is down, there should be alternative assignments prepared for the students
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Privacy issues — if the blog is open to the public, strangers may be interacting with the students
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Not all students have access to a computer and the Internet
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Depending on how much autonomy students are granted, grading may become difficult
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers must be timely and plan in advance for their posts and responses
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Students, especially those who are older, may take advantage of freedoms given, might get off task easily/behave recklessly
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Teachers may have a hard time explaining how to use the technology to younger, less savvy students - may take up a lot of class time

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pros/Cons of Using Blogs Professionally =

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Pros
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Share and receive advice/information related to career
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Networking
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Learn new methods, share lesson ideas, and learn from others' mistakes!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Cons
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Privacy issues — Many schools and companies may be unhappy if an employee blogs negatively or sarcastically about their students, coworkers, or jobs
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">It can be difficult to monitor the comments left on a blog, which may reflect negatively on a company
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Information provided might not be totally accurate - always double check for accuracy before citing a blog

=<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Blog Resources = //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Online blog sites, articles about blogs, how-to sites for teachers, kid friendly blogs, blogs maintained by educators etc.... //


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">You Can Create Blogs On The Following Sites: **
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Kid Blog] A website that provides a safe place for children to start and maintain blogs.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Blogger] This is a website where you can start a blog for free!
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Word Press] This is a website where you can start a blog for free!
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Weebly] A site that allows you to create websites through their service. I am recommending it here because it allows for us to also embed a blog within the website. I am currently working to create one myself.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Tumblr] A social networking/blogging website. It's second only to blogger, and I think in many ways is more popular with young adults. [|Here]is also an article highlighting how it could be used within the classroom.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|21 Classes] On this site, teachers can create and monitor blogs for individual students.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Sample Blogs: **
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Integrating Tech]This blog is maintained by an educator who writes about integrating technology into education!
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|A Year of Reading]This blog is maintained by 2 teachers who provide book reviews of children and young adult books.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Mr. C's Class Blog] This blog is maintained by a fifth grade teacher who uses it to connect his students to the world. This blog was cited in the Richardson text.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Mr. Toffolo's Blog] This is a ninth grade English teacher's blog. This is a good example of how to share course documents and homework with students and parents via blogs.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Will Richardson's Site] If you enjoyed the text Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, you can read more on Richardson's site. Here is his [|older blog] that he had maintained for ten years before moving to the current site


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Other Resources & Articles About Blogs **


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Start a Blog] This is a how-to page for beginning your own blog.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Bud the Teacher's Wiki]This open wiki, created and run by a teacher, has many resources about using blogs (and other forms of technology) in the classroom. It is a work in progress and the author invites everyone to add their own ideas and resources!
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Using Student Blogs as Portfolios] This site includes examples of the types of questions teachers can pose to students when using student blogs as portfolios.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">[|Google Blog Help] This is a place where people can report abuse on a Google blog if the terms and services are violated.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"How Are You Going To Grade This?" This is an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education's website about evaluating your students' use of blogging, and some of the challenges teachers face.