Weblogs: Let’s Get Started!

Presented by:Renee OwensJune 9, 2008

Bell Ringer

What do you know about Weblogs?

What is a Weblog

• Blogs, as they are known, are easily created, easily updateable Websites.

• A blog is a Web-based publication of periodic journal entries (“posts”)

• One way to think of a blog is as an online journal with one or many contributors.

(Richardson 45)(Pitler et al 137)

Blogs in Plain English

Click on me

This video is available on YouTube.com and on my blog page.

Why use a blog in your classroom?

• Technology boosts students’ writing skills (“Technology helps”).

• Students respond enthusiastically to the opportunity to collaborate, the challenge of publishing for an audience, and the chance to contribute to a learning community (“Turning Teen Texting”).

• It is a way to differentiate (Pitler et al 35)• An effective way to implement the strategy of

reciprocal teaching (Pitler et al 137).

Why do I use blogs in my classroom?

• Engages students

• Encourages Writing Practice

• Extends Discussion

• Provides a Real Audience

Check out these blogs…

• Check out other blogs to see how other teachers use them.

• Teachers should blog to show students that is something of value and to model appropriate ways of doing it (Richardson 46).

• http://escrapbooking.com/blogging/index.htm

• http://sculbreth1.edublogs.org

• http://mrmackeyscience.blogspot.com

• http://room613talk05.edublogs.org/about/

• www.elizabethfullerton.com

More blogs to visit…

Bloggers Dozen of Good Educator’s Blogs to Read• Alan Levine (http://cogdogblog.com/)• Barbara Ganley

(http://mt.middlebury.edu/middblogs/ganley/bgblogging/)• Anne Davis (http://anneteachesme.com/)• David Warlick (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/)• James Farmer (http://incsub.org/blog)• Stephen Downes (http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htm)

• Tim Lauer (http://lewiselementary.org/principal)

The Rest of the Dozen…

• Tim Wilson (http://technosavvy.org/)• Tom Hoffman (

http://tuttlesvc.teacherhosting.com/blog/blosxom.cgi• Ken Smith (www.mchron.net/site/edublog.php)• Jenny Levine (www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/)• Konrad Glgowski (http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog)• Clarence Fisher (

http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/)

Let’s Get Started

• Read some good blogs. ”Find New Blogs” list Bloglines.com http://www.bloglines.com/topblogs

• Also check out the Edublogs Award site at http://incsub.org/awards/

• Start small.• Consider your students needs.• Think about Blog safety.• Weigh Blog options - follow step-by-step directions to

get started.

Start Small

• Create a link to something that would engage students in discussion – include a short excerpt.

• Next, you could include a few sentences that highlight what you found important or meaningful.

• The begin to write more in depth.

Tip: Be a public blogger – put your name on your work.

Blogging with Students

Consider the following…• Do your students have access

to the internet at school? At home?

• What experience do my students have with blogs/blogging?

• How do I inform parents about my intent to use blogs and have their child blog?

• Have students read blogs.• Have students read your blog.• Create simple posts – a

question a week.• Have small groups create

posts.

(Richardson 48)

Blog Safety

• Make sure students and parents and administrators are clear about the expectations and the reasoning behind the use of blogs.

• Communicate safety precautions (using first names only, teaching kids to never publish personal identifiers about themselves or others, making sure they know the process for reporting problems/difficulties, etc).

• Check out “Blogging Policies and Resources Wiki” (http://budtheteacher.com/wiki/).

• Safety also means having in place a way to consistently monitor the activity on whatever blogs your students are using,

• Consider safe issues of blog site you use.

(Richardson 48-49)

Blogging Step - By- Step

• Consider options

Blogger: http://www.blogger.com

Edublog: http://edublogs.org/.

• We will also have an in – house one available.

Blooger

• Free• Easy• Owned by Google.• The address of your site will be

“http://whatevernameyouchoose.blogspot.com.• There is now “Blogger for Word”tool that allows you to

post right to your blog from Microsoft word (http://buzz.blogger.com/bloggerforward.html).

• “Settings Tab• Tip for safety: “Next Blog” – can be removed. Open

main template, Find <body> tag, Type <noembed> in front of it and type </noembed> after the tag.

Edublog

http://edublogs.org

Time to Blog

You can spend time reading, responding or creating.

Closure

How do you think you could use blogs in your classroom?

Works Cited

• Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom by Will Richardson.

• Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn and Kim Malenoski

• “Technology Helps Boost Students’ Writing skills” www.eschoolnews.com

• “Turning Teen Texting Toward Better Writing” http://web.mac.com/iajukes/thecommittedsardine/BLOG/BLOG.htm