blogging is like any writing - its quality depends on the writer. Blogs should be concise not longwinded and if you cant be witty/funny dont even try to be.

c641t

EDTEC 570 Module 10 Response:
People use Blog to do many things. High school students write blog for social purposes; journalists write blog to publish their works that were skipped by editor; researchers write blog to publish passages that depict macro idea for their intermediate papers; and maybe, most of the bloggers write blog to record things happened in their daily life. These blogs are my favorite:
Stephen’s Web at http://www.downes.ca/
Higher ed blog at http://www.higheredblogcon.com/
OLDaily at http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htm
Educational Technology at http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/blogger.html

Susan Lulee

interesting very like bebo

blogging is definetely addictive. \you could read for hours. BUT WHAT BENEFIT ?? at the end of the day?

Wonderful and informative web discussion. I used information from that discussions percocet side effect webpage devoted to percocet side effect. coreg hypertension webpage devoted to coreg hypertension. its great.

I have just recently learned about blogging through an assignment I am working on for one of my Master's courses. I find the concept of using blogs in the classroom very intriguing and I'd like to implement them in my own classroom either this year or next year (depending on how quickly I become comfortable with them).

Blogging...I love the concept. I think in a controlled environment students can have at their fingertips a great tool for expressing themselves and sharing it with other. As more and more people are reluctant to write, it seems a great way to encourage students to share information in a cool fun way.

My concerns are the informality that is associated with computer blogs. People tend to be sloppy about capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. It seems a great way to be informal, but I am not sure it is a substitute for formal writing.

I agree with Barbara and her comments about "Myspace.com," which I find a fascinating look into the world of today's teenagers. I have read many Myspace submissions, and always amazed that the kids seem to put things on there that are quite private. I guess they don't realize that some parents are computer savvy.

As with anything, there are positives and negatives. I think blogs will definitely be used more often and more frequently as sites become available, and teachers find constructive ways to encourage students to write.

Blogging interest me from an educational/technology standpoint. How can technology be used in conjunction with blogging capabilities to provide "real-time" knowledge exchange? As an online instructor for several colleges I have the ability to conduct synchronous discussions but despite the utility of such a tool I often find that those "ah-hah!" moments don't often occur during our class discussions. Perhaps blogging in conjunction with PDA type hardware may help fill such a void. It will be interesting to see how colleges and universities implement these tools into their curriculums in the years to come?

I was actually afraid of the word 'blog' a year ago, because I thought it was complicated. Then I was introduced to blogging at part of the EDTECH curriculum in a couple of courses. It mostly reminds me of the old BBS days... anyway, blogs can be a positive or negative thing. Positive: encourages people to read, write, and express opinions; great for an educational setting; it gets your name in a Google search. Negative: Rumors and inaccurate information can be spread much much faster (remember the last election!) - also - teens are finding themselves in hot water as they sometimes reveal too much on "myspace.com", where they forget everyone can see everything.

As a teacher and web developer, I am most interested in blogging for schools. It is an excellent medium for expression and response.
I have developed http://www.blogs4schools.net/ with a slant on giving a school more control over what can be done rather than the big providers.
I am looking to set up one or two schools with their own site for free to test it out.
Are there any web savvy teachers/schools out there?
Cheers, Jack

I did not realize how popular blogging was. It has definitely become a popular form of expressing oneself with the possibility of many positive outcomes. I think blogging has the potential to serve very useful within a clssroom. It's a great way for the students to express themselves in a non-threatening way. It would also be very beneficial to those students who are shy or who find the typical form of writing boring.

I never realized that there was such a variety of blogs. I knew blogging was popular and growing but I was unaware of how much. I could see use for this in education as well as in Corporate America. If workers blogged during their work hours, some texture of their day and skills they use would be apparent. The blogs would help transfer knowledge to new workers and coworkers about discoveries they might make in performing their work.

Blogging would be another creative way of writing down ideas for art projects for high school students,if there were some direction or focus for the students to effectively use it. Only if the art class had enough computers in the classroom for everyone to use at the same time.

It seems like this would be beneficial for keeping students informed. It could also be used to answer questions about difficult topics ( a help session). Since it is a journal it would be another source of review. My only last comments is that blogging needs to have some moderator so that the direction of the conversations do focus again from time to time. Obviously the teacher can do this, but in other settings a moderator should be the focal point of topic changes etc.

I found Blogging an creative interesting way of brain storming. If one wants organize ones thoughts using tech., it is a a great way to track of ones thoughts and interests. Students can use one anothers "Blogging" sites to investigate and share ideas on a topic, or find new information on a topic they are investigating. I do see that there my be a quality control and one my have to skim over "Blogging"sites to weed out good information from bad information, but for the most part if is a pretty useful tool.

This is a great medium for creative writing and letting students express themselves. It may get students to develop ideas in writing, when otherwise they may not do so. I'm not sure of its value in a Math class, though. The blogs can offer insight regarding students' interests and what turns them off. It might be more useful in this regard.

Edited by author 08-19-2003 06:46 PM
I think blogging can be used as an effective tool to write down thoughts in a clear and coherent way. Knowing that you are writing them on the web, it is obvious that the author of the blog has the intention of others reading whatever they are posting. Because of this there is a sense of pride, and individuality that is put into their writing. The bloggers write in a manner that is personal to them, therefore this form of self expression can allow them to be more reflective and see writing as a useful and meaningful tool for communication. Thus, somehow incorporating the blog into the classroom will be a helpful method of increasing interest in student writing, and their exposure and use of the current technology.

