Blogs

=Blogs = 

**Read Me! **   A blog is personal site, an online log (also called weblog) containing publication of content sorted in chronological order, with the most recent entry (newest post) at the top of the page. Individual entries (logs) are usually always dated and time-stamped and generate an archive of all previous post including the recent post at the top of the page. The archive is usually found in the sidebar but can be found in some blog at the bottom of the site or by a link in the top navigation bar of the site. Older entries are archived by month and year or by week and year with a static webpage address (URL address) for each individual entry (posts).

Blogs usually facilitate communication between the reader and the owner of the site. The author (s) can write about whatever is interesting to him/her in any writing style that suits him/her. There are usually comment sections for all readers or for selected readers to leave comments and/or start up a discussion thread similar to that of a forum. All comments and discussions are usually instantly made accessible to the public for all visitors to read through the World Wide Web (internet) that visit that site or post. Comments and discussions are archived with the entries that they come under.

Don't miss this great video on blogs! http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs  In a nutshell, blogs are about communicating. You have an experience, reflect on it, and then write about it. Other people read your reflections and respond either by commenting or writing their own blog article. You read different perspectives and sometimes learn through another lens, then often write some more.

From Steve Hargadon's [|Support Blogging Site]  Why Blog in Education? (video clip) http://campus.belmont.edu/chenowit/dragonstale/WebLoggingSmall.mov This is a short video clip featuring Will R. and students/colleagues from his high school. The enthusiasm of students and teachers in this video clip will help make the case for classroom blogging!
 * 1) Blogging is about reading and writing.
 * 2) eLiteracy is about reading and writing.
 * 3) <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Blogging is about literacy.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
 * <span style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,234,0) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">See Me! **

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">//Examples of Classroom Blogs//
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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">ELEMENTARY
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Elementary Teacher's Blog – Room 208 (Bob Sprankle) http://bobsprankle.com/blog/ Bob Sprankle is a 3-4 grade teacher in Wells, Maine. This link leads to his classroom blog, which is a visual delight! You'll see he's doing a lot of podcasting with his students. Bob also has a blog for teachers where he "reflects on the changing classroom in the 21st Century." Click on the "Bit by Bit" button in the left-hand margin, or follow this link.

Blogical Minds (5th grade) http://itc.blogs.com/minds/

Room 9 Nelson Central’s Blog (Ages 6-7, Nelson, NZ) http://room9nelsoncentral.blogspot.com/

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">MIDDLE
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Sixth Grade Social Studies http://room613talk05.edublogs.org/ http://hetherington.learnerblogs.org/ (student blogs) <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Grade 8 Math Blog (Winnipeg, Canada) http://816math.blogspot.com/

Grade 8 History Blog (Missouri) http://www.speakingofhistory.blogspot.com/ This teacher is doing amazing things combining blogs with podcasts!

Jeanne Simpson – Seventh Grade Math http://7westmath.blogspot.com/ (former site) http://jsgeometry.edublogs.org/ (current site)

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">HIGH
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Randy Fullington – High School Honors Biology http://ghshonorsbio.blogspot.com/

Suzanne Culbreth – High School Geometry (See links to three classroom blogs at top of webpage http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/omhs/faculty/sculbreth/links.htm

High School Language Arts http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Staff Development Blogs
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/ Blogs can also support an exchange of ideas and resources among teachers who are keen on pursuing 21st Century teaching strategies. Here's a blog supported by Karl Fisch at Arapahoe HS in Centennial, Colorado. It's also a good example of the power of social networking – while the blog supports teachers at AHS, it's also addressed to a larger global audience of educators. Definitely a good blog to "subscribe" to!

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Librarian Blogs
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">These are research-based blogs, some of which are library-based or written by librarians. David Lee King - http://www.davidleeking.com/ Deep Thinking - http://deepthinking.blogsome.com/ Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog - http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/ Free Range Librarian - http://freerangelibrarian.com/ Information Wants To Be Free - http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php librarian.net - http://www.librarian.net/ librariesinteract.info - http://librariesinteract.info/ LibraryBytes - http://librarybytes.com/ Library Stuff - http://www.librarystuff.net/ Research Buzz - http://www.researchbuzz.org/wp/ Resource Shelf - http://www.resourceshelf.com/

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Teaching
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">The following blogs deal with issues facing teachers, including teaching methods, lesson plans, aids, and tools.

