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Blogs, Tags and More: Making Sense -and Use- of New Internet Technologies

Blog - what is it and why use it

Blogs (short for "web logs") are a type of online journal which function as web pages. In education, blogs provide a new opportunity to organize, reflect on and share news, resources, and insights.

Understand | Explore | Decide | Find Out | Get Started | Next Steps | Learn More

What is a Blog?

Short for "web log," a blog is basically an online journal which appears as a web site in which entries are often automatically categorized by date. The blog author can usually add additional tags or categories to each entry so that blog readers can use the tags quickly find entries of interest.

Most blogging services require that you sign up for an account (often free), using an e-mail address and password. Some services charge a fee for "premium" offerings, such as access to special features or an ad-free environment.

Entry-level blogs are usually hosted on a server separate from your computer. Usually, all the tools you need to add to, personalize or update your blog are available from within your web browser. This means you can work on your blog from any computer with an internet connection. In addition, some blog services and tools allow you to add a blog entry via e-mail or cell phone. More serious bloggers usually move to a self-hosted blog, but this requires more technical set-up and know-how.

Most blogs are also capable of providing an RSS feed. Readers subscribe to the feed to know when new entries are added. and can be set up to allow readers to comment on specific entries. Blogs also often have the option of allowing readers to post comments on specific blog entries.

Explore Exceptional Educational Blogs - Blogs can be used for many purposes, but to be successful, you must have a clear purpose. In education, teachers use blogs to keep students and parents informed, much like a newsletter. Professional development specialists share their expertise and their own finds on the web. Some blogs are more informative, while others are more informational. Travel blogs are also quite popular. Here is my own blog, plus some quality examples of ways to use blogs with and for teachers and students:

• Haugen's Tech Tips Blog - my blog on technology, digital literacy, and meeting the needs of all students, hosted by Edublogs. Includes tips on blogging, cool tools, digital photography, early childhood, literacy, student publishing, assistive technology and more <haugenka.edublogs.org/>
• Weblogg-ed - 'The read/write web in the classroom' - great source for information and reflections on the use of blogs, wikis and more in education <weblogg-ed.com/>
• David Warlick's 2 cents - David is an innovative thinker, synthesizing information, experiences and expertise to monitor and assess how today's children learn and how educators can adapt to the new technologies available for teaching and learning. davidwarlick.com/2cents/
• Teaching Every Student – Karen Janowski's blog, with a bent on assistive and educational technologies. teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/

To blog or Not to Blog

Compare a blog to a standard web page, a wiki, and a bookmarking service. Blogs are great for posting a lot of related content and keeping it organized by date and tags or categories. They are not as easily suited to presenting material in a logical or pedagogical fashion, as you would with a traditional web site, and the main content is not as easily edited by readers as it would be on a wiki.

The better blogs have a clear focus, with a thoughtful collection of corresponding tags or categories.

Most blog services automatically generate the content for an RSS feed each time you make a blog entry. Readers can choose among several ways to be notified of changes to your blog

Find Out About Blogging Services - To start a blog, you need to sign up for a blogging service. Some services are aimed especially at educators and offer premium features for free. Other blogging services are free because they generate revenue for the provider through advertising.

• Edublogs - a free blogging service for educators, using Word Press <http://edublogs.org/>
• Learnerblogs - a free blogging service especially for students, learnerblogs.org/
• Class Blogmeister - David Warlick's blogging tool, especially for teachers. learnerblogs.org
• Learnerblogs - a free blogging service for students, using Word Press <http://learnerblogs.org/>
• Blogger - a popular free blogging service <www.blogger.com/start>

Start Your Own Blog - Use one of the services above.

1. Know your purpose and the scope of your blog
2. Develop some categories or tags that you think you'll use (you can always add or edit them later, but this initial structure is important)
3. Sign up for a blog (above)
4. Follow the blog's directions for activating and personalizing your blog

Enhance Your Blog - There are several ways to make blogging easier or to add features to your blog, change its appearance, and more.

1. Add Static Pages - In addition to blog entries
2. Performancing - If you use Firefox, try out this essential for bloggers! A pop-up window allows you to instantly post items to your blog(s) and even assign categories. Quick and simple!
3. Categories - Use the options for tags or categories to
4. Comments - Invite readers to comment on your blog entries. This turns blogging into a two-way dialog.
5. Feeds - Look into using services like FeedBlitz to share your blog via RSS.

Learn More - Use our wiki to discuss advantages and disadvantages of blogs in the classroom, ways you might use blogs, and potential abuses of blogs.

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