UA Technology in Motion



Blogging for Educators

Robert Mayben: rmayben@bama.ua.edu

www.bama.ua.edu/~rmayben/tim/blog2006.htm

BLOGGING WORKSHOP

 

The objectives for this workshop are:

1) Identify the concept of blogging.

2) Understand and explore how blogging can be used in education.

3) Locate resources to create and learn about blogs.

4) Design and use a blog.

*This handout is designed for a 3-Hour blogging workshop. Content may be abbreviated for shorter sessions.

 

OBJECTIVE 1: What is a blog?

 

Definition:
Blogs (short for “Weblogs”) are Web sites organized in reverse chronological order, with the newest entries on top. They can be set up quickly and updated regularly by people with little or no Web programming experience.

 

This format and function supports personal “diary” style blogging, but blogs are also used to express political opinions, discuss hobbies and interests, “think out loud” on academic subjects, and as a form of first-person reporting.

 

Source: http://dmc.umn.edu/etf/blogs.pdf


Further Defined:
"Blog" is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to describe web sites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog is a frequently updated, personal website featuring diary-type commentary and links to articles or other Web sites. Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.

 

Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as web design, politics, sports, or mobile technology. Some are more eclectic, presenting links to all manner of other sites. And others are more like personal journals, presenting the author's daily life and thoughts.

 

Generally speaking (though there are exceptions), blogs tend to have a few things in common:

 

  • A main content area with articles listed chronologically, newest on top. Often, the articles are organized into categories.
  • An archive of older articles.
  • A way for people to leave comments about the articles.
  • A list of links to other related sites.

 

Source: http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging

 

Why do you think people blog?

 


OBJECTIVE 2: Blogs in Education

 

Why use blogs in education? http://www.weblogg-ed.com/why-weblogs

 

The educational uses of blogs are endless. Some obvious benefits are:

 

1)     Free Web Space

2)     Discussion Boards

3)     Homework Posting

4)     Keep reflective journals on class topics

5)     Create annotated web resources

6)     Post drafts of papers for peer feedback

7)     Brainstorm about class reports or projects

8)     Maintain a list of news articles relevant to particular a topic

 

Watch the video on slide 5 of To Blog or Not to Blog to see how the Blog Master, Will Richardson, uses blogs in his classroom: http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/sdcue2005/blog.htm

 

There are many excellent sites with ideas for blogs in education.

 

1)     Five Major Uses for Blogs in Education: http://www.pembinatrails.ca/program/technology/uses_of_blogs_in_education.htm

2)     Ways to Use Weblogs in Education: http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2004/10/000180.php

3)     Blogging Ideas for Math Teachers: http://futureofmath.misterteacher.com/blogs.html

4)     Blogging Rubric Example: http://www.masters.ab.ca/bdyck/Blog/

5)     Matrix of Blogs in Education: http://www.edtechpost.ca/gems/matrix2.gif

6)     Blogs in Education: http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/


Sample Blogs:

 

1)     Math: http://verity7math.blogspot.com/

2)     High School Art: http://www.lhsartpro.org/

3)     Kathy Schrock's Blog: http://kathyschrock.blogspot.com/

4)     A History Teacher: http://www.ahistoryteacher.com/blog/

5)     Science Teacher: http://msfrizzle.blogspot.com/

6)     Pre-Cal Class: http://pc30s.blogspot.com/

7)     Award Winning Blogs: http://incsub.org/awards/2005/the-edublog-awards-2005-shortlist

8)     Social Studies Lesson Plan Blog: http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/socstarticulation/

9)     High School English: http://mtnbrookseniors.blogspot.com/

10) Use the Blog Search to find more blogs: http://search.blogger.com

(Example Searches: English Class, Science Class, Math Class, History Class, etc.)
 

Blog Risks to Consider:

School districts have guidelines and acceptable use policies (AUP) regarding the use of school and division-wide computer networks and the Internet. These terms and conditions identify acceptable online behavior and access privileges. Policies regarding the displaying of any student work must be adhered to strictly. Take the necessary steps to secure parental permission before using the blog in a participatory manner.

 

Blogs may be viewed publicly, as any other Web site. Students must be trained on issues regarding access, privacy, security, and free expression. As blogs have no publisher, producer, or editor, students must carefully consider the content of postings to avoid anything defamatory, libelous, or an infringement upon the rights of others.

 

Blogs are created by individuals for various and assorted purposes. Content should be recognized as the opinion of the blogger, and, therefore, may not necessarily be factual.



Preparing Students for Blogging

·        Determine that all students' AUPs are in place and up to date.

·        Inform parents of procedures and secure parental permission.

·        Teach students safe, acceptable, and sensible behavior as online authors and readers.

·        Review policies and guidelines pertaining to student access.

·        Teach the non-posting rules of no complete names, e-mail accounts, or references to reveal location.

·        Set clear expectations regarding tone, respect, and consequences.

Source: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

 


OBJECTIVE 3: Resources

1)     The New Literacy-Blogging: http://www.resco.ca/blogging/

2)     Education World Tips: www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial037print.shtml

3)     More Blogging Resources than you would ever need: www3.essdack.org/socialstudies/blogs.htm
   

4)     An excellent resource for blogging information is Mark Wagner's Blogging for Teachers Series:

a.     http://mark.blogspot.com/2005/03/blogging-for-teachers-part-1-what-are.html

b.     http://mark.blogspot.com/2005/03/blogging-for-teachers-part-2-blogs-in.html

c.     http://mark.blogspot.com/2005/03/blogging-for-teachers-part-3-more.html


Three of the best FREE blogging sites are:

1)     Edublogs: http://www.edublogs.org 

2)     Blogger.com: http://www.blogger.com (Maintained by Google)

3)     Class Blogmeister http://classblogmeister.com/ (requires a registration and code from designer)



How do I get started?

1)     Determine audience (Students, Teachers, Parents, Public)

2)     Determine purpose (What do you want to do? What do you want your students to do?)

3)     Determine the service (free sites, paid sites, in-house hosting, etc.)

4)     Set up the blog & Introduce it to your students


OBJECTIVE 4: Setting Up a Blog with Blogger.com

We will walk through the steps for setting up your Blogger.com account together.

If you need a review, visit one of the sites below:

 

1)     http://esl.osu.edu/staff/bloch/bloggertutorial/pages/

2)     http://weblogs.about.com/cs/blogcreatetools/ht/blogger.htm

 

Setting up your blog:

1)     To begin, go to www.blogger.com and click on create your blog now.

2)     Fill in the information and click continue as necessary.

3)     Be sure to record your information on the My Blogger Info page.


Blogger.com Features (Explained in detail in the above tutorials)

1)     Posting to your Blog



2)     Settings




3)     Template




4)     Dashboard




5)     Profile