Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Blog Meister
This is an excellent example of a group website done by elementary students. Again I can not blog it you have to visit the site.
Blog Meister
Education World � Technology Center: Blogging?
This is an excellent article, its straight forward and to the point.
Education World � Technology Center: Blogging?: "Blogging?
Blogging?
It's Elementary, My Dear Watson!
Blogging -- or Web logging -- most often is thought of as an activity for high school students. Did you know, however, that students as young as kindergarten now blog on a daily basis in a variety of exciting ways? Read on to find out how elementary blogging works, what topics elementary students and teachers cover in their blogs, software programs and tools to consider, and cautions and tips for starting your own blog. INCLUDED: More than two-dozen links to blogging software and to elementary blogs across the United States.
At its core, blogging -- or Web logging -- is an online diary or journal. Take a look at any blog and you'll immediately see the connection between it and a traditional diary. Often arranged in calendar format with the most recent post first, blogs contain rantings, wishes, commentary, and…well, anything else a writer thinks about, often with graphics and perhaps even with audio and video elements.
As David Warlick points out on his Landmark Project Web site, however, the blog has evolved rapidly into something more:
Number 1: A blog is a Web-publishing concept that enables anyone -- first graders, political pundits, homeless people, high school principals, presidential candidates -- to publish information on the Internet.
Number 2: Blogs (a shortening of weB LOG), or blogging has become a journalistic tool, a way to publish news, ideas, rants, announcements, and ponderings very quickly, and without technical, editorial, and time constraints. It essentially makes anyone a columnist. In fact, many established columnists now publish their own blogs.
Number 3: Blogs, because of their ease of use, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, have become a highly effective way to help students to become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet.
ELEMENTARY BLOGGING IN ACTION Blogging: One Teacher's Experience
Want to hear how blogging really works? Check out Brenda Dyck's article Log On To a Blog. In it, Brenda describes her reasons for using blogs, suggests steps for getting started, offers student feedback, provides a rubric she uses to evaluate student blogs, and recommends links to more information.
Educators know that students write better when they have a real audience -- not just a teacher with a red pen. In the past, finding such an audience was a challenge. But with Internet access and some basic software, any student can write for the world to see. Although blogging in schools is still in its infancy, anecdotal evidence suggests that students' interest in, and quantity of, writing increases when their work is published online and -- perhaps even more importantly -- when it is subject to reader comments.
So, what do students in grades K-6 blog about? In its blog, Mr. Brune's 4th grade class at Mamaroneck Avenue School in Mamaroneck, New York, has created an online commentary on today's news stories.
At Shepard Elementary School in Columbia, Missouri, Mr. Villasana assigns to each of his fourth graders a day as class reporter. The assigned student must record the day's happenings on the Studio Four-News blog. In Tampa, Florida, Mr. Roemer's Grade 5 Polar Bears also chronicle the day's happenings in detail -- action photos accompany most entries.
Upper elementary students aren't the only ones having the fun, however. At Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska, students writing for Mrs. Greenwald's First Grade Blog describe one topic -- from the solar system to the history of Nebraska -- every two weeks; class photos and student drawings are included. And, in the United Kingdom, students as young as seven use Web logs to acquire technical skills that some 15 or 16 year olds have not achieved.
Even in early childhood classrooms, blogs can be a vital part of the learning process; young students can draw their entries rather than write them, narrate entries for the teacher to type in, or the teacher can enter one entry for the entire class. Check out the kindergarten blog from the Arlington Science Focus School in Arlington, Virginia!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START BLOGGING?
Many middle and high school classes use such Web-based programs as Blogger or LiveJournal. Although easy to use, those tools are not specific to the education community and they might not have all the safety and supervisory features a teacher, particularly an elementary grade teacher, looks for.
