This document discusses the use of blogs in education. It begins by defining what a blog is and provides examples of educational blogs. It then discusses how blogs are used by educators to provide lesson plans, communication with students, and as a classroom resource. The document then summarizes three articles about educational blogging: one discusses blogs as an information source and classroom tool; another discusses benefits but also challenges to teacher adoption; and a third outlines five pitfalls to avoid with classroom blogs. Personal reflections are provided after each summary.

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2. First of all, a blog basically is a web site that is maintained by an individual with regular entries of text, pictures, and graphics such as video and audio. Blogger, the blog we use for this class, is a perfect example. We as the students have put writings, pictures, and graphics onto our blogs. We use our blog to submit our assignments and we keep in touch with other classmates. In today’s modern technological era, educators have become overwhelmed with all the technology that can now be used in the classroom. The hype over blogging recently has made its way into the education field and has become an asset for educators across the country. I have found that many educators now use blogging as a resource for their classrooms. Many times, educators use these blogs to provide lesson plans online to help keep students up to date on classroom activities and assignments. It is also a great way for students to communicate with their teachers when they are not at school. Click to Continue

3. Educational Blogging By: Laurel A. Clyde Using Blogs in the Classroom By: Frederick C. Risinger Five Don’t About Classroom Blogging By: Julie Sturgeon Click on Each Article to Read a Brief Summary and Personal Reflection Click to See References

4. Educational Blogging By: Laurel A Clyde Currently there are a wide variety of educational weblogs that can be used as sources of information for teachers. It seems that there are 2 specific types of weblogs when it comes to educational purposes. First we have weblogs as sources of information for teachers. These are the weblogs that are specifically used by educators. They are subject oriented that usually contain useful posts that assist their readers to keep up to date in the topic. Many times these blogs are created by subject experts or people with a high interest in the topic. They often attract other experts interest through the “comment” forum. This allows other to comment about the topic being discussed. These are just a few examples of weblogs as sources for teachers. http://librarygoddess.blogspot.com/ -A blog from a high school librarian with book reviews written for teens http://elementary-school.blogspot.com/ A blog provided for teachers with information about links to web sites for elementary teachers and librarians A Brief Summary : Click to continue summary

5. … Summary Continued Secondly, we have weblogs that are used in the classroom curriculum. Classroom blogging has shown to motivate students and enhance students learning. Blogging also enhances literacy within students through storytelling and dialogue. It gives students an opportunity to publish their creative works online for and audience and can be considered and educational tool that allows students to create ideas and invite feedback from those that view it. Weblogs are also an asset for students because they are relatively inexpensive if free blogging software is used and can easily be accessed and updated from a computer in the classroom. There have been many instances where teachers use blogging as a learning project. For example, instead of having to write a essay on the Battle of Gettysburg, a student can go online and find information to use, pictures to post and even video clips that can help them tell the story of Gettysburg. They will be learning in the process but they can also have fun. It lets students get creative and allows them to be able to be different from the every day routine of school. Click to Continue

6. Personal Reflection After reading the article about educational blogging, I realized that blogging was not just limited to students. Honestly, I had never really thought of using a blog to do research for myself when I become a teacher. I had always imagined that I would use my blog to keep parents up to date on their child’s assignments and what was currently going on in class. It really is amazing how a person can oversight something that can really help them. Now that I have all of these amazing resources, I should be ready to go when the time comes for me to be in a classroom with my own students. Back to the Menu

7. Using Blogs in the Classroom By: Frederick C. Risinger A Brief Summar y: Pro’s: In this article the author writes about how interactive blogs are changing classroom teaching. Most importantly for teachers, blogs are interactive. Teachers can pose questions and ask that the students answer. Because of the use of blogs in the classroom, class no longer has to ends when the bell rings. Many times, these blogs can become a record for en entire class and can be used for studying or evaluation of a teaching style for educators. These blogs are rapidly taking over paper lessons and traditional classroom web pages because they are so easy to create, maintain, and update. So why don’t all teachers use blogs? Click here to read why!!!

8. … Summary Continued So if Blogging is such an asset to education, then why doesn’t every teacher use them. Risinger points out that many of our current teachers did not have this kind of technology when they began teaching. They had to rely on old fashioned projectors and a chalkboard. Because the technology was not readily available they used what they had and have become familiar with it. Most of the times, they will not leave their comfort level to try something new if they are unfamiliar with it. That is unfortunate because many of the new teachers will be experienced in this technology and will be able to offer it in their classrooms as opposed to the older teachers. Click Here to Continue

9. Personal Reflection After reading Risinger’s article, I feel more compelled to try to educate those teachers who missed the technology boom with educational technology for the classroom. Since it is becoming widely used outlet for learning, then I believe teachers need to be educating in it. It would not be fair for a student to not have the same learning experience because their teachers did not know how to use the technology available like some other teachers do. It is our job as up and coming teachers, to lead the way but we do not need to leave behind the older generation of teachers because we have technology on our side. We need to work together so that all of the students have equal access to technology it he classroom. Back to the Menu

10. The Five Don’t of Classroom Blogging By: Julie Sturgeon This articles basically addresses the problems that teachers encounter when it comes to blogging it the classroom. Even thought teachers might have a lot of knowledge about blogging, many overestimate how difficult setting up a blog for students can be. A lot of thought and planning must go into the creation of a classroom blog. There are 5 things teachers should never do when it comes to classroom blogging: Don’t Just Dive In: Guidelines and objectives need to be discussed before allowing your students to access the blog. If that is not done, it is guaranteed that problems will arise. Also, most students will not know what to do once they have accessed the blog so it is always a good idea to go over all the tools and components of the blog before ever starting. This will also help avoid problems. Don’t Confuse Blogging with Social Networking: A blog is not like Myspace or Facebook. An actual educational blog is not about socializing but about students getting through the material together. It is to be educationally interactive and not for setting up play dates or get-togethers. Don’t Leap the Freebies: Many blog websites are free but many times do not offer the structure required by a school district. Many free sites have pop ups and advertisements all over their site. This will only be a distraction to the students so more often than not, it is better to go with a blog that fits with education and costs a little bit. Click to continue

11. … Summary Continued Don’t Force a Sequential Style: Basically, this means that chronologically listing the post in a blog is not always in the best interest of a student. Many times it is easier for a student to understand if a blog is sorted by topic rather than by date. Don’t Leave the Blogging to the Students: Teachers need to be active in the blogging. Students are more likely to participate knowing that the teacher is actively involved. Students will feel like it is more of an assignment than anything if the teacher does not participate or even look at what the students have written. Click to Continue

12. Personal Reflection I find the 5 DONT’S to be very interesting. I would not have thought of a few of them to really be any problem until now. Mainly, that of using a free blog site. I would have used a free one and then later run into problems with pop up sand other advertisements. The other problem I did not realize could happen was that of social networking. I guess I assumed that if it were to be done in the classroom, students would not use it as a means to talk to each other and chat. Back to Menu

13. Clyde, L. (2005, February). Educational Blogging. Teacher Librarian , 32 (3), 43-45. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Risinger, C. (2006, April). Using Blogs in the Classroom: A New Approach to Teaching Social Studies with the Internet. Social Education , 70 (3), 130-132. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Sturgeon J. Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging. T H E Journal [serial online]. February 2008;35(2):26-30. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 17, 2008. Back to Main Menu