Proposal to Administrators for Using Blogs in Education

By J. Wilson & T. Weinberg

What is

this thing?

Foremski, Tom. Silicon Valley Watcher. 10 May 2005. Silicon Valley Watcher. 24 Nov. 2008 <http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/The_BLOG.jpg>.

EDC 921 Deliverable #3

Objectives

Based on our readings and experimentation with new technologies, we feel that many teachers in our school could benefit from using blogs. In order for you, our administrators, to feel comfortable with this new technology, we have prepared this presentation to explain what a blog is and how it can be used in education. We would like to propose using a school-wide blog to help our staff become familiar with the practice of blogging and its potential for instruction.

Blogging 101What is a Blog?

Blogging TermsWhen Did Blogs Begin?Types Of Blogs

Using Blogs in EducationExpert Opinions on BloggingSample Educational Blogs Blog Uses in the Classroom

Blogging GuidelinesConsiderationsWhat Is Involved In Creating BlogsGuidelines, Especially For Classroom Blogs

The Administrator’s view of bloggingPotential RoadblocksProposing a Technology Committee Blog

What is a BLOG?Short for WeB LOG

An interactive, online personal commentaryTends to look like web pagesPosts are displayed in reverse chronological orderReaders may add comments to the blog, leading to a discussion Usually intended for general public consumptionMembers-only blogs are possibleBlogs can be hosted by dedicated blog hosting services, or run using blog software

Anatomy of a Blog

Beginner’s Guide – Components of a blog page

In a nutshell - description of a blog from Google’s Blogger.com

The works! - a techie’s version

Blogger - The page's editor Blogging – verb for updating the blogBlogosphere - the totality of the blogging community. Also known as Blogistan or the blogiverse.Dead-tree Media - anything made of paper such as newspapers and magazines.Drive-by Blogging - the sudden rush of blog entries that fill in the gaps and fulfill the requirements of the weblog portfolio assignment. Edublog - an education oriented blogVlog- video blog

If you want to be "cool", "hot", or "whatever", then you need to know the lingo

When Did Blogs Begin?

Blogs began in 1994 as online personal diariesBy 2001 collective groups used them to communicateAfter a slow start, blogging rapidly gained in popularity Technological changes helped make it easier to blog

How did Blogs become so popular…and …What do these events have to do with Blogs?

Monica Lewinsky Blogger.com

LiveJournal

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott

Howard Dean

Iraq war

"Rathergate"

The Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina

Radio and Television

How did Blogs become so popular…and What do these events have to do with Blogs?

Monica LewinskyBlogger.com LiveJournal

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent LottHoward Dean

1998-The Drudge Report, a popular U.S.-based news website is most famous for being the first media to break the news of the Monica Lewinsky scandal to the public.

1999 – was launched (purchased by Google in February 2003) and was one of the first blog publishing tools. It helped make blogging famous.

1999 - arose as a virtual community where Internet users could keep a blog, journal, or diary. It was a predecessor to MySpace.com.

2002 - many blogs focused on Senator Lott, who made comments praising Senator Thurmond. Lott's critics saw these comments as approval of racial segregation. Blogging helped to create a political crisis that forced Lott to step down as majority leader.

2004-encouraged supporters to blog. Blogging by established politicians and political candidates, to express opinions on war and other issues, solidified blogs' role as a news source.

How did Blogs become so popular…and…What do these events have to do with Blogs?

Iraq war

The Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina

Radio and Television

"Rathergate"The second Iraq war is the first "blog war". Iraqi bloggers gained wide readership. Blogs are also created by soldiers serving in the Iraq war. “Warblogs" give readers new perspectives on the realities of war, and sometimes offer different viewpoints from those of official news sources.

Blogs were among the driving forces behind the "Rathergate" scandal. Dan Rather presented documents (on the CBS show 60 Minutes) that conflicted with accepted accounts of President Bush's military service record.This scandal is viewed by many bloggers as the beginning of acceptance by the mass media, as a source of news and opinion and as a vehicle to apply political pressure.

