Group+A+(Uses+of+Blogs+in+the+Classroom)+-+Irene,+Rusty,+Donette

=Using Blogs in the Classroom - An Overview= == Let's make sure we know what we're talking about here. Blog is short for Weblog, that is a log of entries posted in a central location on the world-wide web. Various authors with access to an Internet connection can interact by posting their thoughts via an entry on the blog. In this manner conversations take place among people all over the world who find their way to a specific blog which is of interest to them. Currently, blogs are perhaps the most widely used Web 2.0 tool in classrooms. Teachers may create a blog for a specific course or individual class by which they disseminate and gather information useful to all students. Parents may also be included in the blog. Other blogs are used to connect classes is multiple schools. Some examples of classroom blogs mentioned by Will Richardson in his book, //__Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms__// //(Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2006),// include one by used by math teacher Darren Kuropatwa ([]), another by alternative school teacher Bud Hunt ([]) , and yet another by writing teacher Anne Davis ([]). == = = == The following link is a video of a teacher who has just recently discovered the tools of Web 2.0. She admits that she was scared at first and wasn't really interested. She then reveals that she decided to get involved with blogs after seeing other teachers using them. Hear how she uses blogs in the classroom and gets the students involved! ==  []

Many of us are new to blogging. If we have read blogs or written blogs, it may not have been as part of our teaching. There is a learning curve for teachers and their students whenever we introduce new methods, and we want to make sure the time we spend learning and teaching this new technology will "pay off" and be worth the effort. Check out the links below to hear from folks who have already started their own classroom blogging adventures.
 * Why use blogs in the classroom?**

From **//students'//** perpective(YouTube video)...[|Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in a Classroom]

From an //**educator's**// perspective...[|20 reasons why students should blog]

Click on the link below to hear both a **//teacher's and her students'//** views on their first attempts at blogging in the classroom. []

__What__ do students need to know in order to use blogs in the classroom?
If you are new to blogging, it's a good idea to do some practicing on your own before you set your class blog up for your students. You'll need to allow for time to get everyone "up to speed" so they will have a good experience. Hear what one teacher who has used blogs already has determined she needs to do to prepare her students.


 * []**

__How__ to use blogs in the classroom
First of all, you might be wondering if having a blog for your classroom is going to cost you (or your school) anything. In the present economic climate, this is an especially valid concern. GOOD NEWS! You can set up a blog for FREE!!. You can find various resources for getting started if you click on the **"Drill Down Deeper"** section below. This will take you to another page with links to a number of sites you can check out. Meanwhile, visit the following link to learn about some ways to use blogs in the classroom, and then follow the other links in the subcategories below to find out more. []**(Getting excited yet?????)**
 * ===Feedback and/or response:===
 * ===[|Seven activities to do with your class blog]===
 * ===Reading and Writing===
 * ====Blogs are, in a way, replacing the old ways of reading from a book and writing on paper. The internet is no longer a place to just look up and read information, but a place where people can read, write, chat, post videos, etc. And as time moves forward, people will be able to do even more with these tools out there. This article is mainly about RSS, but does briefly talk about blogs. The article says that you don't have to be a genius to write and blog on the internet, that anyone can do it easily.====
 * ===[|Why this matters in the blogging classroom]===
 * ===Display Student Projects & Products===
 * ====Blogs provide a medium where student work can be displayed and shared. All kinds of projects, process and projects can be posted in a blog. An individual student blog can help a student create a portfolio and a class blog can showcase various class activities. Since a blog is interactive, others can offer feedback, critique, and compliments about the featured work. Knowing that the product will be made public can often introduce an additional level of motivation for student work. Here are a few examples of different types of student work via blogs:====
 * ===[|Biology students dissect a shark]===
 * ===[|The Blurb]===
 * ===[|Portable Radio]===
 * ===[|Biology students dissect a shark]===
 * ===[|The Blurb]===
 * ===[|Portable Radio]===
 * ===[|Portable Radio]===


 * ===Collaboration===
 * ===Collaboration===


 * ====Scroll down to Second-Generation Web and read about blogs on this link. It discusses how blogs are more than just journals for people and how they are growing in popularity for use in education.====


 * ===[|Second-generation web: blogs]===
 * ===Discussion and/or Debate===
 * ===Discussion and/or Debate===
 * ===Discussion and/or Debate===
 * ===Discussion and/or Debate===


 * ====Since blogs can be used as collaborative tools, they can definitely be used for class discussion and even a class debate. Post a question or a video and have students reply with their opinions and why. Also have students reply to other comments and why they agree or disagree.====
 * ===[|Discussion/Debate Tools]===

Drill Down Deeper to find out more about how to get started blogging in your classroom.
//(click on "Drill Down Deeper" to move to the next page)// **Visit our Multi-media Page** - click on this link