Sign in or 
| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 27 2006, 7:01 PM EDT (current) | cawwee23 | |
| Jul 26 2006, 9:37 PM EDT | cawwee23 | 3 words added, 7 words deleted |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
By Carrie CoreminIn a 2001 study, 25 percent of 5 year-olds reported using the Internet. In the same study, 59 percent of students age 5-17 reported using the Internet. (source) (source) This statistic is amazing! As teachers, we need to be up to date with the latest technologies, especially, in the field of education. Blogs are a new way people are communicating. What exactly is a blog? I’m glad you asked because this wiki will explain everything.What is a blog? A blog is a weblog, which is a combination of two words. Web+Log= Blog. They are a web based journal with one person that writes and other viewers can comment on. Unlike a traditional journal, however, a blog offers other features that make it particularly useful to education and other professions. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Click here to see an example of a typical blog.How to use a blog?Whether reading someone’s blog, or creating your own, it is important to understand that blogs represent the personality of the author or reflect the purpose of the web site that hosts the blog. A person can set up a blog on any blog hosting website. The following are examples: www.blogs4teachers.com www.livejournal.com www.squarespace.comBlog’s can be used for many different reasons. They can be very helpful and used to educate, inform, and understand just about any topic imaginable. Once you create your own personal blog, you can link your blog to other similar blogs in hope that you increase your readership. Once your blog is posted on the specific website, readers can leave comments and feedback about your blog post. Building a general audience is important so that you can continue to post new blogs and become part of the community for your specific website. If you do not intent to create your own blog, reading other people’s blogs can be just as enjoyable. Once you find authors you enjoy reading, you can leave comments for the author.Why use a blog?People use blogs for various reasons. Professionals can create or follow blogs to help advance and educate themselves in their field. Teenagers can use blogs to communicate with friends. Adults can use them to catch up with old friends, meet people, and find information on just about anything. Recently, through the promotion of his blog, Kyle MacDonald orchestrated one of the most fascinating trades online. With the goal of obtaining a free house, Kyle traded one red paper clip. One year later, through his personal blog Kyle accomplished his goal and received a house! ( For more information on this story click here) Whatever the need, there is a blog for you!!!How blogs are used in education? (source)Educators can use blogs in various ways. One way is to talk with other educators about what is going on in the education field, new ideas they may have, and to just talk about the stresses of teaching. Some useful blogs in education are listed below. http://weblogs.about.com/od/educationblogs/ http://www.weblogg-ed.com/Teachers can use blogs more specifically to improve students learning in all subject areas. The following are just some examples. Increase student writing as the interactive publishing is viewed as an enjoyable activity. Encourage students to explore, express, criticize, collaborate and share. Allow wider participation as reluctant learners often open up online. Use as a base for collaborative activities. Enable learning and assistance outside of school hours. Teachers use blogs to make teaching easier. Many times teachers bring work home with them, call or write letters home about upcoming events and homework. In addition, most educational blogs are password protected, so no one besides school members can access the site. With blogs teachers can do the following: Maintain communication with absent students. Allow online submission and review of student work. Manage, present and store information easily. Post homework assignments and classroom activities. Communication with parents is key in a partnership for learning environment. Parents like to be informed of what goes on at school and this is the perfect way to quickly inform. Lastly, parents love to see what their child is accomplishing at school and blogs give an opportunity for parents to see their students work. The following are some other examples of how blogging is helpful to teachers. Schedule classroom events and field trips. Offer insight into classroom activities. Notify parents of their child's academic performance. Schedule PTA meetings and open houses. Exhibit student work and presentations. Showcase awards and accomplishments with photos, videos and podcasts.Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog http://weblogs.about.com/od/educationblogs/ http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ www.blogs4teachers.com www.livejournal.com www.squarespace.comCitations: Bergstein, B (2006, July 11). Bartering Blogger Turns A Paper Clip Into A Place To Live. Gloucester County Times, p. A1. Descy, Don E. (2004).All Aboard the Internet. TechTrends:Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning. 48, 5. (1996). Epals partners in learning. Retrieved July 18, 2006, Web site: www.epals.com Ray, J (2006).Welcome to the Blogoshere: The Educational use of Blogs. Kappa Delta Pi. 42, 2. Wilhelm, Lance (2004, May 4). WebQuest Blogs and RSS. Retrieved July 17, 2006, Web site: http://www.ettenborough.net/WOW2004/index.htm
