Uses+of+blogs

=Group One - Uses of Blogs in the Classroom= ==  I.     What is Blogging       ==  ==  II. Pros & Cons  == 
 * 1) According to [|Wikipedia], a [|blog] (a contraction of the term " Web log ") is a Web site , usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
 * 2) According to author Will Richardson, a Weblog is "an easily created, easily updateable Website that allows an author (or authors) to publish instantly to the Internet from any Internet connection." (p.17)
 * 3) A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log ") is a [|Web site], usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning //to maintain or add content to a blog//. 
 * 4)     Watch  a short video from [|TeacherTube] of [|Blogs in Plain English.]   <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">

A. Pros
> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Promote critical and analytical thinking > <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking > <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Promote analogical thinking > <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Be a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information > <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction > <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Here is a link to a [|New York Times] article about the many benefits of using blogs in the classroom. Some of the benefits noted are that they allow even the quietest students to "come alive," they allow for a "modern day pen pal system" where students can talk to other students around the world, they encourage and allow for more opportunities for students to write, and they allow class discussions to continue after the bell rings. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> This [|YouTube Video] was created by 10th grade technology students about the top 10 reasons to use blogs. Students are in the video explaining why they like blogging. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> This article talks about how blogging can improve writing and student interaction in the classroom. I found it interesting how they did a research project and the instructor found by having his students blog improved the overall quality of the paper. The author also explains that blogs should have a purpose and be guided at all times in order to facilitate learning in the classroom. Here is the article http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23562_4
 * 1) Blogs are easy to use.
 * 2) Blogs allow people who share similar interests (who might otherwise never connect) correspond and share ideas.
 * 3) Blogs promote and encourage writing and communicating clearly and effectively (something that our students need!).
 * 4) Blogs allow students who may not feel comfortable speaking in front of others to share their ideas in a different format.
 * 5) Discussions can take place at any time.
 * 6) Blogging can be interactive.
 * 7) Blogs are a powerful way for a student to be self-reflective and use the thought process.
 * 8) A blog can help students process their thoughts and ideas for analysis.
 * 9) Unlike a wiki, in a blog the initial post always stands and is simply responded to and not altered in any way.
 * 10) Blogging can move a student's thinking forward, help them process to a higher level of thinking/understanding, and apply learning to a practical context.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">According  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">to learning specialists Fernette and Brock Eide's research, blogs can: (Richardson, 20)

B. Cons
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Blogging is a personal forum that sometimes leads to grandstanding. Hey, who wants to hear you rant and rave about a subject?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">    <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In education, blogging is sometimes used just because it is technology. It needs to have a purpose and connection to the curriculum.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Blogging is accessible to everyone, so what you write can be read by all (and possibly found on the internet many years after). Therefore, you need to think carefully about what you say and how you say it (or else it could come back to haunt you).
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Blogs  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">can get messy. With so many posts about so many different topics, blogs can seem "endless" and become disorganized if not properly maintained.

A. Some Do's of Classroom Blogging
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> >
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Update frequently. Content gets stale fast so refresh a blog at least three times a week.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Be  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">interactive. Encourage visitors to post comments and join in conversations.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Model appropriate blogging for your students. Take the time to view classroom blogs that already exist and talk about their pros and cons. Students should not be expected to be blogging experts from the beginning. They need to see good examples of classroom blogs before they are expected to blog themselves.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If discussion is desired in a blog, the instructor should remain positive in the comments and not intrusive or students will cease to post on their blog.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Be sure to set deadlines or timelines for students when blogging.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Have a clear rubric before students blog so that they do not become confused as to how their work is going to be evaluated.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> B. Some Don'ts of Classroom Blogging
>
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don't just dive in to blogging. You need to set up guidelines and objectives for your students or problems will occur. Have students sign a code of conduct for blogging that covers profanity and slander. It is also a good idea to send a note home to a parent describing the project in detail so they are on board as well.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don't confuse blogging with social networking. MySpace, FaceBook and other social networking tools are just that, social networking platforms. A genuine educational blog is not about socializing but about students helping each other to get through the coursework.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don't leap into freebies. Some platforms such as Bloggers.com and Type-Pad.com are free, yet these programs do not offer the structure a school district needs. Free sites often have advertisments and are outside an educator's control. And because there is no way to build a cyber-wall around a particular classroom project, students have access to the entire blogging world, and vice-versa. That is way too much freedom.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">    <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don't force a sequential style. Be sure to structure the blog by topic.This makes it easier for the student to find information on the blog instead of being buried underneath a lot of inform
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Don't  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> leave blogging to the students. Be an active participant as an educator in the world of blogging. Blogging is a community and a venue to get to know students on a different level. A quiet child will often participate in a blog rather than in the classroom setting which gives voice to all students in education.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Be sure to have a clear context when you set up your blog.

IV. List of Useful Blogs for Educators
> http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/blogonlineclass/index.htm > <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> >
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Blogs in the Mathematics Classroom]
 * 2) [|50 Useful Blogging Tools for Teachers]
 * 3) [|Top 100 Education B logs]
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Use of Blogs in online college classes (from encyclopedia of educational technology) (Includes pros and cons, tips for teachers)

V. Blog Hosting Services for Educators
<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> == <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">  VI. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Resources for Educators   == <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Example Lesson Plans - This is a place where we welcome all you educators to add your lessons! Example of an online consent form - [|Online Collab Form.doc] == <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> VII. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">References  == <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Richardson, Will. (2006). //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms//. Corwin Press. Ramaswami, Rama (2008). //The Prose of Blogging//. T.H.E. Journal. Reynard, Ruth (2008). //Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Using Blogs with Students//" Campus Technology.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Edublogs]
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Blogger]
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">    <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Classblogmeister]
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Wordpress]
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Typepad]
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Moveable Type]
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> [|Blogware]