Blogs

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 =THE USE OF BLOGS IN EDUCATION  =  ==<span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">What is a blog? == <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(8, 24, 160)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">As defined by <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">[|wikipedia] <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">, "a **blog** (an abridgment of the term **web log**) is a [|website], 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."//       <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif">       <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif">In his book, //[|Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms]//, Will Richardson defines a blog as "...an easily created, easily updateable Website that allows the author (or authors) to publish instantly to the Internet from any Internet connection." <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(8, 24, 160)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"> ==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(8, 24, 160)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">What makes a blog unique? == ==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(8, 24, 160)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">             == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(8, 24, 160)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">A blog is constantly changing. Where a typical website can be static, a blog undergoes constant evolution. When students post to blog, they are just getting started. Other users can comment on, reflect on and ask questions about what was posted. The author is challenged to further think about what was written and develop his or her ideas. Too many times student are asked to complete and assignment that ends with the paper they turn in. Students should be challenged to reconsider ideas they might not have previously thought of. <span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Blogs have the ability to connect people even when separated geographically. Students can have conversations with individuals in different time zones and even different countries. Blogs can also connect students with experts in the field they are interested in - authors, scientists, doctors, mathematicians, engineers, etc. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Blogs also link to other information. A reader may be searching for information on a particular topic and in a blog they will find not only a written entry but often pictures, video, podcast, links to other sites or research and links to other blogs.

==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(77, 21, 111); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif">Brief History of Blogging         == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(77, 21, 111); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif">         **<span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108)"> Edited from NPR [|article] on the History of the Web Log. ** <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**1994**: [|Claudio Pinhanez]of MIT publishes his "Open Diary," a Web page documenting goings-on in his life. At the same time, online diarist [|Justin Hall] would gain notoriety for creating a "personal homepage" on the Web covering his day-to-day activities in very revealing — and occasionally embarrassing — detail. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**1995**: Vermeer Technologies releases [|FrontPage], one of the first Web publishing tools, allowing people without coding skills to publish Web sites. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**1996**: Thousands of people use the Internet to collect photographs of people whose lives were affected by the Internet as part of a project known as 24 Hours in Cyberspace, an early experiment in collaborative photo blogging. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**December 1997**: [|Jorn Barger] starts a daily log of interesting Web links published in reverse chronological order, calling it Robot Wisdom WebLog. The term "Weblog" is soon generalized by other online publishers to include any page with frequent short posts in reverse chronological order. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**1998**: [|Open Diary] becomes one of the first online tools to assist users in the publishing of online journals. It would later be followed by other journaling tools, including [|LiveJournal](1999), [|DiaryLand] (1999), [|Pitas](1999), [|Blogger](1999), [|Xanga](2000), [|Movable Type] (2001) and [|Wordpress](2003). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**Spring 1999**: Online journal author [|Peter Merholz] takes Jorn Barger's word "weblog" and splits it into the phrase "We blog." Blog soon becomes shorthand for weblog. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**1999**: The development of [|RSS], or Really Simple Syndication. RSS makes it easier for people to subscribe to blog posts, as well as distribute them to other sites across the Internet, using tools such as the early news aggregator, Dave Winer's <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Radio UserLand] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**2001**: Big-name bloggers begin to emerge, including <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Andrew Sullivan] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> and Glenn Reynolds, aka <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Instapundit] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**2002**: The launch of <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Technorati] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">, one of the first blog search engines, making it possible for people to track blog conversations on a continuous basis. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**2004**: Videographer Steve Garfield launches his <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|video blog] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> and declares 2004 "The Year of the Video Blog," more than a year before the birth of YouTube. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**February 2004**: The launch of <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Flickr] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">, a photo-sharing community that helps popularize photo blogging. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**2006**: The launch of <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">[|Twitter] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">, one of the first "micro-blogging" communities that allows user to publish and receive short posts via the Web, text messaging and instant messaging. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">**2006**: Research report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project estimates that 12 million U.S. adults publish their own blogs. <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(77, 21, 111); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif">

==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(77, 21, 111); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(36, 9, 108); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Have blogs replaced or enhanced something else used for teaching and learning? == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(13, 6, 132)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Blogs have enhanced the process of journal writing. Richardson says, "Blogs demand interaction." Before the internet, students could hand write their thoughts and reflections into a notebook. A student may reread their entries at a later date but it is reasonable to assume many would write their entries and then not give them much more thought. When using a blog, students may still record their feelings and reactions however where a blog is very different from a journal, readers of a blog will comment on and question the author's entry. The author can then engage in a dialog about what they had initially written about. **"Blogging is a genre that engages students and adults in a process of thinking in words. not simply an accounting of the days events or feelings."** (Richardson 2006)

