Wednesday, October 29, 2008 by Mary Lynn Collins
So, I have been asked to share with you my thoughts and experiences in using blogs. I will be honest with you - the first time I heard about blogs was in 2003. Being a technology facilitator I am always doing my best to stay ahead of the curve - so I went to a presentation on blogs. I saw the technology and was not sure I saw an immediate fit for education. However, as I explored blogs I saw the serious value it provided for our willing and reluctant writers.
What is a Blog?
According to technorati the blog search engine, in June 2008 they estimated having 112.8 million blogs world-wide. I guess this blog thing did take off! However, many blogs I visited were not true blogs. They were teacher web pages with homework on them - it did appear to be confusing. So what is a blog? ‘A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently.’ Source Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic - there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies - blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world. Source
Review Blogs
Does this help? Maybe, maybe not. Let's take a look at a few blogs. As you are reviewing these blogs I would like for you to pay attention to a few items:
- What are the "common" components of a blog?
- How could this technology work in your classroom? How could you make your blog purposeful and meaningful for your students?
Professional/Teacher Blogs
Classroom Blogs
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