A Difference - http://adifference.blogspot.com/ Are We Doing Anything Today? - http://wordgirl.typepad.com/arewedoinganythingtoday/ blog of proximal development - http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/ Borderland - http://borderland.northernattitude.org/ Bud the Teacher http://budtheteacher.typepad.com/ Cool Cat Teacher Blog - http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ FunnyMonkey - http://www.funnymonkey.com/blog NYC Educator - http://nyceducator.blogspot.com/ Teachers Teaching Teachers - http://teachersteachingteachers.org/ The Open Classroom - http://theopenclassroom.blogspot.com/

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Technology
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Bringing technology to the classroom and using technology to learn and teach are topics discussed within these blogs.

David Warlick's 2cents worth - http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ A Teacher's Life - http://elemenous.typepad.com/weblog/ Around the Corner v2 - http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/ Beth's Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom - http://www.bethknittle.net/WP_Blog/ Bionic Teaching - http://bionicteaching.com/ CogDogBlog - http://cogdogblog.com/ Ed-Tech Insider - http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/ EdCompBlog - http://edcompblog.blogspot.com/index.html EduBlog Insights - http://anne.teachesme.com/ Teach42 - http://www.teach42.com/ Techlearning Blog - http://www.techlearning.com/blog/ The Tech Savvy Educator - http://www.techsavvyed.net/ The Thinking Stick - http://www.thethinkingstick.com/

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">My Favorites
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">David Warlick's 2cents worth - [|http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/</span]> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Bud the Teacher [|http://budtheteacher.typepad.com/<span] style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> Cool Cat Teacher Blog - [|http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ <span] style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> Karl Fisch - <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[|http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/</span]> The Infinite Thinking Machine - http://www.infinitethinking.org/ Joyce Valenza - [|http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com] <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">


 * <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; BACKGROUND: rgb(255,234,0) 0% 50%; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Teach Me! **

Blog<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">ging Tools
<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">There are many good, free blogging tools. I am requesting you use one of the following (a I am more familiar with these and can help support questions):
 * **Blogger/ blogspot: GOOGLE'S BLOG SERVICE** - [|http://www.blogger.com]
 * [[image:http://drstocker.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/setting_up_blogger_account.pdf"]][| setting_up_blogger_account.pdf]

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[|Blog Basics for the Classroom] This comprehensive article gives all the details on using gated blogs safely in the classroom, including explanations of blogging basics, a TeachersFirst Step-by-Step on how to start one, complete reviews of several free blogging tools for teachers, and over two dozen ideas for how to use a blog with your students.
 * **Edublogs** -<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[|http://www.edublogs.com]
 * [[image:http://drstocker.wikispaces.com/i/mime/32/application/pdf.png width="32" height="32" link="http://theconnectedclassroom.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/edublogs_setup.pdf"]][| edublogs_setup.pdf]

From this point, let's do this together.

Click on the videos below. Remember, you can have the video AND your internet explorer or firefox browser open so that you can follow along But don't hesitate to pause the video, back it up or fast forward, depending on your need.

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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">OK, it's your turn! READ CAREFULLY--two parts to the assignment!
 * <span style="BACKGROUND: rgb(255,234,0) 0% 50%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Try Me! **

1. Figure out WHY you would use a blog in your classroom. You have several choices: with students doing the blogging or as a staff development effort with co-workers doing the blogging.

2. After reading the "Blog Basics for the Classroom" article listed above, create a blog (I suggest you use blogger.com, edublogger or livejournal). Format the blog and create a beginning post. Put some thought into this--this should be the first post of many, so figure out what that conversation is going to be and how you are going to facilitate it and make this first posting one that students will respond to in an honest and meaningful way. Then put a link into your wiki where the blog can be assessed. Be sure to set it up with the right permissions!!! When you have completed the blog, let me know it is posted on your NAVIGATION BAR. Then, go to the class blog and begin a conversation about classroom blogging, siting some of the resources you discovered on this page and share, in depth, how you plan to have the students (or collegues) use the blog, how you will assess the effectiveness of the blog entries, and what you hope to accomplish as a result of your blog.

Having troubles with posting to the blog? Here's a [|video] I made for you! <span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(253,252,252)"> **<span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; BACKGROUND: red 0% 50%; LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Additional Resources ** <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Transparency and constructivism, etc. (or five good reasons to blog the research process) by Joyce Valenza http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1340000334/post/560014056.html This article outlines 5 good reasons to blog when using research.