It seems to me that blogging is an inexpensive way to post one's opinions or thoughts on a variety of topics, a tool probably used with the intent of eliciting feedback and input from other interested parties in the hopes of problem-solving, collaboration, or disemination of information designed to influence public opinion. I found the "Where is Raed?" link thought-provoking, and can see how it could be used to initiate (and scaffold) social studies or history lessons in classrooms. Blogging appears to be giving voice to some individuals who otherwise may not have access to do so.

I am unconvinced about the usefullness of blogging. The examples that I reviewed of younger audiences were interesting. It looked like it may be a good medium for students to reflect on subjects they are learning or on books they are reading. It also seems as though they could potentially have contact with other students to discuss similar topics. Which also leads me to my concerns about student safety and privacy issues. I would also worry about time constraints as well as minimal access to the technology necessary for this medium.

Edited by author 08-14-2003 03:50 PM
I'm not quite sure what's so "special" about blogging. It appears to be a case of Personal Webpage meets Threaded Message Board. Blogs may have value in collaborative education projects, but I'd be concerned about the public nature of blogs. Since anyone who can find the blog can view it, I would be concerned about privacy, especially if it was being updated by students.
One value I can see in blogs would be for professional communities that wish to share information and ideas. I can see professional checking in and adding to a blog on a regular basis if it involved their own professioinal community.

At the risk of being in the minority, I find MOST (not all)blogs (especially the personal ones) boring and dull. I don't care to spend my time reading about the mundane details of someone's daily life. However, I do have a friend who is suffering from inoperable brain cancer. He keeps a blog to update his friends and family on how he's feeling, test results, treatments, etc. In his case, I am grateful for the blog because I want to know how he is doing without being too nosey or intrusive.
As for using blogs in education, I think that it would be difficult to adminster in elementary school. I could definitely see using it in a middle school or high school writing class as a form of free writing.

It's funny that this came up because just today I was reading an article about Howard Dean and his successsful web-based promotion which included blogging. Personally, the convenience factor is great... monitoring students would be another issue altogether.

I have looked at blogging prior to this and even used a blog in a previous course. It was an interesting way to collaborate. I like that blogs will instantly update a site with content.

Teachers could use this for an easy way to update a class site. I had never thought about having kids keep blogs. I am not sure how the privacy of the blogs would work.

Blogging has been a "hot" topic on the college campus where I work. I didn't really see the attraction and I still don't. Like some other posts have said - I'm more private than that. I don't feel a need to post my thoughts for others to read and I'm not really interested in reading the wandering thoughts of strangers! Looking through some of the examples I did see where there could be some useful purpose for blogging but I don't see it in my future.

Edited by author 08-11-2003 08:31 PM
I had never heard of blogging until now, but I like the idea. It's hard to really know until I try it myself, but I think kids would really get into it. I love using journals in class, whatever the subject, so if I have access to enough computers, I would love to give it a try!

Blogging is a brand new idea for me which I have never heard of before until now! I think that it would be very useful in the classroom and students would be able to feel free in expressing their ideas and opinons. It would be wonderful for students in the classroom who are shy and tend not to particpate as much. Blogging creates an opportunity for these students to feel more comfortable in a social situation. I believe that blogging could be used across all subjects.

Edited by author 08-11-2003 01:51 AM
Blogging is definitely interesting! I passed the idea by a couple of my college students and they are already on top of it. They are all into making their own web pages - now they have new ways to share with their friends! As for myself, I am more private than that. As for young students, I think they would find it very cool. I have seen evidence that some people who are very shy in public find it easy to express themselves in print. Also, it seems to be a great organizational tool for the classroom...the possibilities are many!

I think blogging has great potential for use in the classroom. The collaboration site and the literature site are both very interesting. I have to say I felt a bit "naughty" reading other peoples' personal thoughts in some of the personal blogs. It's like peeking into their journals. I'm not sure if I liked that very much.
It would be fun to develop a reading log blog for a particular novel in language arts--then students from around the country reading the same novel can all have a dialogue about the text.

This whole blogging thing is completely new to me. How I would use this in physical education I am not sure. One suggestion could be to have the students participate in an obstacle course or scavenger hunter, if you will, and everyday post their findings or points on a certain blog. They could even post hints or clues as to where to go or how to capture more points. I do not know how I would get my students computer access so I really am not sure that this will work for physical education.

It has the same effect as a newspaper - too much info at one time. I like concise and direct infor. It appears to have information all over the place. If students are actually entering an online writing contents for recognition that it has a good purpose.

This whole blogging thing is completely new to me. I find it interesting and I think children might enjoy participating in something like this. I think this is also a neat way for people to communicate with one another and become familiar with today's technology.

I like the blogging system because it seems to have a lot of possabilities to build up on and a easy way to store a lot of informations.

I think blogging is interesting. Students can express themselves more freely or feel safe to take a chance with blogging. Some students are too shy to express themselves in person; blogging might give them an outlet without feeling put on the spot.

I could see blogging being used in the classroom as responding to literature, following a scientist, etc. Once again, I have found yet another technology tool to use in the classroom!

Blogging- seems like it would be a great way to get people, or students to write in a low stress environment. I would like to do this myself.

Wow! Blogging seems like a creative way for people to express their feelings about different topics via the internet. Blogging reminds me of a way to share journal writing. This allows people to become less inhibited when it comes to sharing opinions and ideas with the world. Blogging can be incorporated into the classroom using any subject are you wish.

