Week 2: Blogs

Blog Survey

Take the Survey Here!
Survey Results

Comparing Blogs and Websites

Directions: Below are 8 links to sites found on the web. As you look at each site, classify each site as either a website or a blog. When you have finished classifying each site, go back and create two lists that outlines the key features of both websites and blogs. That is, what are the defining characteristics of each that allowed you to classify each of the 8 sites as either a website or a blog?

A. http://www.educ.msu.edu/
B. http://www.mackenty.org/index.php/site/index/
C. http://www.assortedstuff.com/
D. http://technosavvy.org/
E. http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/
F. http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/
G. http://elps.k12.mi.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=2

Discussion:
1. Classify each site as either a) a website or b) a blog and
2. Make separate lists of the key characteristics of websites and blogs. You will report back to the class on your work, so be sure to take notes.

Examples of Professional and Educational Use of Blogs

Read Seven things you should know about blogs
Locate one example of teachers using blogs in ways you find interesting.
You can go to Edublog Awards 2007 Finalists, you might try using a blog search engine such as Technorati or Google Blog Search, or you can also find a list of educational blogs here--There are different categories there, so be sure to scroll through the entire page.
Questions:

• How does the teacher use his/her blog? What is an specific example (a post or a comment)?
• What function does the blog serve?
• What do you think is the benefits of using blog this way?
• Do you have any critiques?
• What are some helpful strategies you are using to read the blogs?

Example: Grade 5/6NT Blog

Writings about Educational Implications of Blogs

• The Educated Blogger by David Huffaker
• Ferdig, R. E., & Trammell, K. D. (2004). Content delivery in the 'blogosphere.' T.H.E. Journal, 31(7), 12, 16-17, 20. link
• Echlin, H. (2007, January 7). Digital discussion: Take your class to the Internet. Edutopia. Retrieved January 13, 2007, from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-discussion-take-your-class-to-internet.
• Colombo, M. W., & Colombo, P. D. (2007). Blogging to improve instruction in differentiated science classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(1), 60-63. link
• Lesesne, T. S. (2006). Technology meets literature: Meeting authors through their blogs. Teacher Librarian, 33(5), 58-59. link
• Ishuzuka, K. (2006). History teacher 2.0. School Library Journal, 52(4), 26-27. link
• Richardson, W. & Mancabelli, R. (2007). High-tech inspires the read/write website. The Education Digest, 72(9), 14-18. link

Sell your blog ideas!

Think about the educational implications of blogs through the following group work.

Pro: try your best to persuade others to use blogs in your classrooms

• Explain what teachers/students can do with the blogs…(find and explain in detail at least three specific ways of using blogs)
• Explain the advantages of using blogs…
• Find out one particular blog to support your arguments, and talk about how this blog can be further improved.
  • You can find some examples from http://del.icio.us/CEP416Resources/blog
  • You can also search for blogs at: www.technorati.com or http://blogsearch.google.com/)

Con: try hard to avoid using blogs in your classrooms

• Better or alternative approaches?
• The disadvantages of using blogs?

Group 1: Teacher's Online Journal – created and maintained by the teacher himself/herself
Group 2: Student Blog – created and maintained by individual student
Group 3: Classroom/Student Group Bog – created and maintained either by the teacher or by a group of students

Blog Lab

Basic:

• To create a blog
• To create a post that includes text, a picture, and a link to an outside resource
• To leave a comment

Advanced:

• To tag/label a post (Why do we need this?)
• To create “Important Links”
• To edit "About Me" page
• To add a picture

Bonus:

• To add writers/members
• To restrict the right of commenting only to the members of the blog
• To embed a video

Assignments

• Create a post on your blog in which you a) devote at least one paragraph to each of the blogs you liked best and tell us what it was about them that you liked. Be sure to create an embedded link back to each blog so we can see the blogs you are referring to--hint, the links in this post are embedded links because they do not display the url address
• Capture some of your current ideas on how you might be able to use a blog in your teaching both as a classroom management tool and for student learning. Please try to tailor these ideas to the grade levels and subject areas you are most interested in teaching.
• Update your blog link on our Wiki Gallery. Here's a quick clip on how to do this.