Blogs
Objective |
Students
will be able to create a blog, also known as a weblog or on-line journal,
targeted to their classroom or school. |
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Objective |
Students will be
able to identify two safety tips, for privacy protection, when using a blog. |
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Introduction |
A blog, or
weblog, is a chronological publication of personal thoughts about a specific
topic. It is an on-line journal or communication tool. Weblogs encourage
discussion, interaction and reflection.
They can be created individually or collaboratively. Blogs take less time, technology and
money than creating and maintaining a website. Teachers can use
blogs in their classrooms in a variety of ways. Some examples: ·
A class
can follow the adventures of a class member who is traveling on a family
trip. ·
Students
learning American history can chronicle the timeline and accomplishments of
famous explorers through journal entries. ·
Music/theater
teachers can set up a blog to communicate with parents and students about the
progress of their upcoming musical productions. ·
A
media specialist can inform teachers and students about book recommendations
and media center news. · Pre-service and new teachers can communicate and reflect upon their classroom experiences with their peers, supervisors and professors. |
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Activity |
Step
One: Become familiar with blogs. Blogger Take the What is a
Blog? tour. Click the orange continue
arrow at the bottom of each screen.
http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g Weblogged Watch this
2 minute video clip on blogging in a school setting.
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/weblogs_in_ed_video |
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Step Two:
Skim/read a few live educational blogs listed below or use Searchblogger (http://search.blogger.com/) to search for a specific blog topic: Classroom/school news blogs 3rd grade class blog Homework, star
students, communication log, etc. http://www.butlerville.net/3a/ Lakeside Elementary blog Bell schedule, staff, resources,
student links, etc. http://www.lakesideusd.org/suburu/ Goochland High blog
Newsletter, calendar, athletics,
etc. http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/gateway/go/ghs/index/ LHS Art Posted art projects
http://www.lhsartpro.org/ Instructional blogs 1st grade class weblog
Writing rules, show and tell, story discussion, etc. http://www.butlerville.net/1a/ Blog Away on a Paperless Journal
Elementary journal on math, books, places and events
http://runkles1.tblog.com/ Summer Reading Journal A teacher and
students stays connected during the summer months with a reading
journal. http://mrsd.tblog.com/ HS Physics Discussion forum for
current issues in Physics http://physicsns.blogspot.com/ |
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Step
Three: Determine the focus and
audience for your blog. If you need some ideas for
specific instructional or communication purposes to get you started, read: Blogs
in the Classroom Suggested
instructional and professional focuses for blogs and links to some active
blogs.
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/TecEds/training/short-sessions/2004/blogs.htm Blogs as
Class Content http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/barrios/blogs/read/index.html |
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Step
Four: Explore several of the
following websites for blog templates and then choose one to create a blog. Blogger General blogs; most popular; easy
to use blog site; part of the Google family; three easy steps to create a
blog. - create an account, name your blog and choose a template. http://www.blogger.com/start Edublogs Free blogs for teachers, supported
by Chalkface http://edublogs.org/ Enewsblog Free general blogs; easy to
follow instructions and helpful hints. http://www.enewsblog.com/ Xanga
Another free site; great
for online diaries and journals http://www.xanga.com/ Live Journal Parents must
sign a permission form to allow children under 13 to create their own
webblog. http://www.livejournal.com/ Blogmeister and Gaggle are educational blog sites for teachers and
students. Check to see if your
school is a registered user. If
not consider signing up. The sites are completely kid safe- entries are
screened before placed on line.
http://epnweb.org/blogmeister/index.php
http://gaggle.net |
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Step Five:
Post blog content, at least 3 entries. |
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Step Six: Add
photos or clip art. DK Clip
Art This site has realistic looking, general use
clip art. Many are high quality, sharp image, photographs. The choice screen has all of the easily
accessible categories posted in the center of the screen. Google Images
Type in a
keyword and you will see thousands of image options- both clip art and
photos. Microsoft
Office Clipart Type in a keyword or choose
from the clip art of photo category. |
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Step Seven:
Read about safety tips, when establishing and maintaining blogs, on the blog
sites and or below. How
Can Children Stay Safe Using Blogs? http://www.netalert.net.au/02582-How-can-children-stay-safe-using-blogs.asp |
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Assignment |
Create a web-based blog that you could use in your classroom. Using a blog website that you have explored from above or found on your own, create an online blog. Include the subject area and instructional purpose and at least 3 written entries with a photo/clip art for each. Include the URL of the blog site you chose. List two safety tips for privacy protection when using blogs. |
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Submission |
Post your activity as an html
file to the McDaniel College Web Server, create a link to the file on your
index page and send your instructor an email notification containing a
hotlink to the assignment and the assignment file’s URL. |
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Rubric |
Criteria |
Unacceptable |
Developing |
Accomplished |
Instructional purpose and subject area |
Brief statement of some unaligned purpose, No specific curriculum addressed. |
Statement of purpose, Recognizable curriculum |
Well stated purpose and specific curriculum addressed. |
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Photographs/clip art |
Fewer than three photographs/clip art with weak connection to the instructional purpose. |
Three photographs/clip art with brief connections to the instructional purpose. |
Three or more photographs/clip art with a clear connection to the instructional purpose. |
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Written Entries |
Fewer than three written entries with weak connection to the instructional purpose. No specific curriculum addressed. |
Three written entries with brief connections to the instructional purpose. Specific recognizable |
Three or more written entries with a clear connection to the instructional purpose. |
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Format |
Random
display of photographs and written entries |
Organized
display of photographs and written entries |
Well organized display of photographs and written entries |
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Bibliography
of Other Resources and |
Educational Blogs Blog information
and sample blogs to use in an educational setting.
http://educational.blogs.com/ High School Blogs Read
additional sample high school blogs. http://www.teacherlink.org/content/blog/ Blog City Has a great detailed
support system that takes you through each step and offers tips on adding Be
careful. The blogs are not
totally kid safe. Children must
be 13 or older. This site is more
appropriate for college level blogs. http://www.blog-city.com/bc/ |
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ISTE
Standards |
This course activity
addresses the following ISTE Standards: I. Teachers demonstrate a sound
understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers: A. Demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to
stay abreast of current and emerging technologies. II. Teachers plan and design effective learning
environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
A. Design developmentally appropriate
learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional
strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.
C. Identifies and locates technology resources and evaluates them for
accuracy and suitability.
D. Plan for the management of technology
resources within the context of learning activities. III. Teachers implement
curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology
to maximize student learning.
B. Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address
the diverse needs of students. IV. Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers: A. Use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning. A complete listing of all
ISTE standards can be found at: National Educational Standards for Teachers - http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html |