Blogging is an awesome tool to enhance and share information. The cool thing is that it becomes something like a public discussion forum.

I plan on implementing a class blog for each of the periods I teach. the students will have an opportunity to respond to a weekly blog item.

This will allow insight for students to read views on classroom issues or discoveries and share them with others in other periods and with their parents.

Blogging seems to be an excellent way for writers to share their opinions and thoughts with the public. Blogs can be a source of information as well as entertainment. They can be used in the classroom in several ways such as: 1. research, 2. to study writing styles, 3. to examine web design, as well as many more uses.
Blogging would allow students to express themselves. Typing daily experiences seems to be a non-threatening way to familiarize young students with the computer.

Blogging is a great way to introduce students to the computer and to encourage them to write. I also think that it would be a great way for students to begin organizing information and ideas for a long term research project. Blogging would be a great way to adapt a keypals project for a one computer classroom.

Blogging seems like a great idea. It seems very similiar, however, to the concept mapping that can be made on inspiration. This sort of concept mappoing or blogging seems to take it a bit further by adding much more information about each of the entries. This is definitely something that can be incorporated to any subject in the classroom, either to generate prior knowledge or as an assessment tool.

Blogging seems like a great idea! I have never even heard of it before. It is a great way to get students and people of all ages to write about and organize their ideas and opinions. It would be neat to incorporate this into the classroom curriculum when I am a teacher someday. I think it would be a great success.

I think that blogging is a very interesting concept. It would be great to add this to my TCL because this is a way that the epals could correspond with each other. It would be really neat to have them communicate their information through blogging rather than email because all of the students could see all of the information and responses. It would allow the whole class access to information rather than only communicating with one buddy. All the students could respond and add their ideas to the blog. This is a very interesting idea for teachers and students to use in order to communicate ideas and learn from each other. It really opens the lines to other schools across the world.

Like most people, I had never heard of Blogging before this class... I think it is a good way for children to write in a "journal" of sorts using technology.
BUT...Like others, I found blogging to be a bit strange as well. I looked at the San Diego Blogging page and it seemed a bit confusing. I also think that this could be a little overwhelming for some children to use. I think that is why I like Karen Walsh’s ideas. I too would use this in
my classroom for topics that are relevant to the curriculum only.

Blogging reminds me of a mix between a concept map and a journal. I think blogging could be an excellent activity for a teacher showing children how to use computers. This type of activity could be very appealing to many students becuase of the freedom and creativity that can be expressed in their bloggings.

Wow!! Blogging seems to be extremely popular and has been around for a while and yet, I had never heard of it. It took me a while to be able to see the advantages but now that I do I think it is a very ingenious idea. People, especially teenagers, love to talk about themselves and have their opinions be heard. I can think of no better way for them to do this than through blogging. Instead of taking everything that is conveyed in the media at face value, they are questioning what theyare being told. I would love to have my students blog everyday instead of writing in journals, if I had enough computers. I also think it would be really great to have a class blog site where students could post what they are currently studying and discuss events that are occurring around the world and how these events affect them as students and as humans.

I found this information to be very interesting. I had never before heard of a blog although I have heard of online diaries. In my current student teaching placement we have the students write in journals in which we respond back to them. This process helps the students in their writing but I definately see the benefit of having the online journal becuase they use both their reading and their writing skills. This was a nice introduction to blogging and I hope to incorporate this into my life.

I'm really glad to have access to these lists of blogging sources and resources now.

As a teacher, I would be interested in using blogging to try to get students who are reluctant to write in any setting to get into it as a means of communicating with others they are eager and motivated to communicate with. I would want to experiment with how best to make this work -- via classmates blogging with each other, or maybe students of the same class blogging with students of other classes, or my students finding other students from anywhere in the world who have overlapping interests with them to communicate with. It would also be interesting to set up a class blog on a specific topic, especially one on which the class has a variety of perspectives and ideas -- it would be a great way to get the whole class communicating about something in a format that would allow everyone to have a voice that was heard by the others, which can sometimes be difficult in a class setting discussion out-loud, as some students are more aggressive than others, and some students don't want to bother to fight to be heard.

Once getting students used to writing -- more comfortable with the idea of writing and used to writing in greater quantity -- I would want to use blogging in a more directly academically linked context. I really like the idea of using blogs as examples of variety in perspectives and backgrounds, also.

Finally, I really think that blogging can be a great resource to use personally as a teacher, in order to stay linked to others in the profession. Interacting regularly with fellow teachers and other members of the world of education could really help one to keep a broader perspective on things, as well as aware of the growing body of resources and ideas available, and even possibly to get other perspectives regarding specific teaching situations that one is sure to encounter. I'm interested in looking into finding blogs of others with similar interests, also.

It seems like blogging could be used for multiple purposes. As a teacher, I think it is really useful to introduce to students as yet another form of written expression. Perhaps it should be one of the forms of writing posted in the classroom: creative writing, expository writing, letter writing, essay writing, and blogging. I love it!

The first blog I visited was "Whoa!" I don't know what in the world this high school age person is talking about. I finally surmised that it was about music (maybe games?) techno stuff that he was interested in searching or gathering from computer-based sources. Next, he wrote about a trip to Sequoia and Yosemite, and I knew what he was communicating--big trees, REALLY big trees.... I always find it intriguing to be in a conversation or place when I have to really work to find out what is happening--it's not scary, just hmmmm... so this unknown to me life happens, too.

