Technology and Trussville

Blogger Support Group

2006-02-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to try your hand at blogging but would like some support? Share you ideas and we can help each other create purposeful blogs to enhance the classroom learning. We can plan to meet for additional training and support if you are interested. Remember, this is a safe place to ask questions.

Blogging Trailblazers

2006-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Darren Kuropatwa
http://adifference.blogspot.com/

Will Richardson (blogging guru)
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/

Mark Ahlness
http://www.halcyon.com/arborhts/mahlness/

Tim Lauer
http://tim.lauer.name/archives/004041.html

Wesly Fryer
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/01/19/edifying-student-bloggers/

Examples of Blogs

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Explore these sites to see not only seasoned bloggers, but also those new to blogging.

Elementary Blogs
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=5655 http://epnweb.org/blogmeister/blog.php?blogger_id=251 http://old.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=9804___________
http://riskwatchatpaine.blogspot.com
http://paineandthesoldiers.blogspot.com

Middle School Blogs
http://cmsmath.blogspot.com/
http://7westmath.blogspot.com/

High School Blogs
http://mtnbrookseniors.blogspot.com/
http://ghshonorsbio.blogspot.com/
http://pc30s.blogspot.com
http://pc20.blogspot.com
http://sculbreth1.edublogs.org/

I am still a newbie when it comes to blogging. I will work to gather more examples of blogs.

Blogging Policies

2006-02-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

STUDENT BLOG POLICIES

From a classroom blog maintained by Darren Kuropatwa, a teacher in Winnipeg, Canada.

http://pc30s.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_pc30s_archive.html

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Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that gets posted on the internet stays there. Forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog it was posted to. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet. I have come across posts from my students on blogs as far away as Sweden! That is why we are being so careful to respect your privacy and using first names only. We do not use pictures of ourselves. If you really want a graphic image associated with your posting use an avatar -- a picture of something that represents you but IS NOT of you.

Two teachers in the U.S.A. worked with their classes last year to come up with a list of guidelines for student bloggers.

One of them, Bud The Teacher, has these suggestions, among others:

1 Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

2 Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don’t give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.

3 Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t.

4 Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

Another teacher, Steve, developed a set of guidelines in consultation with his students. You can read them here. (SEE BELOW FOR TEXT)

Look over the guidelines and add the ones you like in the comments section below this post; either from one of Steve's students or one of your own. I think Bud's suggestions are excellent. We'll be using the one's I highlighted above as a basis for how we will use our blog.

Cheers,
Mr. K.

How to Make Blogging Safe

2006-02-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

How Can Children Stay Safe Using Blogs?
http://www.netalert.net.au/02582-How-can-children-stay-safe-using-blogs.asp

Safety Online – Random Thoughts
http://namckeand.blogspot.com/2005/05/safety-online.html

Responsible Blogging Lesson Plan
http://outsidethecave.blogspot.com/2005/05/responsible-blogging-lesson-plan.html

Blog Safety
http://www.blogsafety.com/

Law’s Regarding Student’s Rights When Blogging
http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/faq-students.php

Articles about Blogging

2006-02-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in using blogs in your classroom, these articles are definately worth your time.

New York Times article about Blogging in the Classroom
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250568000&en=33627811ca310596&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

Ways to Use Weblogs in Education
http://anne.teachesme.com/2004/10/05#a668

Blogging? It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml

Blogging Across the Curriculum
http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/PHastings/bac.html

Blogging 101 – Weblogs go to School
http://news.com.com/Blogging+101--Web+logs+go+to+school/2100-1032_3-5895779.html?tag=nefd.lede

How can blogs be used in education?

2006-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Teachers can create classroom blogs to:
1. organize online book studies with students from class, the same or different grade level, school, etc.
2. scribes post a reflection of the day's or subject's lessons (see Darren Kuropatwa's Pre Cal blog - http://pc20s.blogspot.com/)
3. extend the curriculum with guided links, additional reviews, questions by teacher or students, etc.
4. improve spelling
5. give the students an authentic audience for writing
6. celebrate class achievements
7. use links to webquests, online math games, etc. to guide the instruction when in the lab, see -
http://paineandthesoldiers.blogspot.com for Communication with Grey Eagle and Fellow Soldiers, http://riskwatchatpaine.blogspot.com for the Risk Watch blog and http://rw-firearmsinjuryprevention.blogspot.com/ for audio post
8. connect with other classrooms from across the world, yes, THE WORLD

Blogs do not have to be just for a classroom.

They can be subject specific. Several examples would be a Poetry Express blog, Dead Poets Society, Athletics, Music, and so much more!

Teachers can create reflective journals to:
1. share ideas for teaching units, books, etc with other teachers
2. make reflections on each day, week, or unit
3. tips for beginning teachers or those new to Trussville City Schools
4. professional book studies with other faculty meetings (see - http://bs-goingpublic.blogspot.com)

Students can create their own blogs to:
1. complete class writing assignments (other 21st Century tool - wiki, see - http://snipurl.com/mb3f for collaborative writing projects using the Risk Watch Safety Curriculum)
2. electronic portfolio of work
3. discuss activities and assignments from the classroom
c4. reate a sense of community among students

I have not taught students how to create blogs, but I am discovering several students who did just that. They are inviting me to read their blogs by leaving comments on my blog. We are able to "trace" each other and see a world on mini bloggers who are learning through this communication. Even though I strongly discuss Internet security with students, they begin to see why when unknown people leave comments on their blog. See - http://whitneyrrules.blogspot.com/ and select the first post (at the very bottom) and read what happens after Dr. F. leaves a comment.

What is a blog?

2006-02-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

A blog is a weblog that allows anyone to create and regularly update information, links, pictures, and comments directly in any Internet browser from any computer with an internet connection from anywhere in the world. Think of it as a virtual bulletin board where you share your thoughts, ideas, information, etc. with anyone in the world and they can instantly respond back.