The simplest way to begin is to download a program like Blogmeister. Developed by David Warlick, founder of the Landmark Project, this free blogging tool is completely online; there's no software to install. The teacher sets up the blog and student accounts, and students can add their own entries. The teacher reviews each post and either approves and publishes the entry or returns it to the student for editing before reviewing it again. Click here to read excerpts from student blogs at Blogmeister.
Another easy alternative is KidzLog. At just $9.00 for an academic, single-user license, Kidzlog is an affordable, secure, and simple solution for the elementary teacher wanting to blog on just one classroom computer. Downloads are available for both Windows and Mac OS X and the program resides on that one computer rather than on a school server or elsewhere. Set-up is a matter of just a few steps (choosing a name, selecting design elements, and so on). Then, students write their entries and illustrate them with the simple drawing tools included with KidzLog. Password protection ensures that what students write or draw will not go online until the teacher enters the password.
For teachers with advanced techie skills and interest in open source software, Thingamablog might be a good choice. Thingamablog runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines, but requires a Web site hosted on a school, district, or other third-party server.
Lastly, for schools and teachers who are extra-cautious about putting elementary students online, Oracle's Think.com is a possibility. Not strictly a blogging tool, Think.com is a closed e-mail and Web-authoring tool; students can view only e-mails and Web sites created by their peers at their school (or, if you choose, at other Think.com schools). Student-created Think.com Web sites could serve as blogs, with text and graphics entered in journal form. Support from administration and an application process are required before being approved to use the free service, however.
SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY
Although every K-12 student must be kept safe, the age and emerging critical skills of elementary students make ensuring their online safety paramount. First, find out what your district or school Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) says about posting student work and names online. Often, students' first names may be published, along with group photos, as long as there is no indication which name belongs to which student. Be sure to check your district's AUP before proceeding, however.
Next, consider using a blogging program/online tool that requires a password to publish. That way, you as the teacher have final say about what goes online, and you can edit out any identifying information (such as a student's home address!) before it becomes public.
Blogging in the elementary grades is an exciting and doable activity. Be sure to check out the great resources below, as well as the information in the sidebar above, before beginning your blogging adventure!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Blogging rubric
How Can Children Stay Safe Using Blogs?
Weblogg-ed: the read/write web in the classroom
Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web
Article by Lorrie Jackson
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
EdBlogger Praxis: Student Discourse -NCTE Project Blog
This site is good for the links that it leads to. Since I had a specific objective and audience it covered more topics then I was prepared to read about however the left sidebar offers some very good options.
EdBlogger Praxis: Student Discourse -NCTE Project Blog: "EdBlogger Praxis
Find Examples of Educator Blogs Online. Participate and comment. Are you an EdBlogger & EdPodcaster? Submit your blog (s). Education Blog Portal Cluster"
Weblogs: The Possibilities Are Limitless! : Elementary Student Weblogs
Weblogs: The Possibilities Are Limitless! : Elementary Student Weblogs
This is a link to a group of weblogs done in Atlanta, Georgia.
P2B Class Blog
This is a link to the instructor I wrote about in an earlier blog who stated that he would have liked to create accounts on edublogs but went for google. I found this site via edublog.
The main reason I preferred edublogs was for the safety issue. I did not want sex to be entered as a keyword by a child and have a blog appearing, but bloggers search mechanism is pretty unobstrusive so I felt comfortable going with blogger.
I have not blogged the content of this instructors journal becuase all of it is important and informative so it would be a good idea to just link to the site. I did provide this resource to my son's classroom teacher even though I am not doing the blog workshop hopefully she can use it.
P2B Class Blog
Kid's Blogs (Web Logs, Online Journals, Diaries) - Blog Definition Blog Safety And More
This site is an excellent primer on safety issies to consider when working with children and blogging. Some of the safety rules are 1. A child should never post their real name 2. A child should never post their address, phone number, or other personal information and 3. A child should never upload their picture on the internet.
