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About Blogs. Blog Pic used with permission from the good folks at: http://courses.cl.uh.edu/blog/. How Many Blogs…?. Blogwise.com : 30595 blogs in the United States alone. This count includes only those blogs that have been listed with Blogwise. What is a Blog? (a.k.a. Weblog).
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About Blogs Blog Pic used with permission from the good folks at: http://courses.cl.uh.edu/blog/
How Many Blogs…? • Blogwise.com: 30595 blogs in the United States alone. This count includes only those blogs that have been listed with Blogwise.
What is a Blog?(a.k.a. Weblog) “basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." “ - Matisse Enzer's Glossary of Internet Terms http://www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html
Also… ” a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order.” “Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.” - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
And… “a dynamic Internet journal… Some are simple journals written by people with nothing better to do…” - Glenn Weibe – Social Studies Central “…others are very professionally done and teachers are beginning to use them to encourage their students to write & communicate with each other ...” http://www3.essdack.org/socialstudies/blogs.htm
Sample Blogs on the Web • One Louder(Heather Hamilton, Microsoft Employee) http://blogs.msdn.com/heatherleigh/archive/2006/09/15/756648.aspx#comments • Beppe Grillo’s blog http://www.beppegrillo.it/english.php • Michael Feldstein’s e-literate http://mfeldstein.com/index.php • The Twee Life of Me http://metwee.blogspot.com/ • Fermented Penguin Milk http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/seamusbradley/ • And other blogs at the University of Warwick (http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/showall)
Blogs in the Classroom • Things to try: • Use Blogs for student journaling/editorial writings • Give student authors a public “audience” and an opportunity for feedback • Have students record and share reflections while working through course materials, doing field work/research, or during internships or even semesters abroad
Tips • The “build it and they will come” approach usually doesn’t work • Build in loose expectations such as posting frequency as journaling takes practice but avoid strict guidelines such as number of words • Have students research and link in web resources to support their thoughts and opinions • Finally, have your students not only write blogs, but find, read and even link to blogs maintained by experts in the field
Getting Started as a Blogger • Free Blog Resources • Blogger.com • Bloglines.com • Includes an aggregator • UWW and UWSP campuses have dedicated blog servers
A Little About Aggregators • “Aggregates” the blogs you select as RSS feeds to one location • Some are web-based - you can be on vacation in the Bahamas and can read your blogs • Others install locally to your computer • http://weblogs.about.com/cs/blogsglossary/g/aggregators.htm
So, you’ve found a blog… Clip art courtesy of Shawn’s Clipart & Webateria: http://www.shawnsclipart.com/webart.html
Is This Blog Worth My Time? • Who’s the author? • Are they credible, considered an “expert” in their field? How do I tell? Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch http://kathyschrock.net/blog/
Thumbs Up! Get a Second Opinion… Let’s see who’s citing “Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch” http://kathyschrock.net/blog/ at Bloglines Citation Search: http://www.bloglines.com/search?goto=cite Clip art courtesy of Shawn’s Clipart & Webateria: http://www.shawnsclipart.com/webart.html
Great places to find blogs… Have you already found a blog that you really like? Go to the author’s favorite blog links Go to their favorite blog links…
Let’s try it: • The Blue Skunk Blog • http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/