I also visited a site that had interesting stream of consciousness thoughts about lifestyles--another connection had some great photos of a gay pride event in San Francisco-it is nice to see people share their lives.

I loved visiting the language arts teaching blogsite because it had lots of cool ideas to use blogging in and with school. I saved the site and will visit it after the WebQuest is finito.
I briefly visited the site of SD bloggers, and the site that explained blogging history, but too briefly to get a sense of how to set it up at home (I'm awfully reticent except for postcards from vacation, but you never know).
I also visited a site kept (presumably by an Iraqi citizen) about the state of war there. That is another keeper site for me because it is a different POV than what our homogenized media feeds us. And, we really REALLY need feedback on how the rest of the world perceives us.

I can see blogging replacing journals in the upper grades (6th +). I can see it as a potential (anonymous maybe?) forum (once the courtesy rules are explained and followed) for various literary responses and activities. Maybe even using blogs as journal prompts to expand student's thinking. Although I am intrigued by the social reasons people blog, these examples all had style, a sense of place and self, and were interesting to read and explore someone elses view of the world for a while.

-What the heck is "BLOG" ?
That was my first reaction to it.

-Still I need to finish my WB project and Kristina (my partner) is going to get mad because I don't have what was planned.
This BLOG thing is cool, actually this is what I'm doing right know.

This is what I've been doing for quite sometime without know its proper name. Now that I know I'll keep practicing it and I do have this activity in my Math class (reflective journals). What I would do next school year I'll promote a site for those journals. Share "thoughts" that's the main dish of this dinner.

Blogs are good for communicating ideas and points of view. But the person writing the blog must be educated enough to know what to say. Also, there is so much connection between the blogs. I spent some time looking through what I could. I don't think I understand the full purpose of blogs, but I know they can be ineresting.

I had never heard of blogging before and I am still quite unsure of what its purpose really is. As I searched the sites I found there to be an overwhelming amount of information. I do not know how helpful this would be to me.

When an old friend back home sent me an email with a link to his "blog" I asked him what the heck that was... He really laid into me "I thought you had taken technology classes and you don't know what a blog is" Needless to say I was really embarassed... Well, now I have read about it and I think I might know more about it then my friend... well he has a blog and I don't... so I need to get started on mine... it will be a great way to communicate with others and to have an online diary... :)

My first reaction is that blogging sounds like a great way to get students to write because they love to be online. But then when I looked at sites I thought: this is too much, too many, and geared to techies. Until I got here and it was instantly obvious how to join in the discussion. Even the homepages that had a Discussion link posted made the page seem complex. Also some of the sites seem very proprietary and controlled. Maybe I did not see enough. The links on them were however great. Found a lot of good teacher links, espeically one on Explana.com that had a great article on websearching, http:www.explana.com/archives/articles/200..._Search_Matters.php
Check it out!

i wouldnt say that blogging is totally new to me, but i DID learn something new. i have never heard of the actual term 'blog' before. sounds pretty weird, i mean, does it really hurt to say that one extra syllable? anyway, ive come across blogs before on the internet. i dont usually read them, doing searches brings me to them sometimes, but they are so long that i usually dont feel like looking for the information i wanted to find.

Different...I've never heard of blogging until I joined this class. It appears to me that it's an organized bulletin board/journal from people discussing similar topics (or completely different ones). In thinking about my reactions to the different sites I could see where this would be a benefit once you found sites that peaked your interests.

Edited by author 06-24-2003 01:38 PM
Oh my gosh! I first came across blogging last Sept. CNN.com had an article about it, explaining how to upload etc. Thought it was interesting but no big deal. Now however, after seeing the variety of things people are doing on it I am excited for the following reasons:
School Use
  Because schools still have classrooms with bulletin boards, I think having the teacher put together a physical printed mindmap of blogs like Bernie did (with the url's...hard to link through concrete backing!), and have that be a project for the class for year-round. Kids could actually show their links on both the web and classroom board. Think of how big that mindmap could be by the end of the semester!

Parent Use
   How many kids/teens say....'my parent's don't listen to me...like anything I do, etc.', and the parents' say he/she never talks. So, each family member has their own blog that they know ahead of time can be read by anyone at anytime. Now, again, it gets tricky because there's this potential punitive aspect (remember reading diary's you weren't supposed to, and not being sure whether to confront the kid or not...but being afraid to let him/her know you read it and lose that link?). But keyboarding kids can certainly type faster than they can write, and they can reread their thoughts as well and realize that not everything they think/feel has to remain a constant. Just a thought...

Corportate Use
   Capturing intellectual property. Sometimes the best 'doers' at a job have extra time and spend it blabbing in hallways, by watercoolers etc. Drives mgmt nuts, however, but they can't really discipline the doer, because the job is getting done quite well. Turn these people into bloggers! Have them post their reactions to the market, process improvement, etc. People really do want to share their 'best stuff', and knowing that anyone can read it should keep the ethical/business appropriate level up. And people could learn from each other!! Someone could ask...how come this happens when I do that...and could get responses from hundreds (ok, lots) of people.

