Bringing Schools into Bringing Schools into the New Century?the New Century?

BloggingBlogging

EDU 626 Integrating Educational TechnologyEDU 626 Integrating Educational TechnologySpring 2009Spring 2009

2

What is a Blog?What is a Blog?•A log of websites visited? Or a personal A log of websites visited? Or a personal journal? Or something else?journal? Or something else?–“Defining this variable form is not easy in the highly opinionated blogosphere - nor is it simple in the increasing number of newsrooms that are in embracing blogging. . . . Capturing the blogging beast is no small matter, not when everybody from the lonely scribe in Paducah to me-too mass media in Manhattan is trying to get arms and minds around the virtual blob now encroaching online.” •Just what is a blog, anyway? By Michael Conniff Posted: 2005-09-29

3

Can we define blogs?Can we define blogs?•““I don’t care,”I don’t care,”

–“There is no need to define ‘blog.’ . . . A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list. People will use it however they wish. And it is way too soon in the invention of uses for this tool to limit it with a set definition.”

• Jeff Jarvis, the veteran print journalist and prominent blogger behind BuzzMachine Quoted by Conniff in Just what is a blog, anyway?

4

OK-so what makes a blog?OK-so what makes a blog?

•Technically, what is a weblog? Technically, what is a weblog? – A weblog is a hierarchy of text,

images, media objects and data, arranged chronologically, that can be viewed in an HTML browser.

• What makes a weblog a weblog?Fri, May 23, 2003; by Dave Winer Weblogs At Harvard Law

5

Another technical definitionAnother technical definition

• ““. . . here’s a definition of what a blog . . . here’s a definition of what a blog is:is: –A publication of content and Web links, sorted in chronological order, with the most recent at the top. The content reflects personal or corporate interests, and is almost always written by an individual. . . .”

• What are Blogs, and Why Your Business Should Use One

6

History of blogsHistory of blogs•Rebecca Blood:Rebecca Blood:

– The original weblogs were link-driven sites. Each was a mixture in unique proportions of links, commentary, and personal thoughts and essays.

– These weblogs provide a valuable filtering function for their readers. The web has been, in effect, pre-surfed for them.• weblogs: a history and perspective 7

september 2000 rebecca's pocket • “Jesse’s ‘page of only weblogs’ lists the

23 known to be in existence at the beginning of 1999.”

7

Blog History in Timeline Form

• Dawn of Internet TimeDawn of Internet Time:: [=WWW time, ie about 1989-90] [=WWW time, ie about 1989-90] –Tim Berners-Lee at CERN begins keeping a list of all new sites as they come online.

• June 1993: June 1993: –NCSA's oldest archived What's New list of sites.

• June 1993: June 1993: –Netscape begins running its What's New! list of sites.

• Jan 1994: Jan 1994: –Justin Hall launches Justin's Home Page which would become Links from the Underground.

timbl's blog

8

1997 as a big year1997 as a big year

•April 1997: April 1997: –Dave Winer launches Scripting News. His company, Userland, will release Frontier, Manila and Radio Userland, all website and blog content software.

•Sept 1997 Sept 1997 –Slashdot launches their news for nerds.

•Dec 1997: Dec 1997: –Jorn Barger coins the term web log.

9

1999 the year it all exploded1999 the year it all exploded

•Early 1999: Early 1999: – Peter Merholz coins the term blog after

announcing he was going to pronounce web blogs as "wee-blog". This was then shortened to blog.

•Early 1999: Early 1999: – Brigitte Eaton starts the first portal

devoted to blogs with about 50 listings.•July 1999: July 1999:

– Metafilter's earliest archives. •July 1999: July 1999:

– Pitas launches the first free build your own blog web tool.

•August 1999: August 1999: – Pyra releases Blogger which becomes the

most popular web based blogging tool to date, and popularizes blogging with mainstream internet users.

For What It's Worth

I've decided to pronounce the word "weblog" as wee'- blog. Or "blog" for short.

10

Importance of 1999Importance of 1999•Advent of easy-edit web Advent of easy-edit web interfaceinterface• July 1999 . . . Pitas, the first free build-

your-own-weblog tool launched • In August, Pyra released

Blogger, and Groksoup launched

• Late in 1999 software developer Dave Winer introduced Edit This Page, and Jeff A. Campbell launched Velocinews

• All of these services are free, and all of them are designed to enable individuals to publish their own weblogs quickly and easily.•Rebecca Blood,

weblogs: a history and perspective

11

Why was Why was BloggerBlogger so revolutionary? so revolutionary?

