Blogs in the Classroom Dr. Alisa Cooper English Faculty Glendale Community College (AZ)
May 06, 2015
Blogs in the Classroom
Dr. Alisa CooperEnglish Faculty
Glendale Community College (AZ)
Agenda• What is Blogging?• Types of Blogs• Examples of Blogs• Blogs & RSS• Using Blogs in the
Classroom• Hands On: Setting Up
Your Own Blog• Hands On: How to
Use It to Post and Connect with Others
What is Blogging• Blogging is basically
keeping an online journal.
• A blog or web-log is a web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
What Is A Blog? by Daniel Scocco dailyblogtips.com
What is Blogging? By ueaoffical - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwcW5AKcfl4
Types of Blogs• Microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of
digital content—which could be text, pictures, links, short videos, or other media—on the Internet. Twitter
• Mini-blogging sites are for instantaneously adding video, pictures, text, and other content on-the fly. Tumblr and Posterous
• Vlogging are video blogs where the posts are video. YouTube
• Micro-video Blogging is shooting up to 15-second videos and sharing them instantly via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, email or SMS. Keek, Tout
• Photogs are photo blogs where the focus is posting images.
Microblogging
• Twitter for PLNo #edchato Tweetchat
• Twitter in the Class
• Google+ in the Class
Mini-Blogging• Tumblr for fun and more• Posterous in the Classroom
Tumblr vs. Posterous: microblogging throwdown | raddevon.com - tech, ... florencio.tumblr.com
Vlogging• YouTube
Micro-Video Blogging
• Tout & Keek• Wall Street Journal T
out• Keek
Photogs – Photo Blogging
• How to Start a Photoblog
• 500px• Try Jux
Photo: http://www.blogsaays.com/reasons-photography-blogs-better-text-blogs/
Blogs & RSSWhat is it?
What is RSS?• RSS = Really Simple
Syndication• RSS
: A Quick Start Guide for Educators
• 100+ Web 2.0 Ideas for Educators: A Guide to RSS and More
• Add RSS Subscription to Chrome
Image: blogtrafficexchange.com
Feed Readers• Google Reader• HOW TO: Get the Most
Out of Google Reader
Using Blogs in the Classroom
• Classroom Management
• Collaboration• Discussion• Student
Portfolios
Image courtesy of Rachel Boyd & Tania O'Meagher helloliteracy.blogspot.com
Classroom Management
• Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners.
• They can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
Collaboration• Blogs provide a space where teachers and
students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience.
• Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible.
• Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
Discussions• A class blog opens the opportunity for students to
discuss topics outside of the classroom. • With a blog, every person has an equal
opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. • Students have time to be reactive to one another
and reflective. • Teachers can also bring together a group of
knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
Student Portfolios• Blogs present, organize, and protect student work
as digital portfolios. • Additionally, as students realize their efforts will
be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing.
• Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Download Some Reading (PDFs)
• Educational Blogging• Instructional Blogging: Promoting Interactivity, St
udent-Centered Learning, and Peer Input• What’s it Worth? The Perceived Benefits of Instruc
tional Blogging• Moving to the Public: Weblogs in the Writing
Classroom• Technology in the Classroom: Effect of Student Bl
ogging on Learning Gains in a High School Classroom
Additional Resources• Davi, A., Frydenberg, M., & Gulati, G. J. (2007). Blogging Across the
Disciplines: Integrating Technology to Enhance Liberal Learning . Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 3(3). Retrieved October 31, 2012, from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/frydenberg.
• Ellison, N. & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the Classroom: A Preliminary Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
• MacBride, R. and Lynn Luehmann, A. (2008), Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies: A Case Study of Classroom Blogging. School Science and Mathematics, 108: 173–183. doi: 10.1111/j.1949-8594.2008.tb17826.x
• McGilvery, C. & Elliott, C. (2011). Blogging: A Pathway to Promote Classroom Engagement and Critical Thinking Skills. In M. Koehler & P. Mishra (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (pp. 2578-2581). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Hands On Workshop
Setting Up Your Own Blog&
How to Use It to Post and Connect with Others