Mental/Physical Health Field
  Could suggest/require their patients to keep blogs on how/what is happening in their life. The communication potential is incredible (as opposed to the usual hour every so often of a specialist saying: 'so what's happening in your life?', and the patient giving back a blank stare of 'i dunno'.)
   Bogging isn't a single application....not everyone likes being attached to a 'device', but it sure seems like enough people do to make it a very viable addition to the communication culture. Blog annual Christmas letters? Here's your url...happy new year! ...Sorry dear, we're out of ink in the printer, you'll just have to scan that lovely drawing and post it on our family blog...that way everybody can have a copy, don't forget your digital signature....
   I didn't mean to get on a rant here...been watching too much Dennis Miller...so let's all go have some pie!
peg

I had never heard of blogging until it was mentioned in this class. Seems to me that it is a mixture between a discussion forum and a journal. I almost feel like I am violating the privacy of the authors that had posted to the blog site although they have volunteered to post their dicussions to the web. If the children at school are interessted in using this as a discussion and/or way to collaborate on findings or information, I am happy to accomodate them in their preferences to participate in blogging in an educational manner.

Blogging seems like a good way for self expression, like a personal log, but I'm not quite sure I will use it. I may need to do a little more exploring!

Blogging was an interesting way to get to view other people's thoughts and interests. Kids would enjoy this because they like talking about themselves and what is important to them. They also like sharing, and this is a great way to share ideas with one another!

Blogging can be a fun way to get students to write about themselves and other topics. And, half the battle with getting them to write is, well, getting them to write...However, in the larger sense, that is Blogging across the World Wide Web, I frankly don't care for it. Most of what I have seen (here in class and elsewhere - it has been hot topic in PC WORLD lately) is self-absorbed people telling MUCH more about themselves than I need or care to hear.

The concept of blogging is new to me, although I'm intrigued! From what I can tell, this seems like quite a relazing, open forum for people to learn about others' ideas and interests. I like the idea of doing "whole-class bloggs," in which students can read each others comments, and add some of their own as well. It would also be great to have students keep track of blogging pages that are constantly being updating with info on a topic the class is studying... Surely, this tool could be used in a number of ways in a classroom.

Blogging is a great opportunity for students to express themselves, I love it! Very often students do not have an opportunity to share how they feel or what is on their mind; therefore, I will definetly use it in my classroom.

Blogging is something new to me. As I have just explored it, I am still a bit unsure of what it is for. Correct me if i am wrong but I think blogging is for students to express their ideas. if that is the case, i think it is great. some students do not like to write and express so if this works, more power to it. I am not sure how to use this in my classroom because I am but unsure of this as you know.

In looking at the different Blogging topics, I found it interesting. People put some random things on their page, but I guess I found it interesting because I was looking at them. This is a good tool to use in the classroom to maybe have the students help express themselves and anything else they might have to say. The only problem that I see if the limited access of computers students might have if there is no access to a computer lab and your classroom my only have one or two computers. Otherwise, there are endless possibilities to what you could put.

Blogging seems like a good way to get kids writing and sharing their thoughts. Also, kids can connect with others who share a similar interest. Although, while I like to read others' thoughts and snoop, I'm not much of a journal-writer type person myself.

I am not sure how impressed I am about blogging although I could see its value in the classroom, especially for promoting journals. I somehow started reading some personal journals and I am not sure the value of me reading about the different flavors of lip balm a girl bought. The important thing is that it can promote learning and that is always good.

It sounds fun! Children and adults are free to express themselves in topics that they are interested in. It's all about getting involved in the topic and communicating with others. We all can benefit from it. I wanted to jump in and comment on someone's message about the new Harry Potter book. Students can practice typing and adults can join in a conversation that's centered in around something that interests them.
That's all folks.

I had never heard of Blogging until it was introduced in the EDTECH 570 course. I think it's just different web sites on other people's opinion about the things they are interested in or don't like. It did not really catch my attention but I will look at it again.

Blogging is a new concept to me that I had never heard of before. I definitley think it is a great tool for language art learners. There seems to be many uses for it. As a writer and a future educator, I would not feel very comfortable posting messages of a personal nature... but I think it would be an excellent tool for the classroom.

Blogging seems to be a great new way to get students working together. It also gves them an opportunity to work on their typing skills as well as putting information in a logical order. Blogging also seems to be a great way to bring a classroom together to share ideas.

Blogging seems pretty interesting. I think this would be a great way to motivate students to write on various topics by means of technology.

Blogging is something very new for me. What I read about blogging seems a great way to get the students to loose some fear in writing and sharing thier thoughts with others. Even though it's something I have to implement, because students learning a new language are usually very shy to speak.

I think the concept of blogging is very interesting. I think students would enjoy having a place to type their thoughts. In the classroom, I would have students take turns blogging at the classroom computers for five to ten minutes at a time. They could post thoughts and get feedback and answer questions of others. I think blogging is a nice easy way to incorporate typing and the internet into the classroom for younger and older students.

Hmmm...I don't know about blogging! Either I'm just tired of being in school right now or I just don't get it. I'm sure that this idea will seem more appealing to me when I wake up tomorrow, but as of right now...I'm not too sure how I feel about it. From what I've seen, it looks like another discussion forum to me! But then again, personal journals (that's where this came from, right?) are never really meant to be understood. So...blogging...hey! If it works for you GREAT...but I'm not sure about whether or not I'd use it! I'll have to sleep on it and maybe think of some creative ways of using this in my future classroom!

Edited by author 06-23-2003 07:27 PM
Blogging is interesting!!!This can be used to get students motivated by sharing ideas with each other. This is also a great opportunity to get students writing on other things instead of paper. Students are able to use their creativity which is great. Also, "Blogging" is wonderful because it gets students using technology which is something that they have to learn how to use.