2004 -important source of news about the Tsunami2005 –during and after Hurricane Katrina, a few blogs located in New Orleans broadcasted information that was not covered by the mass media.

Today-Bloggers provide nearly-instant, ”live-blogging” commentary on televised events. Radio and television are “old media” now

Some Types of BlogsFamiliar sites that are

actually Blogs:Business:

Commercial - Amazon.com

Multi-Media:Video - YouTubePhoto – Flickr

Social Networking:MySpaceFaceBook

These are also Blogs:Informational by Subject:

Political DailyKos MichelleMalkinDaily Fashion ReportNews ABC Sports FanBlogs

Personal Journal: RamblingsFatManWalking

Internal communications:Communication- Medical GadgetsInformation - Technical Q and A

Using Blogs in Education:Expert Opinions

Why use Blogs in education?Rationale for educational blogging Video- why let students blog? Research shows that Blogging improves writing

Sample Educational Blogs

Educator to Educators -CoolCats School Elementary School PrincipalStudent Created -High School ProjectAdministrator to Administrator- Principals’ OfficeClassroom …

Educators may post assignments for students on a blog, even adding links to resources.  Language arts class: http://bhwilkoff.edublogs.org/ Science class http://zixthgrade.edublogs.org/Math class: http://pamarquardt.edublogs.org/

To try to extend classroom discussion, educators may post thought provoking questions on their blog and ask students to comment.

Language Arts (8th grade, Colorado) http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=117417teach expository skills- audience for opinions http://ithink.edublogs.org/English Corner - 6th grade, Georgia - http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=17192

Still others give students their own blogs to post their work. Online portfolio Mr. Mayo's Student Weblogs 100+ student blogs used in Language Arts class (grade 8) 5/6NT Blog (Grades 5 and 6, Ottawa) http://grade5nt.edublogs.org/Collaboration Nation Team – (Grade 8 Connecticut) http://pbogush.edublogs.org/Excellence and Imagination (Grades 7 and 8) http://mr-fisher.edublogs.org/Tell the Raven - Student blogs classroom blog (Grade 6, Alaska) http://tellraven.us/denali/The Write Weblog student blogs http://itc.blogs.com/thewriteweblog/

Some blogs combine several of the above typesthe Electronic Pencil -- (grade 6, Massachusetts) http://epencil.edublogs.org/

A Blog can also be used to encourage student collaboratationLiterature study guide (Secret Life of Bees) http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/

Blog Uses in the Classroom

Blog Uses in the Classroom (Cont.)

Another reason educators are using blogs in the classroom is to actively engage students in the learning process. Some ways students interact through blogs are:

Posting literary response questions A teacher can present a question based on literature being read aloud in the classroom. This allows the students to leave insightful comments based on the literature.

Posting students’ written publications When the student posts their written work on the blog, other students and adults can read and leave comments based on each piece.

This can act as a vehicle for a publishing party.

This provides added incentive and a deeper sense of pride in their work for the students to improve the quality of work due to its publication on the World Wide Web.

Some Suggested Blogging Guidelines

"Don't Drink and Blog." bLaugh.com. 05Jan 2007. 31 Jan 2007 <http://blaugh.com/2007/01/05/dont-drink-and-blog/>.

Considerations to address

Blog access and visibilityBlogging software has different ways to control access

Public: the whole world can see itPrivate: just a select group

Blog content There are several ways to avoid inappropriate postings:

Limit to invited participantsNeed email address, so often can’t use with students

Send comments to a moderator before postingCreate guidelines for blog users

Considerations for classroom blogs

Students should be taught to avoid posting personal details

Teacher should establish rules and check student work

Accommodate students without home internet access

May want to notify parents to explain purpose and dispel possible concerns

What is involved in managing a classroom blog?

