Blogs

Blogs are the first Web 2.0 Tool that we are investigating.  Blogs are basically a website where an author or author(s) record their thoughts and information for others to view.  Blogger is just one platform used for creating blogs.  View the definition that Blogger gives for a blog.

The structure of Blogger is very nice in that it leads you through the set up of your own blog.  If you can follow the instructions, you can create a blog. Teachers and students alike should remember that blogs are open to all internet users and posts should be monitored carefully to avoid any security or discipline issues among students.  Blogs are similar to public forums except they are hosted on the internet.

Q: So how is this useful in the classroom? 

A:  Blogs aren't necessarily subject specific.  Blogs are platforms for you as a teacher to present opportunities for your students to think critically and collaborate online.  Think about how this blog will allows us as professionals to share ideas in a virtual community.  View the following blogs for examples of using this type of communication in eduation (for students and teachers as professionals).  Click on "comments" to see where users have responded.

HipTeacher (High School English)

Inside Nicole Sledge's High School Classroom

Geometry as We Know It (sample)

It is apparent from these blogs that images and videos can be embedded in blog posts as well as text and links to other webpages.  There are many application such as Prezi and Wordle (just two of many) that allow you or students to create images or videos that can be posted to a blog.  We will be looking at these two tools as well.

Task: 
*View a matrix of "uses of blogs in education" and read an article for TechLearning to investigate the use of blogs in education.
*Post at least one idea for using blogs in your classroom as a "comment" to this post.  Simply comment by typing your idea in the comment box.  An example may be "journaling" or "extra credit writing."  Are you starting to get an idea of how blogs work?



Citation for general information:

     Glencoe Online (2011).  Teaching Today.  Retrieved [13 April 2011] from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47