"Blogging" ... My first thought is that it's a good way to give kids (I'm an elementary school teacher) an opportunity to type - which they all need to learn well. I think they'd think it's interesting to write messages and look at everyone else's, i.e. an interactive journal. I'm not sure how I'd implement it in the classroom yet though ... If my class has 1 or 2 computers, let's say, I could have kids weblog five or ten minutes at a time a few times per week, on a particular topic we're studying; they could share opinions and reply/piggy back each other, etc. I just had a good idea: blogging about Art: post a painting or picture at the top and have students write what it teaches them and what they notice about it, etc.

Blogging was origionally a foreign concept to me, but now that I've had several opportunities to view blogs, I can see their value within the classroom. At the elementary level, blogs could be used to document unit studies or to post the daily/weekly events of the classroom itself. It would be a great opportunity to expose students to the basics of technology. I would love to see students using digital cameras to take and download photos along with their blogs.

I had never heard of blogging before, but it seems to be a very nice way to get the students not only to write, but to express themselves. Many times students don't have the chance to share their activities or feelings to the entire classroom and they could do it here. I like the fact that students can mix own thoughts and writing, they are not necesarily given a topic to write on and therefore their writing would easily flow. The only problem I would say is the availability of technology for the students, many don't have a computer at home and can't go to the public library by themselves.

Edited by author 06-19-2003 10:08 PM
From what I have read, blogging seems to be a great way to motivate many students to write their personal thoughts and share them with others. However, I feel that this activity would be more useful for older students (middle school to high school). It would be a great way to promote interactive writing in the classroom (also grade level communication between classrooms)and address important issues amongst a larger population. One drawback that I see is the fact that many students have a hard time sharing their writing with others, especially second language learners that have insecurities about writing.

I think that blogging is very interesting. I don't think that I would like to have my personal thoughts displayed on the Internet, however, I think that it would be cool to use in the classroom. It could replace other interactive journals that are done in the classroom and make it so that other students can interact and respond to eachother's thoughts. The only problem that I see with this is making sure that there are enough resources in the classroom to make this worthwhile for the students. I think that it would also be useful for students who have disabilities and need to use the computer rather than write things out by hand.

I think "Blogging" is a great way for students to interact with each other. One of the reasons why I believe "Blogging" is great is because I beleive that students learn best when they share ideas. When students share ideas, they are able to come up with extremely creative ideas because they can feed off of each other. Blogging is a great way for students to communicate about lessons and problems they have about a lesson. As a future teacher, I will defintely use the Blogging system in my class.

I think that blogging can be extremely useful for students. That are in the third grade, however, the assess to a computer may be the downfall for this kind of activity. Moreover, this will motivate students to write more and become more familiar with computers. Blogging is a good source of information.

Blogging seems very similar to an ePALS lesson where the students share ideas and opinions. They sharpen their language arts skills by writing as they critically think about the subject that they are writing about. They could do this for a short period of time on a daily basis.

Well, you certainly do learn something new everyday. Today I learned not just about a new forum, but a new word as well, "blogging"! Blogging could be a resonable alternative for me to the interactive journals that my third graders and I keep. The hard part would be daily access to a computer for the students, but this is something I will definitely ponder. The drawback to blogging, based on my brief glimpses at a few sites, is getting bogged down in diary-type of uninteresting details and unnecesary information. Bogging, if you will. I do not personally have the time to wade through unnecessary details, so unless I use this format to communicate with my students for an exrcise, I cannot see myself using blogging. But then again, I'm in the forty-something generation, so that speaks volumes.

I've heard of blogging, but hadn't actually seen it - a great way to keep track of those rambling, random thoughts - although, I must admit, for my own site, I'd definitely feel the need to censor the content (language/certain topics/graphics) - I'd just feel some kind of paranoia that ANYONE could read my thoughts. In a classroom, this could be a new form of journal writing - esp. in uppper grades.

Blogging is an innovative and interesting way for student expression. It ia a great outlet for younger students, particullary high school and young college students. I believe it can provide an interesting network between many people from various states or places. In addition to self-expression, it provides writing examples for students to display and provide an outlet for their work if so desired.

Blogging is great. It is another way to get students motivated about writing and it could be lots of fun. I think students at the high school level would benefit from blogging much more than say a 3rd grade student. However, it can be adapatable to any grade. Students like anything different from the norm!!!

I have never heard of blogging before. I think it is a great way to express one's thoughts. I think Blogging could be used in the classroom for students to use in order to type their journal responses rather than writing them down on a piece of paper. Blogging could also be set up in the classroom as a center where students are allowed to use it as a place to type out their thoughts.

As with my peers, I have never heard of blogging before. For any grade I think blogging would be good for students to do journal type entries while practicing/working on the computer. I would use it with directed topics, so as not to allow students feelings to get hurt if they come across something that was written about them. In this day and age, you never know what might throw a student over the edge. I would keep it relevant to the curriculum if it is going to be read by other students to avoid emotional problems that might arise.

I along with pretty much everyone else has never heard the term blogging before. I liked the idea of children having another way of expressing their ideas and going beyond simply writing it down on paper. I see blogging being used a lot in the upper elementary classrooms and continuing throughout high school and college. It's a great way for students to export their ideas as well as incorporate technology skills.

Blogging is a new term for me. I think it is very interesting. I think it is similar to journal writing that children do in schools. I would use blogging as another form of journal writing to let students use their own creativity. Students can also learn alot about each other this way.