<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Educational Blogs
<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"> ==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Concerns: Internet Safety and Security         == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif">      <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">One of the biggest concerns for parents and teachers in the safety of students when using blogs. Because students are free to share the feelings and opinions in as much detail as they choose, a teacher may wish to monitor posts before they are posted to the internet for public view. An article from [|Get Safe Online]discusses the risks of blogging and lists precautions that should be taken including: <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129)"> ==<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"> <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">         ==
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Anne Davis]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|David Warlick]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|James Farmer]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Stephen Downes]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Tim Wilson]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Tom Hoffman]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Ken Smith]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Jenny Levine]
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)">[|Konrad Glogowski]
 * <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">[|Clarence Fisher]
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129)">         Understand how blogs work before beginning
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Don't post any confidential information
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Don't post anything that may be embarrassing to you later
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Restrict anonymous comments
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Take extra precautions when allowing younger children to blog

==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">        ==

==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">How can blogs be used in classrooms? == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">media type="custom" key="867837"

<span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">In Will Richardson's book he gives an extensive list of ways to use blogs in the classroom. The following is a partial list: <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"> >>    ==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif">       ==
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)">Reflective, journal-type blogs for teachers
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"> <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Reflect on teaching experiences
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Keep a log of teacher training experience
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Write a description of a specific teaching unit
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Describe what has worked in your classroom and what hasn't
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Share ideas for teaching activities
 * <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Provide how-to's for using specific technology in the classroom
 * <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5)"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)">Explain teaching and learning issues
 * <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">  <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif">Class blog
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">post class related information (calendars, events, homework, etc.)
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Post assignments and have students respond on their own blogs, creating an online portfolio
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Communicate with parents
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Post prompts for writing
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Provide examples of classwork or activities
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Provide online readings for students to read and react to
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Gather and organize internet resources specific to your course
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Invite students to comment or post
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Showcase student art, poetry and creative stories
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Create an online book club
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Build a class newsletter
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Link your class with another somewhere else in the world  <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">   <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif">
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif">Student created blogs
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Learn how to blog
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Complete class writing  assignments
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Create an ongoing portfolio of samples of their writing
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Express their opinions on topics studied in class
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Discuss activities they did in class and what they thought of them
 * <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)">Write comments, opinions or questions on current event
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157); font-family: Georgia,serif">Shared blogs
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Complete project work in small groups
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Showcase products of project-based learning
 * <span style="color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(7, 8, 157)"><span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">Complete a WebQuest

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif">The Secret Life of Bees
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif"> One of the best examples of a blog used in a classroom is an online readers guide to Sue Monk Kidd's [|The Secret Life of Bees]. Modern American Literature students at Hunterdon Central Regional High School began reading the book only 9 months after it was published. They collaborated on a shared blog in which they developed a [|readers guide]complete with chapter summaries, research on historical events, related links, symbols, themes, Q&A, discussions and artistic interpretations of the chapters.

Perhaps what is most impressive about The Secret Life of Bees Blog is the fact the the author of the book was invited to participate and interact with the students via the blog. The students were asked to think critically to analyze the book and to develop questions for the author. [|Sue Monk Kidd's] response for the class began like this:

//Dear Students,// //It is an exceptionally nice honor to have you reading my novel in your Modern American Literature class! I'm extremely impressed with your weblog, which I've been following. What fun for the author to listen in on your discussions and see the wonderful and provocative artistic interpretations that you've created. The experience has opened my eyes to new ideas about my own work!//

Taking this digital and collaborative approach to education engages millenials and digital natives. They are excited and engaged by this use of technology in the classroom. We can assume many of these students are making use of the internet at home - facebook, myspace, personal blogs, twitter, etc. For a teacher to bring this technology into the classroom and use it as such a powerful learning tool is truly commendable.

==<span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="color: rgb(17, 16, 112); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif"><span style="color: rgb(23, 19, 129); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(25, 8, 94); font-family: Georgia,serif">References      == <span style="color: rgb(35, 7, 131)"><span style="color: rgb(40, 10, 189)"><span style="color: rgb(29, 11, 132); font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(66, 38, 126); font-family: Georgia,serif">

Blog. (2008). [|Wikipedia]

Carvin, Andy. (2007). [|Timeline: The Life of the Blog]. www.NPR.org.

Get Safe Online. (2008). [|Blog Safety]. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">Richardson, Will. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">(2006). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">//Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms////.// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">California: Corwin Press <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)">. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"> Richardson, Will. (2002) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(25, 8, 94)"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">. [|The Secret Life of Bees]

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