Blogs

media type="youtube" key="NN2I1pWXjXI?rel=0" height="345" width="420" **So what is a blog?**  First of all blogs are found on the internet. The term “blog” is short for “weblog”. // A blog is a personal diary. A collaborative space. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Your blog is whatever you make it to be. They come in all shapes and sizes. //  ***Blog** (noun) - a journal or diary that is on the Internet ***Blogger** (noun) - a person who keeps a blog ***Blog** (verb) - to write a blog ***Blogging** (verb) - the action of writing a blog
 * Blogs**

**What makes blogs different from other websites?**
 * content is published in a chronological fashion
 * content is updated regularly
 * readers have the possibility to leave comments
 * other blog authors can interact via trackbacks and pingbacks
 * content is syndicated via RSS feeds (Rich Site Summary)

**Types of Blogs**

**Weblogs (blogs)**- They are online journals where people, otherwise known as bloggers, can record anything from their views on the war to what they did during a particular day. The blogger can add pictures and multimedia to their journal. Whoever reads a blog may be able to make comments on it, depending on the bloggers' chosen settings. This will open up a discussion between the blogger and the reader. Some examples are blogger.com, blogs4me.com, and MyBlog.com are a few of the free blogs available. There are many others available, although there are more extensive blogs available that ask for payment.

**Photo Blogs:** A photo blog is a blog in which the blogger will post their pictures instead of text. The blogger may include captions or maybe even an explanation of their photos. Others are usually allowed to enter comments here as well as create a rapport between blogger and reader. Some of the available photo blogs are fotolog.com and flickr.com.

**Video Blogs (vlogs):** These are very similar to the photo blogs, but insted they allow the user to enter videos they captured, edited, or even created. There are also vlogs created by groups that have a collaberated effort involved. Some host of vlogs are dropshots.com, vobbo.com, and the more popular, youtube.com.

**Other Types:** There is a type of blog called an artlog, which has its focus on art (artlogs.org). Another type are sketch blogs, which are mainly ideas and thoughts created in different forms. There are also music blogs, called MP3 blogs, which make music in MP3 format and then are available for download (elbo.ws). Another type of blogs are audio, which are also called podcasts. This is where people put media files on the web, making it available for others to download and listen to (ehow.com).

 ** Educatio﻿nal Uses of Blogging **  //**Teacher to Teacher:**// Blogging can be a useful tool in your educational program and for the rest of your career as a teacher. Imagine the networking possibilites! Through blogging teachers can communicate more easily with other teachers from all over the world. No two teacher to teacher blogs are the same. Each have their own unique focus or style. Some teachers use it to reflect on their professional practice. Others use it to share new ideas, or to ask for feedback from other professionals. Professional education bloggers use blogging to keep teachers up to date on the new and emerging ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. __Examples of Teacher to Teacher blog sites:__

EdBlogger - [] Hip Teacher - [] TeacherSource - [] Educational Tech Blog - []

__Application for Future Teachers:__

** [] ( [] )** ** [] ( [] )** ** [] ( [] )** **[|http://my-ecoach.com/blogs.php?blog=1451][| (][|http://my-ecoach.com/blogs.php?blog=1451][|)]**

Students can create blogs that are similar to journals. These can only be accessed by the indivdual student or the teacher. Each student in the class gets their own blog space. This is a great way to minimize paper use as well as integrate technology into something as simple as a student's weekly reflection. These journal blogs also allow students to post questions that the student may be afraid to ask in front of his or her peers or to the teacher's face. This type of blog is called the learner blog.
 * //Student to Teacher://**

Other blog programs similar to Blackboard or blogger.com allow teachers to post homework assignments, announcements and discussion boards. There are two main types. The "tutor" blog is a site where only the teacher can post. A "class" blog is one where both students and teachers can post. Both of these allow students to have access to materials outside of the classroom. This is also important because now parents can check and see what their children have for homework as well.

__Teacher Resources:__ Blogs on Educational Blogging- http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers

**//T//** ** //eacher to Parents:// **

Blogs can be used as a communication tool. It allows you to reach out to parents and guardians who are technologically savvy. One must remember that is may not be a large percentage. Putting a great deal of time into this method of communicating may or may not be a good return on your investment.

Another caution would be the tendency of revealing too much personal information within a series of blog postings. Remember to keep the content and tone professional at ALL times.

  **What are some factors to keep in mind?** Keeping your students safe while blogging on the internet is very important.
 * Student Safety:**

Before setting up a blog for your classroom be sure to check with your district to determine their guidlines for publishing student content on the internet. Be careful that any photos published do not identify students by name, and that last names are never used.

Second, use a blogging resource that allows you as the teacher to edit content before it is posted for public viewing. This way you can ensure that students are not publishing identifiable details about themselves.

**Ideas for Uses in Other Content Areas:**

**Science** - [|http://sciencespace6022.blogspot.com]


 * // English Classrooms- use for creative writing, have students write journals and narratives, these can then be peer edited on-line//**


 * // History - Have students pick historical people or events and then write about them using first person//**


 * // Math - Have students create their own word problems on their blog and have their peers solve them writing their answers in the comment section//**

**How do I create my own Blog?**  **Free Places to Create a Blog:** **Blogger- [|www.google.com/blogger]** **WordPress**- [] **Weebly**- [] **Edublog (fee at certain levels)**- [] <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
 * Choose a blog site
 * Register for an account
 * Customize the appearance
 * Start blogging

<span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">** __Resources for Future Learning:__ ** <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> [] (Find help, info, instructions, tips and tricks) [] (Dummies guide to blogging) [] (Beginner’s guide to blogging) <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">Fran Prather's Digital Literacy Blog <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">**References:** (2010). Blog. Retrieved September 17, 2010, from Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia Website: <span style="color: #114488; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[]

Cavanaugh, K. The Education Network [Video file]. Retrieved from September 12, 2010, from PalmBreezeCafe.com Website<span style="color: #114488; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">[]

Huffaker, David A. (2005). Let Them Blog: Using Weblogs to Advance Literacy in the K-12 Classroom. Retrieved February 3rd, 2008 from [] Website: []