I have never heard of blogging before and am very impressed with it. I could see using blogging in upper grades for book chapter reports or journal assignments. Blogging also would be a great way to simply get kids excited about the computer and technology. Allow free write at the beginning (appropriate of course) to becme familiar with blogging. Blogging could also be used for telecollaboration, it seems to me it wold be more efficient than e-mail. This way you can look at all comments at the same location and compare.

The site I viewed ignited many great ideas! Blogging in the classroom has limitless uses, particularly for literacy development and encouraging a sense of classroom community. Blogging grants students the opportunity to remain connected beyond the classroom walls and express themselves in ways the classroom environment may not afford. I can't wait to introduce blogging to my own students.

I have never seen or heard of BLOGGING before. I think that it is interesting, but I am not sure where I could fit it into my math class. I think BLOGGING would be useful in an English class if students wanted to BLOG instead of writing in a journal. It can allow for some creativ expression.

I agree with I1277 that nothing can replace writing with pen and paper. There is nothing like having a personal journal that you can hold in your hands and attach personal items such as old movie tickets from your first date.

I have never heard of blogging before but as I looked over some of the blog sites, I would like to learn more about it. I would use blogging for my students who have a hard time writing. It allows students to write freely and make a habit of writing more.

Anything that gets kids writing is a good thing. Blogging can be great because it is a bit more free form, relies on personal experience, and can be posted. Kids love to see their work. As an English teacher I am always looking for ways to get my students interested in writing.

Blogging sounds like a great way to get students interested in the writing process. It also sounds like a good way for students to learn about the lives of others living around the world. I read an article recently about a young man living in Bagdad who wrote a personal journal on the web. He documented his daily experiences while bombs were falling around his city. He talked of trying to live a life of normalcy in a war zone. Anyway, blogging sounds like a great learning tool.

As youth love technology, Blogging appears to have unlimited potential in the classroom, especially in Social Studies and English. Taking the "work" out of assignments is vital for gaining full compliance. Blogging keeps it light and "fun", and the journal-like quality would have a tendency to inspire more open and deeper thought on the part of students.

Edited by author 04-07-2003 03:59 PM
It is a wonderful site! It is a place in which students enjoy writing. Students have the opportunity to self express and publish their own writing.
I will use this in my classroom, where students will respond to a topic. This will be like their daily writing journal assignment,where they write and share their thoughts to their classmates. It is also a place where they can publish their outstanding writing assignments.

Jennifer Roberts said:
"While nothing can replace the art of pen on paper (in my opinion) blogging is certainly an interesting way for people to connect."

In what way do you find pen on paper to be superior?

Edited by author 03-28-2003 07:18 PM
This is my first encounter with Blogging and I can see that there are many ways in which it can be utilized. From an educator in the classroom's point of view, it would be a marvelous addition assuming there were computers enough to make this practical.
That aside, Blogging has the potential to get the kids to willingly do the writing and thinking that comes with writing.
As a social sciences teacher, I can see Blogging as the key to the student discussions we in my field dream of, but rarely witness.
I think it is important that students involved in Blogging know that their submissions are not private and that others, besides the teacher, will be reading what they write. I see this as positive in that students will put more thought into their writing. On the other hand they might be less candid and tow the popular line on controversial topics.
My final thought is that Blogging, as a teaching tool, will be as good or bad as the teacher using it.

To get students to write with passion has always been the goal for many teachers. Blogging make this possible.

As a future teacher I will use this program as their daily journal writing. Instaed of having them use a notebook( as it has been done in past times), students will write their daily journals in Blogging.

As an educator Blogging will help me to communicate with fellow educators.

I strongly believe that Blogging is a great asset to any writer.

Hi,

I am a Head of IT (we call it ICT) at a private girls school near London, UK. I firmly believe (and have done for some time) that blogging has great potential for use in schools and I really want to make some studies in this area. I believe that we in the UK could learn a great deal from what is being done elsewhere in the world.

I'd be really pleased to hear of tried and tested startegies for using BLOGGING in the classroom.

I think blogging could be useful in the classroom if used properly and explained well. I couldn't see myself using blogging, because I teach PE. I would love to have a room large enough to have an exercise science lab where students learn to use heart rate monitors, cardio equipment, computers to learn about the body systems, and write responses about their feelings before, during, and after their workout. In this dream world of mine blogging would work.

I think that blogging could be a valuable tool in the classroom if properly supervised.
I can definitely see my class posting their weekly thoughts in response to a question that I present or a topic that we are covering.
Whenever students have to think and write at the same time, they will gain some type of benefit.

I found it very valuable to read the commentary on Iraq. Proof positive that the goverment lies to us constantly. I especially enjoyed the comic strip with the comment about the postwar reconstruction contract for Halliburton. And the worst thing is they will probably pull it off. Those bastards!!
On another note, I think blogging is a cool way to communicate. It's easier than publishing websites and you can put pictures on there too! I wonder if I can blog from Gabon?

I just been exposed to this bloggin' stuff and its seems pretty cool. I mean I still don't understand most of it, but I observed one blog and I could see how it could be used in a classroom setting. It seems to me as if this is just one big recorded chat, and I think students will prefer this medium as opposed to simply writing a paper. Inclusive perspective is always a good thing, especially if the perspective is global. I think more than anything it provides students with a medium of truly free expression. You don't have to feel reluctant about saying anything cause those who may criticize what you say don't really know you anyway, so I think students will benefit in that regards.