•Rebecca Blood’s opinion::–Blogger itself places no restrictions on the form of content being posted. Its web interface, accessible from any browser, consists of an empty form box into which the blogger can type...anything: a passing thought, an extended essay, or a childhood recollection. With a click, Blogger will post the...whatever...on the writer's website, archive it in the proper place, and present the writer with another empty box, just waiting to be filled.

–http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html

12

Sample Sample BloggerBlogger interface interface

13

Editing Editing BloggerBlogger: wysiwyg: wysiwyg

14

Editing Editing BloggerBlogger: html view: html view

15

ResultResult

•http://murraylibmedia.blogspot.com/

16

Other blogging softwareOther blogging software

• –TypePad’s easy-to-use editor, feedback management tools, feed and podcast support, photo albums and world-class customer support.

•

–To get started with WordPress, set it up on a web host for the most flexibility or get a free blog on WordPress.com.

17

Why use blogs?

• A blog connects you with the people A blog connects you with the people who matterwho matter–Blog to find a new job or to write about the one you have. Blog to broadcast news to the world or to share your individual passion. Use a blog to engage with your customers or to find new ones.

•It’s easy to start and maintainIt’s easy to start and maintain–You don’t need an IT staff or a degree in computer science to start a TypePad blog. Designing your blog is point-and-click, and updating your blog is simpler than sending an email.

18

Why Blog?

•It’s Free! It’s Free!

•All the cool kids are. .

•Connect with an audience of Connect with an audience of dozens to millions. dozens to millions.

•Stop sending mass emails to Stop sending mass emails to everyone. everyone.

•Archive your thoughts. Archive your thoughts.

•Why the heck not? Why the heck not?

19

Teens and Technology

• Pew Internet & American Life–Internet users ages 12-32 are more likely than older users to read other people’s blogs and to write their own; they are also considerably more likely than older generations to use social networking sites and to create profiles on those sites.

• Generations Online in 2009 January 28, 2009

20

Where do they blog?Where do they blog?•

– By using the MySpace Services, you represent and warrant that . . . c) you are 14 years of age or older

• – You must be thirteen years of age or

older to register as a member of Facebook

• – Users under 13 years of age are required

to have a parent or guardian review and complete the registration process, which may include age verification steps in addition to the standard process.

21

Should we be concerned?Should we be concerned?•Yes?Yes?

–Parry Aftab, WiredSafety.org –“There are underage kids on every social networking site on the Net.  They are engaging in highly provocative conversations and doing things they would never do offline.”

–Because there are so many kid blogs -- about 6 million, Aftab estimates -- many authors try to outdo each other to get visitors.  Often, that includes provocative comments and images.

• Kids, blogs and too much information April 29, 2005

22

• Not so much?Not so much?–Michael Thompson, a child psychologist who consults to schools:

–The Internet is often the only private place for a child today.

–But I’m always torn when people call me for wise counsel about kids and privacy, because roaming around in my head there is still a child who treasures his private adventures. My inner boy is certainly going to shout, “Let them be! Let them take some risks.”

–That isn’t to say that parents and administrators should turn a blind eye their children’s online activities, they shouldn’t.

• My Turn Online: Leave Kids Alone on the Web

Should we be concerned?Should we be concerned?

23

Educational Uses of Blogging?Educational Uses of Blogging?

•

–Will Richardson–This site is dedicated to discussions and reflections on the use of Weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts and other Read/Write Web related technologies in the K-12 realm, technologies that are transforming classrooms around the world.

• About/Disclosures

24

The Book BlogThe Book Blog

– we encourage students, parents, teachers and community members from all over the world to join us as we read this book over 4 weeks (from March 6th to April 3rd, 2006).

25

Math Teaching BlogMath Teaching Blog

–It is a place for you to post answers to questions and to communicate to the world about what happens in 8-17 Math.

Other Sargent Park Math Blogs8-16 Math Blog (2006) 8-17 Math Blog (2006) 8-41 Math Blog (2006) 8-73 Math Blog (2006)

26

Technology BlogTechnology Blog

•

–Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint

–Things I'm saving in Bloglines

–Technology Haiku

–Distance Learning Carts

–The Ideal Classroom • http://visitmyclass.com/blogs/mr.mcbain/

default.aspx

27

•Top PostsTop Posts–Guard your penis. Guard it carefully.

–Powerful Powerpoints -- State Testing Time again

–The Red X

–Eleanor Roosevelt -- American Hero

Friday Haiku

28

Some Kentucky blogsSome Kentucky blogs

29

• From Mad Magazine to Facebook - What From Mad Magazine to Facebook - What Have We Learned?Have We Learned?

–We cannot allow education in general or ourselves in particular to become antiquated. What does it tell us when kids cannot wait to leave school in order re-turn-on, re-boot, and once again engage in meaningful (to them) real-world learning.

•Greg Farr