What About Blogs? (8th Floor Class - Feb 7, 2008)

What About Blogs?
As a collaborative and constructive tool, blogs have found their place in education. As educators, we are using them as learning tools not only for our students, but for ourselves.

Blogs in Plain English



Lee LeFever of the Common Craft Show

So What’s a Blog?
Let the 6 & 7 year olds from Room 9 at Nelson Central School educate you about what they think a blog is and why they love using them!



Let’s Talk About Blogs
How is a blog different from a website?
What does it mean to blog, be a blogger?
Why do you think you or your students might be attracted to this as a form of expression?
The first step to being a good blogger is to be a good blog ____________?

Education Professional Development Blogs
Weblogg-ed - A blog by Will Richardson
Moving at the Speed of Creativity - A blog by Wesley Fryer
Blog of Proximal Development - a blog by Konrad
Blogs about Educational Blogging - a wiki by Support Blogging.com


Classroom/Student Blogs
Arthus - NewlyAncient (high school student blog)
The Good Habits Blog (blog for students)
Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (elementary)
Blogical Minds (This is a blog created to explore what happens when 5th graders blog and converse about literacies in class and beyond)

Check out the following education/safety focused postings and articles:
MySpace Education
Change Agency
BlogSafety.com
Blogs, Fair Use, and Paying to Play

Blogging Tips and Tricks:
Web Blog Basics Blogs - Anatomy
Blogs for Learning
Evaluating Blogging
Blogging Best Practices
Top 10 Blog Writing Tips
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QUESTION!
Since this is a class about blogging, we thought you might want to do a little, well, blogging. So, if you were to integrate blogs or blogging into your curriculum or professional development, how do you think you would most likely do that?
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Add your comment to this post. Take a minute to think about the above question. (Or, share something else, if you choose) Click on the "comments" link below and then type your answer. If you don’t already have a Blogger account, you can comment as anonymous or other. Be sure to include your name somewhere so we know who you are. Read others’ comments and feel free to comment on their comments!

Thanks!
Lee Anne

The Look of Student Blogging

Wow, what a spark to the start my week! This morning I was trying to do a little blog reading. It is a great way to both start and end a week or day or whatever, when I can fit it in – kind of like professional meditation (?). Educational blogs are where I get so many of my ideas and resources. Anyhoo, I was reading a post by Will Richardson about how he was asked by a high school student to participate in an UStream broadcast during the NH primary. As with all of Will’s post, it was an interesting and inspiring read. But his post was not where I got the big spark this morning. It was from the student who invited Will to the conversation, Arthus. I was fascinated by his blog, Newly Ancient. Arthus is a high school student in Vermont. Here’s his intro:

Me (abridged version)
Arthus is an pompous 15-year-old student who currently attends Champlain Valley Union High School. When not absorbed in the easy work of school, he enjoys developing web applications and playing soccer. This promising individual hopes to go forward with a glorious career in web technologies and science. He is also interested in developing better writing skills and acquiring basic social skills. This blog is a fusion of all these interests and explores the educational opportunities the web presents with a personal touch. Apparently, Arthus also likes to talk in the 3rd person. If any of this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to get in touch or feed me. Whatever you interest, this blog may offer some informative and entertaining parts if you sift through the dirt and sand.

I’m intrigued! A web developing, poetry writing (read some of it!), soccer playing, blog writing student contributing to the bigger picture of education. I want to know what inspires this kid. I want this kid in my classroom. I want to know what other kids in his classes are doing. I want all students to have this kind of voice. This is a fantastic illustration of what student blogging can look like. As an example, take a look at his “Annual Report” post. What a great project on so many levels.

Check out Arthus’ blog, Newly Ancient at http://myfla.ws/ .

Just sharin’
Lee Anne