Kid's Blogs (Web Logs, Online Journals, Diaries) - Blog Definition Blog Safety And More: "About Kid's Blogs and Online Journals and Online Diaries
About Kid's Blogs and Online Journals and Online Diaries
From Marcy Zitz,
Your Guide to Family Internet.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Are Blogs Right for your Child?
Kid's like to share information and one of the popular ways for them to do it is to use a blog.
A blog definition is...
A blog (short for Web Log) is a Website of your own where you enter information ordered by date. It can also be called an online diary or online journal that is shared with others online. Blogs can be set up and maintained by almost anyone with an Internet connection.
Safety Issues and Blogs
I have many concerns about blogs, especially when it comes to children. Although you can maintain anonymity, several slips with information can add up to publishing your name, address, and where you can be found on most days. Online predators surf for vulnerable children and when they can obtain personal information such as likes and dislikes and possible locations of a child can lead to disaster. For instance a post like "I made the team - I have to go to practice every day after school" read with another post "I play for the Raiders" and "The leaves are changing here in New York" with a few other slips can add up to a predator showing up at a school yard in the afternoon.
Public and Private Blogs
Some blog hosts offer to let your blog be either public or private. If it is public it means that anyone can view it. A private blog is password protected, which means that only people with the password can view it.
Your child's right to privacy with their blog.
Parents have always had to wrestle with themselves over whether they should read their child's private thoughts contained in a diary. There are many schools of thought on the subject. Today's parents have a more difficult time because the children are now sharing with the world instead of sharing with a locked diary kept under their bed. Of course this is a personal parenting decision but safety issues are involved with online blogs. Parents need to make sure that the child is not giving away too much information that could put there safety at risk. I have tried to make my children understand from the being that if they type it on the computer, it no longer is private from anyone, and that includes their parents. Here are some safety tips about what should be posted and what shouldn't.
Cost for Using A Blog
There are many places to create a blog for free. Of course you may have to have advertising so the company that is providing the service can make money. As you get more advanced and want to add more things like pictures you may have to get a host to have them served from.
Problems With Having A Blog
My daughter and all her friends keep blogs. One of the main problems is that when one posts something, sometimes others misunderstand what was meant by the comment. Also, if they aren't careful about complaining about Susie and she happens to see the comment or it is sent to her, a full-scale fight can ensue over the comment that they thought was private. Remember that if you post it online, others can see. There are even more serious issues than school yard fights such as threats made in the heat of the moment. For more information about this topic, be sure to read Kids and Blogs - The Danger of Speaking Their Minds.
Where to Create a Blog
Space to Create a Free Blog
More about blogs.
Whether you are a novice or expert, you can learn all about blogs at the About.com Web Log site.
More About Blogs
Kids and Blogs - The Danger of Speaking Their Minds
Space to Create a Free Blog
About.com Web Log Site
More Parent Guides
RuneScape Guide for Parents
A Guide To NeoPets
Parent Guides to Popular Online Topics for Kids
Education World� Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web
Education World� Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web
This is probably one of the first sites I linked to when I began preparing for the workshop. It's really not very informative but is good for individuals who have absolutely positively no idea what blogging is.
The workshop by the way has been cancelled, and since this was suppossed to be the last thing I did that was non-profit before starting a formal job search, I will not be conducting the workshop at all, but I will list all of my sources. I've been working on this for several weeks, so hopefully through my history and bookmarks I will be able to blog most of my links.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
edublogs - free education blogs for teachers, researchers, writers and educators the world over
edublogs - free education blogs for teachers, researchers, writers and educators the world over
This is a good blogging site. I originally wanted to assign user names for student bloggers to this site, however this is for educational professionals. I was going to just break the rules however there is an excellent community blog done by an instructor in which he goes out of the way to say what I've just said and then he proceeds to link to student work on blogger.com. So I ended up assigning user names to blogger.com
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Education World � Professional Development Center: Log On to a Blog
Education World � Professional Development Center: Log On to a Blog
This is a really interesting article on why a teacher chose to do a blog.