What is a blog?

A blog, or web log is a kind of website published straight to the internet. Blog programs are usually free and quite simple to use. While a website is often a one-way form of communication, blogs are two-way (like other web 2.0 tools) as readers are encouraged to contribute by leaving comments. Watch this simple video by Commoncraft called Blogs in plain English. You might also be interested in this SlideShare, 'Blogging Examples in Education Oct 08' which provides a wide range of examples of the ways blogs can be used.

• blogs can be private or public
• a blogger adds content to their site by writing posts which are published in chronological order
• the most recent post appears at the top of the page
• pages can also be created for more static information such as 'about me'
• photos, videos, links and a wide range of Web 2.0 applications can be included.

A blog is usually maintained by one person with readers able to respond to posts by writing a ‘comment’. However blogs can also be collaborative. A central administrator (the teacher) should always moderate student blogs and comments and link these to a main blog.

How do you blog?

You can quickly and easily get started in creating your own blog. Use the link on the Global Teacher page Get a Global Teacher blog. In a few short steps you will have your own blog and will be ready to get started. Global Teacher has much of the same functionality as Edublogs, also created by James Farmer. Edublogs has helpful How to videos which apply to your Global Teacher or Global Student blog.

Student safety and blogging

It is recommended that you become proficient with your own teacher blog before you create any blogs for your students. Set up your student blogs in spaces specifically designed for education. You can do this at Global Student.

You should always be the administrator for every student blog created for safety reasons. This will allow to moderate and edit content instantly. You can have both you and the student as administrators. To create student blogs ensure you have created a 'home blog' for the group/class first at Global Student. Then go into the admin and click 'users' and then 'blog and user creator' to create up to 15 blogs at a time. Ensure each blog is then listed as a link from your blog for management purposes.

When you set up a blog in Global Teacher or Global Student, any comments that are written are automatically emailed to you for moderation. When you are the administrator of a student blog, this also occurs. 

It is important to get permission from parents to create student blogs and publish student work or pictures to the internet. Students should also be clear that personal information such as full names or addresses should never be published on the web and should be aware of their 'digital footprint'. Some safety tips are provided on Emily P's blog.

You can also view videos and explore lesson plans and online activities related to online safety in Working with the Web. It is critical that you are fully aware of your professional responsibilities in an online environment.

Global Teacher and Global Student

The blogging environments Global Teacher and Global Student were set up by Connect and the School Library Association of Victoria to allow teachers to explore and celebrate the educational value of blogging. They are free to join and do not run any form of advertising. Both sites run as working blogs with new posts continually added. 

They are supported by Heather Blakey, a teacher with 35 years experience and an excellent knowledge of the online world. Contact her at global.teacher@edumail.vic.gov.au with questions or to enquire about professional development for your school. At Connect we also have administration rights for the Global Teacher and Global Student blogs so please email us connect@edumail.vic.gov.au if you encounter a problem.

Some other blogging environments are blocked by many schools as they enable users to search for any blog – some of which will obviously include inappropriate content. Check with your school technician if you are unsure.

Who is using blogs?

The Global Teacher page lists examples of blogs created by teachers for professional or classroom use. Look at the links under A+ Global Teacher Blogs.  Email in details about your blog if you wish to promote it. We also encourage you to comment on blogs. This can be a great starting point if you are unsure about blogging.

Hawkesdale P-12 school with has really taken off with blogs - check out their clustr maps to see how many visits they get. Looking at a few examples you can see the different kinds of blogs that can be used in a school environment - whole school, teacher, class and student.

• Our own backyard is a school blog where student work and events are shared with the community
• ejourney with technokids is the professional blog of Anne Mirtschin. It also has great examples of the online challenges she is setting for her students. Links on the right of the page take you to other teacher and student blogs
• Skippy is one of the students at Hawkesdale P-12 schools personal blogs. It is full of ideas, writing and fun applications such as Voki. It is also a great example of a student keeping themselves safe online by not publishing too much personal information.

Other great blogs:

• Bright Ideas by the School Library Association Victoria (SLAV) showcases great resources and uses of technology by Victorian Schools
• Readers Cup - a blog also by SLAV to support the Premier's Reading Challenge
• Connect highlights fantastic online resources for teachers and students. Use as a tool to encourage your students to 'comment' in a responsible way (comments are checked before they appear)
• Explore exciting book blogs including Fict.it.ious, The Reading Room, Book Stars, Barker Books and and the MPSC Reading Cafe.

Want to go further? Explore the blogs of some teachers/educators who are already very well established and see the possibilities! Commenting on other blogs is the best way to ensure people visit and comment on yours.

• Jenny Luca: Intercepting the Web
• Lisa Hill: School Stuff
• Lauren O'Grady: All Teachers are Learners, All Learners are Teachers
• Aaron Petersen: Super Cheap Teach
• Will Richardson: Weblogg-ed
• Karl Fisch: The Fisch Bowl

Web 2.0 communities to explore include:

• The Web 2.0 Telegraph
• Classroom 2.0
• Teacher 2.0

What can I include on my blog?

Blogs are really the platform for a whole range of Web 2.0 applications. Bloggers can easily include:

• voki characters
• animoto video shows
• podcasts stored in podomatic or Gcast
• presentations created in voicethread
• presentations uploaded to slideshare
• videos from TeacherTube
• an animation from fodey
• a poll from poll daddy
• word clouds from wordle
• a clustr map to find out where all their visitors come from
• screen captures of websites from jing project (download the program for free)
• poetry created at pic lits

 

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