Blog/Blogging/Blogger

What is a blog?

• Blog -- (weB LOG): A blog is 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." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently. ( from www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html)
  
• The NITLE (National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education) weblog census is an attempt to find as many active weblogs as possible, across all languages:

  In January, 1999 there were 23 known blogs.

  Current Status (as of yesterday): [2006]

  Likely weblogs 2,869,632---Visited sites we think are weblogs

  Anglo weblogs 1,970,366---Blogs that seem to be in English

• Blog Language Breakdown
  
• Blogging Across the World
  

What types of blogs are there?

• basic--one person writing on a particular topic---http://evany.diaryland.com/
• group--many writers contributing content---www.journalists.org/2003conference/blog/
• family and friends---family events and information---http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/
• multimedia blogs
  • photo---blogs recorded in pictures---http://www.photoblogs.org/
  • video--- blogs recorded in video---http://stevegarfield.blogs.com/videoblog/
  • audio---blogs recorded in audio---http://blog.johnedwards.com/audioblog
• collaborative---written by colleagues working on projects---http://anvil.gsu.edu/Literature/
• educational--- written for an educational purpose---http://educational.blogs.com/
  • course---http://rhet1101.blogspot.com/
• community---local news and events---http://www.wplibs.com/Blog/
• business---written by organizations, sometimes to attract visitors---http://www.just-auto.com/blogs.asp
• knowledge---documents knowledge of a particular group or domain---http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/17674/---Erica Naone@ MIT
• mini---Twitter!

How easy is it?

• lets make a post at madZander.com

Blog Software/hosting

• WordPress.org
• blogger.com
• movable type
• manila: web publishing for the rest of us
• greymatter
• and a bunch more--to numerous to list here.

What can you do with an educational blog?

• record personal history/experience
• record class history/experience
• school newsletter/class news
• communicate with students/parents/teachers/administration
• creative writing
• reflective journaling
• provide up to the minute community reporter news
• compare and contrast---(i.e. a group of E.P students and Minneapolis students)
• document group projects
• a way to turn in reports
• storehouse of links
• pen pals (bloggies--my term just trying it out)
• math journal
• place to examine RSS feeds---(i.e. BBC World News http://news.bbc.co.uk/rss/newsonline_world_edition/front_page/rss091.xml)
• current events
• place for publishing student work
• who am I web (curriculum webs)
• create and participate in communities of practice
• provide lessons or access to digital materials (through links)
• create a forum---using comment features
• and etc.

Do we have EPS Blogs?

Currently we are examining Community Server as our blogging solution at http://forums.edenpr.org

Your Assignment:

Please create a blog post in the COF Teachers Summer Training Blog.

Do a "THINK--REFLECT--BLOG" on how you might use a blog in your classroom or explain anything that may have resonated with you during this discussion of blogs, blogging, and blogger.

You will need your user name and password to log in. It should be in your folder.

Educational resources:

EBN---Educational Bloggers' Network

Educational Weblogs---Educational weblogs, praxis and digital tools.

weblogg--ed: using Weblogs and RSS in Education--Wil Richardson

Blogwise.com---blog search (keyword, country)

Blogging Across the Curriculum---Interactive Digital Design Program at Quinnipiac University