Educational Weblogs:

1. Educational Weblogs: Extending the conversation….. the Images courtesy of Ian Jukes’ “The Committed Sardine” weblog.

2. ISTE Standards: Students Technology communications tools • Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences. • Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. Social, ethical, and human issues • Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology. • Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software. • Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

3. ISTE Standards: Teachers Technology Operations and Concepts Teachers: • demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies. Productivity and Professional Practice Teachers: • use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning. • continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning. • use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

4. Topics to be covered today…. • What are Weblogs? Educational Weblogs? • Weblog Efforts at BMS and GC • Review of “Educational Weblogs” and best practices • How easy is it? • Brief Introduction to RSS / Aggregators

6. “When Tim Berners-Lee conceived the Web, he envisioned it as a space in which both writing and reading would occur. Web browsers proved easier to develop then Web Editing tools. ……..The result was that the Web sometimes became what he termed a read-only medium. The latest blogging tools now take us closer to his original intent of the Web as a read-write medium.” Learning and Leading with Technology September 2003. -Bull, Bull, & Kajder

7. Tuesday, March 1, 2005 Top 25: InnovationsThe Internet, ranked No. 1, changed the world TOP INNOVATIONS 1. The Internet2. Cell phone 3. Personal computers 4. Fiber optics 5. E-mail 6. Commercialized GPS 7. Portable computers 8. Memory storage discs 9. Consumer level digital camera 10. Radio frequency ID tags 11. MEMS 12. DNA fingerprinting 13. Air bags http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/01/03/cnn25.top25.innovations/index.html

9. “Blog” picked as word of the year (2004) -Merriam-Webster said “blog” headed the list of most looked-up terms on its site during the last twelve months. What are weblogs? • Blog • Incumbent • Electoral • Insurgent • Hurricane • Cicada • Peloton • Partisan • Sovereignty • Defenestration

10. What are weblogs? • “BLOG: noun [short for weblog]: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer” -Merriam-Webster definition ....and much more!

11. What are weblogs? Generation M: MEDIA in the lives of our 8-18 year-oldsThe Kaiser Family Foundation “Kids are spending over 6 hours a day engaged with some type of media and that for more than a quarter of that time they are using more than one medium at a time.” Image courtesy of Ian Jukes’ “The Committed Sardine” weblog.

12. Digital Natives -used to receiving info really fast -parallel process and multi-task (listen to music or watch TV while studying) -prefer graphics before their text -prefer random access (hypertext) -they function best when networked - Digital Immigrants -learn to adapt to environment but maintain “accent” -turn to Internet for info 2nd rather then 1st -print out emails to read -bring people physically into a room to model a website instead of emailing url -languages learned later in life go to a different part of the brain Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” –by Marc Prensky

13. The New Literacy “The Four E’s” (not 3 R’s) • Reading -> “Exposing Knowledge” • Finding information • Decoding it • Evaluating it • Organizing into personal digital libraries • Writing -> “Expressing Ideas Compellingly” • Writing effectively • Communicating with multimedia • Arithmetic -> “Employing Information” • “Ethics”: Right and Wrong on the Information Highway By Sara Armstrong and David Warlick, Tech Learning, September 15, 2004

14. Pedagogy of Weblogs • Constructivist tool for learning • Weblogs expand the walls of the classroom* • Blogs archive the learning that teachers and students do Source: Will Richardson “Weblogs: Pedagogy and Practice pgs. 27-29

15. Pedagogy of Weblogs cont. • Blogs are democratic tool that supports different learning styles • Weblogs can enhance the development of expertise in a particular subject • Blogs can teach students the new literacies they will need to function in an ever expanding information society Source: Will Richardson “Weblogs: Pedagogy and Practice pgs. 27-29

16. http://weblogg-ed.com http://pc30sf06.blogspot.com/ Anatomy of a Weblog • Banner • Posts (entries) • Comments • Sidebar • Links • Recent comments • Recent posts • Categories • Archives • Pictures • Other Gadgets (Polls, Chatbox, Maps, Weather, & Much, much more…….)

