Blogging!

1. Blogging! An Interactive, Non-linear PowerPoint Presentation by Patricia Galien http://pjgalien.wordpress.com To begin, make sure you are in slide show view and click on the button:

2. Home Click on this button anytime to return home to this page.

3. Click on the buttons to learn more about what interests you. Wikipedia Definition A Fun Video Explaining Blogs An Introduction and the Steps to Setting up a Blog with a Writing Class Three Sites Where You Can Set up Blogs

4. Setting up a Blog You can register for free and begin blogging at these sites. Edublogs: This is a five minute video on Edublogs: This is a long Adobe Acrobat file on how to use Blogger: Blogger: WordPress:

5. Examples of Using Blogs with Students High School English Class Middle School Blogs A Class Blog for Writing a Paragraph of Contrast High School English Class in Korea High School Biology Blog MVCC Library Blog

6. Blogging Mistakes and Tips Click on the buttons below to learn more about common mistakes made when using blogs with students and tips for writing blogs. Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Using Blogs with Students: Tips for People Who Write Blogs:

7. Clay Burell involves his students in Korea in a project that also involves students from Hawaii, Bangkok, and the Dominican Republic. The information page is on a wiki, and students use a blog to write. Learn more about this project here: The other three teachers involved in this project are: Jeff Dungan (Dominican Republic) Chris Watson (Hawaii) Kim Cofino (Bangkok) To go back to the examples, push here:

8. Security Since the Internet is a public space, you may want to consider some issues of safety and security. Click on the buttons to learn more. Do you want only registered users to enter the site? Do you want to manage comments? This means you approve all comments before they are posted to the blog. Do you want to advise your students not to post their full names or the name of the school? Do you want to advise your students not to post photos of themselves and classmates? Are your students aware of how easy it is to trace someone on the Internet? What do you want the students to do if something inappropriate happens?

9. Registering Users in Edublogs In Edublogs you are able to limit membership to those you choose. On the Dashboard go to Options and click on Membership to register users.

10. Approving Comments As the administrator of the blog, you can decide if you would like to approve comments before they are posted. On the Dashboard, choose Options, Discussion and then check the box that says “An administrator must always approve the comment.”

11. If you are working with young students, you may want to consider asking them to read and sign a letter. The letter below is just one example of such a letter. • Dear Students: • The students in Writing will be using a blog this semester both in class and in order to complete homework assignments. In order to use these tools well and to maintain the privacy of the members of our class, I am asking you to read the following items below, agree to them, and sign your name at the bottom of this letter. • As your teacher, I will do the following: • All comments will be monitored. • Sites will be password protected. • As students, I ask you to do the following in order to maintain security: • Do not give any information that would identify you or one of your classmates. This means that you will not reveal last names, telephone numbers, addresses, or email addresses on the blog or the wiki. • Do not post any photos or videos that would identify the name of our school or the identity of yourself or a classmate. • Do not copy and post any of this class work to a public site such as Facebook or MySpace. • Do not contact any person who is not a member of our class. • The same standards of behavior that we adhere to in class apply to work online: • Do not plagiarize. • Cite all sources. • Do not make any sexist, racist, or homophobic comments. Do not make negative comments about anyone’s religious beliefs. • Be polite and respectful when you make comments to the blog. • These new tools are exciting and I am sure that we will enjoy using them. Let’s have fun with them, but be careful. The Internet is a public space. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. If you receive any inappropriate comments or suggestions, contact me immediately. • Your signature: __________________________________ Date: _______________

12. Some Ideas on What to Do if Something Inappropriate Happens Contact security and let them decide if they should contact local police. Collect documentation including e-mail addresses and Web site addresses, as well as any inappropriate communication. If a student has been contacted or received something inappropriate, respond in a supportive way. The student should not feel like he or she did anything wrong. The blame should not fall on the victim. If the student feels comfortable, tell the class what happened and how it happened. Then move on with this teachable moment and discuss the importance of being a Digital Citizen and what we as individuals need to do to protect ourselves.

13. Assessment A well formulated rubric that is presented to the students before they start an assignment can serve as a guide for the students. Take a look at these two examples of rubrics. Blog Reflection Rubric Comprehension and Analysis Blog Rubric

14. Ways to Use Blogs There are many ways to use blogs. Click on the light bulbs for ways to use blogs with students, for professional development, and to work with others on campus. Using Blogs with Students Examples of Blogs Used for Professional Development Using Blogs with Others on Campus

15. Blogs for Professional Development The Eighth Floor (Lee Ann Morris) Moving at the Speed of Creativity (Wesley Fryer)

16. Ways to Use Blogs with Students There are many ways to use blogs with students. Some ideas are listed below. What other ideas can you think of? Student Writing Discussions Online Filing Cabinet Class Page Summaries of Readings

17. Reasons for and Advantages of Blogging with Students Watch a short video on reasons to have students blog. Toward the bottom of this page you will find advantages of blogging for both students and teachers. Watch part of this video on blogging with students. (It is 16 minutes long.) The End! Thank You