I am an avid writer of journals. I have volumes from when I was a little girl to now. While nothing can replace the art of pen on paper (in my opinion) blogging is certainly an interesting way for people to connect. I always told my mom that when I died I wanted her to publish my journals...if I'm really brave, I guess I don't have to wait 'till I die...As an educator, this is an extraordinary tool. Getting kids to write reflections is sometimes like pulling teeth! Blogging seems like a great way to get kids excited about writing.

Blogging is a very interesting way of communicating. As I viewed the blogging sites, they all had different styles. The one thing they did have in common is that theyexpressed their views openly. I especially like the Min Jun Kim's blog site. She was very humorous and her style of writing made what she wrote that much more interesting. I think blogging is a great way for children to practice writing, while not even realizing they are doing so. Children seem to have a hard time writing in general. When they are asked to do so, they don't understand they can write whatever they want or what they have in mind. Blogging gives them the opportunity to write for a purpose, whatever that purpose might be. Teachers can allow students to blog with one another about their personal experiences. Because blogging is informal, the stress of being accurate is minimize. Therefore, students can write and express themselves without having the fear of making mistakes. The more they blog, the better they will be in writing and typing.

I could use this for ESL students because any kind of language based activity is worthwhile,
I think knowing the people behind it makes it happen and interesting.
Having a forum to express ones thoughts is important..I'm not sure an audience is needed.

I like all about it. Great way to get students to talk about an infinite numbet of topics. I just don't see my self doing this yet. How? When? I still need to learn much more about it. I am very confused as what exactly is blogging? I guess I really don't know much, but am willing to learn.

Blogging seems to be an interenting place for students to communicate to each other. I am not completely crazy about the idea. I would like to learn more to see what kind of benefits students can get from it, besides that is a great way to communicate.
I will continue reseaching to learn more. Before I concider it to use it in my classroom in the future.

Blogging appears to be an online journal for anyone to express their thoughts, boredom, concerns, etc. I think this mode of communication will allow many others from various networks to chat with one another, and bounce ideas off each other. In terms of the classroom setting, I think blogging would be a great way to incorporate technology into the curriculum. I see blogging as a great tool for students to do some creative writing, whether about their own lives or just chatting about various topics. Growing up, I always heard that writing in a journal will greatly improve your writing skills in the long run, and blogging is merely an online version! In the classroom, blogging could be incorporated into a rotation, where one or two students could post their blogging messages per day, with opportunities to continue writing each week, depending upon time constraints. My only concern about the blogging procedure is that if a student is engaging in this, how do you monitor how much exposure they get from other bloggers or topics that may appear from the Internet. Also, if they are chatting with someone, how do you know who they are talking to?

Hmmm interesting. I am not sure I care about reading Joe Schmoe's personal feelings on a daily basis.. but for expressing my own ideas, blogging may be fun. Perhaps it has classroom applications too. Any activity that requires students to evaluate (Oh!! Now we are high on Blooms taxonomy!) can be done via blogs. The student gets a chance to sound off and show off his/her knowlege and others can read and critique it. I love how blogging automatically generates a PURPOSE for writing. Very cool. I will have to think more about using blogs for classroom and personal use. Thanx.

Blogging seems very interesting and very personal. People are allowed to voice their opinions what ever they may be. I liked looking at the teen pages. In those pages you showed us the teens were very honest and open. As a teacher it would be very interesting to read pages like that to get insight into struggles that our students may be facing and may not want to share in class.

Blogging seems like a good way to get students to write to each other about a certain topic. In science, I could see giving students a question and having them respond to it before I actually started teaching them about the topic. In science, students think that writing is important. This would be a great way to get them to write and to check their spelling and grammar.

I am still really confused about blogging. I will need to explore more to fully understand.

I am attempting to put this media into my own words. I see this as similar to a personal website with the ability to converse in real time with any interested party. The difference that I see between this and something like AIM is the ability to archive the information and provide other links, pictures, graphics that AIM does not support.

Blogging seems like a non-threatening way to express yourself due to the anonymity. However, I would have concerns of using blogging in a classroom environment. How are users screened? How do you ensure that the topics being addressed in blogging are appropriate for school aged kids?

blogging seems to be another technological device which allows people to present ideas, beliefs, concerns etc... Blogging can definetely be used in an educational setting. Teachers can create a blogging event for students or students can themselves devise an event. A teacher can use blogging to assess a students' literacy. Spelling, grammar, comprehension and other literacy goals can be addressed and assessed using blogging. Sharing information with others away from a traditional classrooms setting opens a world to students who may have limited access to the world at large. Blogging is an additional resource for our educational toolkits.

I'm still not quite sure how I could use this in my classroom except for the suggestion Bernie had with having some sort of collaborative project between different classes. This collaboration of data could provide a different and exciting way to learn.
As for blogging in general, I think you kind of have to take the good with the bad. There seems to be a lot of junk out there mixed in with a few good thoughts. I guess if you find a regular site where things of interest keep showin' up it could be more productive. I would have fun talkin to people about topics like biology but not the babbling minds of many of the blogs that seem to be out there. I might be giving it a shot sometime.

I learn something new everyday. It keeps life fresh. I've never seen or heard of a blog before now (this class). What's interesting is the format that was displayed for us this evening, represented something I've used for a long time in the classroom, "concept maps." The idea of mixing personal journals with a vast array of other information is also an interesting concept. I could utilize this in a classroom environment as both a database and entertaining hook for my students. Without surfing this site in more detail I cannot begin to imagine the possibilities or doors that this could open for me and my students. I will, of course, in the future refer to this site for the aforementioned reasons. See you after break, Bernie. -Chuck

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