Blogs: Classroom Use
Activity 1: Define the term "Blog"
Focus Questions:
What is a blog?
What does a blog do?
How is a blog organized?
Materials
A blog (short for web log) is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blog owners invite others to respond to their blog posting but maintain control over the blog site and subsequent postings.
Activity 2: View Sample Blogs
Focus Questions:
What do blogs look like?
What types of information are found on blogs?
What do people write about?
Materials
o Cheap Eats: http://www.5dollardinners.com/
o Education News & Policy: http://www.eduwonk.com/
o Education Policy: http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/
o Environmental News: http://www.treehugger.com/
o Life Tips (saving money, etc.): http://www.dumblittleman.com/
o Parenting: http://empoweringparents.com/blog/
o Photography: http://ken-gilbert.com/
o Political Views: http://crooksandliars.com/
o Recipes: http://makelifedelicious.com/
o Sports: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/
o Travel: http://www.thelongestwayhome.com/
Activity 3: Create my own Model Blog
Focus Questions:
What would my blog be about?
What could I model for students?
How do I get started? Which hosts/providers do I use?
Materials
Wordpress VS. Blogger (automatically creates a Google account)
Basic Capabilities:
o Write new posts
o Edit old posts
o Highlight text and make it a link
o Add a picture or video
o Categories & tags
Advanced Capabilities (WordPress):
o Track blog stats
o Which websites referred people to my blog?
o Which of my posts did people click on most?
o Which search engine terms did people use to find my page?
o Which links did people click on my blog?
o How many people have viewed my blog (today or in total)?
o What was the busiest day?
o How many posts have I written?
o How many comments do I have?
o Where are my blog visitors from? (Traffic Feed or Map)
Activity 4: Practical Applications: How to Use Blogs in the Classroom
Focus Questions:
How can I incorporate blog use into my classroom?
How can student blogs be leveraged for educational purposes?
What are some common sense guidelines I need to put in place before students blog for school?
Materials
Student Uses
o Create blogs for specific classes, allow students author rights, encourage discussion and debate.
o Encourage students to create their own blogs, and create assignments that give students the option to use their blogs as the mechanism for completing those assignments.
o Have students track research. On their blogs, they can generate investigation questions, save websites (citations) they’ll use as sources, and draft the final paper/project. They can also get feedback from the teacher/other students during the process.
o Go green! You can access student work without bringing home a stack of papers! J
o Have students create a class newsletter.
o Instead of using dialectical journals, students can blog to demonstrate understanding.
o Have students complete their homework assignments on their blogs. Then, the homework is there, time-stamped for all to see, and it can’t be lost!
o Major papers, speeches, and projects can be stored, organized, and searched easily using blogs.
o Make blogs public or private to share student work with parents and other teachers.
o Have students blog for student organizations, clubs, or groups they belong to and easily keep other students up to date on the group's activities, events, or views on a particular topic.
o Use blogs to communicate with schools in other places.
o Sample Student Blogs: http://blogs.cornell.edu/caroline/
o Grade 5-6 Student Work in New Zealand: http://room18space.blogspot.com/
Maintaining Privacy / Common Sense Blogging Rules for Students
Blogging Rules & Guidelines
o http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/teacher_guide/SNOnline.BloggingRules.pdf
o http://www.budtheteacher.com/wiki/index.php?title=Blogging_Rules
o http://room18space.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-guidelines_28.html
o http://discovery0607.wikispaces.com/Discovery+Blogging+Rules
o http://millersenglish10.blogspot.com/2007/05/responsible-blogging.html
Sample Parent Permission Form
http://onlineconnections.wikispaces.com/file/view/Online+Collaborations+Consent+Form.pdf