PlanningDefine purpose

View other blogs

Evaluate blog software

Develop guidelines

ImplementationSet up blog

Communicate about blog

Post student work or provide instructions for student posting

MaintenanceDevelop plans for students to use blogMonitor email to approve postsReflect on value of blog, tweak if needed

General Guidelines for BloggingPlan before starting

Blog has educational valueChoose appropriate software

Define and state purpose

Identify who is running the blog and who may respond

Make blog visually appealingUnclutteredNo advertisementsEasy to navigate/use

Keep it currentFrequent postings maintain interestCheck links if any are used

Guidelines for Classroom BlogsAddress security

May want to limit access to classmates and possibly parents Student posts should leave out personal identifiersComments should go through teacher for approval to weed out inappropriate responses

Create and state blog rules,e.g.Use of proper language vs. IM shorthandProofread before publishingTry to be positive

Make it interactive

May want to notify parents

The Administrator’s view of blogging

“I Blog, therefore I am." bLaugh.com. 21 Dec 2006. 31 Jan 2007 < http://blaugh.com/2006/12/21/i-blog-therefore-i-am/>.

Potential Roadblocks to Blogging

Resistance to technologySome staff members are afraid to try

something new To counteract, we will start with a diverse

group willing to explore using technology (the technology committee)

Potential Roadblocks to Blogging

Professional development needsTeachers will need to learn how to start and

maintain a blog We will use the Technology Committee blog

as a “training blog” to allow staff to become comfortable with reading and commenting on a blog

Technology Resource Teacher and Library Media Specialist are available for support

Technology Committee Blog

This new blog will be used to share the minutes of Technology Committee meetings and to solicit information regarding the technology needs of the school. Previous communications were in the form of emails, but this method was imperfect, as shown on the following slide…

Using Email vs. a Blog

•May omit individuals onoriginal messages or replies•Comments may be accidentally deleted or lost in the clutter•Depending on when individuals respond, comments may be out of order•Need to retain subject line to follow conversation

•Individuals can join the “conversation” at any time•Responses are preserved to be read later•Easy to follow flow of comments

Respondents can take the time to reflect before writing

EMAlL BLOG

The Blog has arrived!

Visit the Technology Committee Blog

Additional Blog Resources

Search engine for blogswww.technorati.com

Blog services we have usedhttp://classblogmeister.com/

http://edublogs.org/

www.blogger.com

Resources Used"Blog History in Timeline Form." Blockstar. PIC Web Services Inc. 29 Nov. 2008

<http://www.blockstar.com/blog/blog_timeline.html>."Katrina Disaster Blog Sept. 4." Katrina Disaster. 5 Sept. 2005. CBS Broadcasting. 29 Nov. 2008

<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/04/katrina/main814689.shtml>.Carr, David. "Mourning Old Media’s Decline ." Media & Advertising . 28 Oct. 2008. New York Times.

30 Nov. 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/business/media/ 29carr.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&fta=y&adxnnlx=1228158421-eti5P9O9ABUyQmm6+wRQOA>.

Craver, Kevin. "A fond farewell to Rathergate." Weblog post. Rathergate.com. 8 Aug. 2005. 29 Nov. 2008 <http://www.rathergate.com/?p=955>.

Fitzpatrick, Brad. "This is Crazy!" Weblog post. LiveJournal News. 9 Nov. 1999. PIC Web Services . 30 Nov. 2008 <http://www.blockstar.com/blog/blog_timeline.html>.

Glover, Daniel. "The Rise Of Blogs." Weblog post. BELTWAY BLOGROLL. 20 Jan. 2006. National Journal Group. 1 Dec. 2008 <http://beltwayblogroll.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/01/ the_rise_of_blo.php>.

Handwerk, Brian. "Tsunami Blogs Help Redefine News and Relief Effort." National Geographic News. 28 Jan. 2005. National Geographic Society. 29 Nov. 2008 <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2005/01/0126_050126_tv_tsunami_blogs.html>.

Kevin. "National Journal Looks at Impact of Blogs on Politics." Weblog post. Pundit Review. 20 Jan. 2006. 30 Nov. 2008 <http://www.punditreview.com/2006/01/ national-journal-looks-at-impact-of-blogs-on-politics/>.

Seemann, Luke. "Drudge Report Report." stating the obvious. 23 Jan. 1998. 28 Nov. 2008 <http://www.theobvious.com/archive/1998/01/23.html>.