Wikis and Podcasts and Blogs, Oh My!

Monday, April 03, 2006

The Evolution of a Blog

Here's a link to a blog with a questionaire about how other institutions use blogs... or how they have supported them. Read in the comments to see how others have responded.

http://elgg.net/csessums/weblog/11281.html

Monday, March 27, 2006

Uses of Blogs in Education

The first question people ask about Blogs is:

What is a blog?

Well, welcome to a blog about blogs! A "blog" is short for weblog. It is a place on the web to make a diary for whatever is on your mind. Many people use them for a personal journal. Others use them for professional development and idea sharing amongst colleagues. Still others are using them to teach, encouraging students to chart their progress through thought processes so that course information is internalized by the student.

That brings up the next question people ask about blogs:

How can I use blogs in my classroom?

The following links come from other blogs-- long standing blogs. They have described well how blogs can be used in education. Take a look at the rest of their blogs. You may be fascinated with what you find there, and will discover that you have something to contribute. If the things you read create a strong emotion, go ahead and post a comment!

Matrix of Some Uses of Blogs in Education

http://www.edtechpost.ca/mt/archive/000393.html

How you SHOULD use blogs in Education

http://blogsavvy.net/how-you-should-use-blogs-in-education
A short glance at blogsavvy tells you that he is a high energy educator with some clear ideas about how to use blogs and how they affect student learning in pedagogical terms.

If you are really interested to see how much is available in the blogging world about education, do a Google search for "Blogs in Education." the results are staggering.

On to Question #3:

Where can I make a blog?

The list is forever long. Again, a Google search for "blog hosts" will return a huge list of places to start.
Here are a few recommendations:
All of these have free places to host your blog. Some have an option to upgrade and pay for your space with added features, but to get started, a free space is really all you need.

Take a look and get one started, then come back and tell me what you think, or leave me the link to your brand new blog. I'd love to see what you are doing with your own space!