The Eighth Floor's Podcast about Blogs

Over the next several months, we will be "broadcasting" podcasts that highlight new technologies for the classroom. The first podcast looks at blogs: what they are, how difficult (or simple) the technology is and how blogs are used in the classroom.
Check it out by clicking on the link below!
Pam Vreeland


8th Floor Podcast-Blogs


The music is thanks to Internet Archives, an internet website publishing open source music, and Korhan Kaya, the artist making the music available.

Libraries have issues - did you know?

"Many of the current issues facing libraries revolve around the central theme of technology. Technology affects what we do, how we do things, and what our users expect from us as gateways to information. Two labels that arise in this discussion are Web 2.0 and Library 2.0. . . ."

This is a post I found in the HigherEd Blog, April 13th. Kind of interesting.

Still Sharin'
Lee Anne

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works.

Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators. They have built upon the "all rights reserved" concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach. They're a nonprofit organization. All of their tools are free.

I have not explored it fully, but it looks pretty cool.

Just sharin'
Lee Anne

Mrs Watt's 2nd Grade Computer Class Blog

FUN example of a classroom blog. Go look. (click here) I'm just sayin'.

Lee Anne

How to Use Blogs in the Classroom

Wow! You have to check this out. Exploring our Dynamic Earth - Using Blogs to Learn. I'm impressed by the creative and collaborative design of this site. Instructors are always asking how in the world would they ever use a blog for learning. Well, here's their answer. The blog is just one component of this venture.

Want to know more about blogs and the classroom? Check out Weblogg-ed - the read/write web in the classroom.

Kudos to both instructors.

Lee Anne

Understanding/Making an RSS Feed

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find this RSS Feed stuff a little confusing. I understand it is vital if you want your blog read, but how it all works is a bit mysterious - a bit. I generally manage to stumble through it, somehow.

I ran across an article that might help it make sense to you. There are several suggestions and a lot of explanation. Check it out.

Have fun!
Lee Anne

Are Blogs Really What is Meant by "Digital Literacy"?

I ran across a blog post that intrigued me. Wesley Fryer, the author of the post, speaks of President Bush's reference to blogs - more precisely, milblogs - as a primary source for information about what is happening in Iraq - a broader civil perspective.

Fryer used Bush's comments as a springboard into NCLB issues. His question is, are students getting the [digital] literacy skills they need for the 21st Century? Are students getting skills that will help them solve the real problems, the problems that are not prefabricated and solvable by rote? Fryer does not feel NCLB is properly preparing students for anything important, especially not for the digital age.

I'm gonna let that whole NCLB discussion sit - interesting article.

Here's my question: Are blogs really what is meant by "digital literacy"? Or, are blogs nothing more than open text messaging or IMing? I have heard countless teachers and parents condemn blogs. Faith in them as scholarly or righteous modes of communication is not wide spread. I completely understand why they feel that way. Blogs have certainly had a lot of bad press these days. On the other hand, I can't help think that there are blogs out there that ARE scholarly or righteous. There must exist some that are credible primary resources. One or two must be fine examples of citizen journalism? No?

Okay. If you had a student working on a project on current civil issues in Iraq, would you allow him or her to use an American military blog as a credible primary source? Sure, sure - it depends on the topic and the perspective. That aside, do YOU trust the resource? How would you discuss this with your student? How do you help your students solve the problem of evaluating credible vs. not in the world of blogs? Is this a skill that is important?

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

Student Decision Making - Digital Citizenship

I recently ran across this web page. It is chuck full of articles - some more interesting than others - but certainly a lot to think about.

Summary: Welcome to the Digital Citizenship Website
Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers and technology leaders understand what students should know to use technology appropriately. But Digital Citizenship is more that just a teaching tool, it is a way to prepare students for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology. The issue is more than what the users do not know but instead what is considered appropriate technology usage.

Digital Citizenship Today
Now is the time for educators as well as other adults to begin to evaluate how they are using technology. Within this website are many examples of how educators can begin the process of teaching their students how to use technology more appropriately. These resources can be used by any adults who are interested in helping students better understand appropriate technology use.

If you find an article particularly helpful or informative, please post a comment by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

Megan's Blog Desk

I wanted to share a site that I found worthwhile - in a non-overly-technical sense. It is called Megan's Blog Desk (http://megansblogdesk.blogspot.com/). Megan, or Mrs. Perry, left a comment on the Eighth Floor blog (see "What About Blogs?"). Megan is an elementary teacher in Maryland and a graduate student working on an MA in Teaching and Learning with Technology. She is interested in preparing her students and other teachers for our changing global community.

I checked out several of her links -- they're good. She has everything from research articles on blogs in education to blogging resources to classroom blogs of all colors. In addition, she has several posts that clearly discuss setting up blogs, etc.

If you run across anything you find particularly useful, please share! You can comment by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

What About Blogs - the Aftermath

Thank you all for your excellent contributions and questions in class Wednesday night. You definately made it an interesting and informative class. AND! Thanks for being the first class - sometimes risky, you know. :-D

Clearly, we ran out of time to answer all of your questions. If you have more, please feel free to leave a comment. I'm sure if you have a question, the same question is hopping around in someone else's mind.

Scott will post links to the tools he was talking about, so watch for those.

Question for you: What information did you find most useful from the class or would like to know more about?

Post by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne & Scott