17. Common Features:I.a type of website that is EASY and QUICK to create (don’t have to learn HTML or web authoring software…i.e. FrontPage, Dreamweaver etc.) What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

18. 2. able to instantly publish to the web What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

19. 3. ability to personalize layouts (templates/skins) What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

20. Common Features:4. organized by time (chronologically backwards) 5. it is organized with dated entries (each entry is time-stamped) What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

21. 6. allows for archiving of previous posts (great for tracking progress or record keeping) What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

22. Common Features:7.organized by posts (a.k.a. entries, postings) 8. posts are usually short and frequently posted What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

23. 9. readers can often respond or react through “comment” feature 10. encourage active participation What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

24. 11. The use of hypertext links is a common feature What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

25. 12. Blogs open student writers to multiple means of communication (multimedia friendly) What are weblogs? Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

26. Common Features:13.they can be free or very low cost to create What are weblogs? • Hosted services anywhere from free up to $150 /yr • *TypePad Pro version that offers all features and an unlimited number of weblogs (great for schools/groups). Common Features by Anne Davis, NECC 2004

27. Amanda’s Weblog integration at BMS • In the Skin of a Lion • AP Lit

28. Molly’s Weblog Integration at BMS • Latin American history • Model UN Blog

29. Other Weblogs being integrated at BMS • Virtual Salon (soc. stud.) • Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (soc. stud.) • MUN (Clubs) • Vox Mundi (Clubs) • Tablet Weblog (prof. dev.) • Global Environment (prof. dev.) • Inherit the Wind (event promotion)

30. Weblog integration at GC • Andy’s IB World Lit • Teacher reaction • Student reaction Works in Progress / Planning • Don’s Religion • Admissions (future)

31. How to create post (entry)….

32. How to leave a comment….

33. Features of Typepad • Template driven • Multimedia friendly -can easily add the following to posts: • Files (PPT, Word, Excel, PDF’s, pics, hyperlinks, video clips, music/sound clips, etc.) • Large storage space

34. Features of Typepad • Protective features include: • Password protection • Email notifications of comments sent to teacher • Comments can be held for approval • Banned word list (no comments will be published that contain a word from this list) • Ban specific IP addresses

35. Features of Typepad • Students can be “guest authors” • Allows them to contribute by writing “entries”, adding content, files, links etc. • Guest author’s entries can be held for teacher approval

36. Review of educational weblogs • Informational Weblogs • Course, Classroom, or School Management System • Electronic Portfolio Management • Collaborations / Collections • Electronic Filing Cabinets • Professional Learning Communities • Enhanced Reading Experiences • Extending / Facilitating Discussions • Assessing Students

37. Outside the box uses of weblogs • Trips abroad • Connecting with Author, Expert or Scientist • The World is Flat (connecting with schools, classrooms abroad) • Collaborating -sharing data, ideas, information, etc. -adding voices to the discussion

38. RSS (brief overview / intro) • RSS: Real Simple Syndication • (Syndication -The process by which a web site is able to share information, such as articles, with other web sites) • RSS can be broken into two basic parts: feeds & aggregators • feed = new content, • aggregator = feed (new content) collector Link to Fischbowl Resources http://fischtie06rss.blogspot.com/

39. A few uses of RSS • Save time browsing websites, blogs, and articles

40. A few uses of RSS • Sit back and wait / read

41. A few uses of RSS • Add RSS links to your sidebar

42. Talk to us……. • Questions? • How are you using weblogs?

43. Molly Smith • The Bryn Mawr School • Social Studies Teacher • SmithM@brynmawrschool.org Contact Information • Amanda Mann • The Bryn Mawr School • English Department Chair • MannA@brynmawrschool.org • Michael Lackner • Our Lady of Good Counsel High School • Technology Department Chair • Lackner@olgchs.org

44. Getting started Planning for Instructional, Professional or Personal use… • THINK ABOUT your purpose (vision/mission) • THINK ABOUT a creative name for it • THINK ABOUT the content you will share • THINK ABOUT your audience • THINK ABOUT the logistics of using with students -Anne Davis “Weblog Think-Abouts” http://anvil.gsu.edu/NECC2004/stories/storyReader$36

45. Informational Weblogs Review of educational weblogs Leading Educational Blogvangelists • Weblogg-EDby Will Richardsonhttp://weblogg-ed.com/ • Edu-Blog Insightsby Anne Davis http://anne.teachesme.com/