Blogging in the Classroom

1. Blogging in the Classroom MSTI 131 Introduction to Educational Technology Fall 2010 Prof. Melissa Ziegler What is a Blog? A blog is a website or part of a website where a person can write entries. All you need to do is find a website that will allow you to blog, and start writing! We will be using www.weebly.com to create our websites and blogs. What is an RSS Feed? RSS is an abbreviation of "Really Simple Syndication." It is the term used for a standard file format for syndicatingcontent on the internet. A large percentage of websites use RSS in one form or another, and RSS feeds are used in many different ways. It could be said that RSS acts as the nervous system to the internet connecting one part to another. RSS files are typically referred to as "Feeds" or "RSS Feeds," the average person uses RSS feeds to read news, headlines or articles from their favorite sites in what is called an RSS reader. Currently "Google Reader" is the most popular RSS feed reader. The Google Reader website will provide you with additional information on how to use RSS Feeds. Blogging Assignment and Expectations Blogging Assignment: This semester you will be learning about a lot of new technologies and how you can effectively integrate them into your future classroom. Blogging is a great use of technology in the classroom! It provides students with an opportunity to reflect, write, read, interact, and a sense of ownership. Each week we will start class with 15 minutes of blogging. You choose something to blog about using your blogging menu that is located on the back of your name tag. We will be using RSS Feed and Google Reader to subscribe to one another’s blogs. This way we can read each others new posts all from one location! Between classes, you will need to check Google Reader and see what • Your classmates have blogged about. Then you will pick one or more classmates blogs to respond to as an ongoing homework assignment. Happy Blogging! • Blogging Expectations • Blog once a week at the beginning of each class during our “blogging time”. • Respond to at least one person’s blog each week after class as part of an ongoing homework assignment. • Keep your blogs professional and be respectful of others. • Support your peers through this process. • Within each blog be sure to pose some questions to your readers so they have something to respond to. When you respond to someone, make sure you pose questions to keep the conversation going.

2. Name: ________________ Total Score: ____________ Blogging Grading RubricMSTI 131 – Fall 2010