School blogs: here's how to offer students and staff members in your district an online voice.The use of Weblogs to share personal thoughts and opinions over the Internet is capturing the interest of students across the world. But because content can be irreverent ir·rev·er·ent adj. 1. Lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence; disrespectful. 2. Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical: irreverent humor. and even offensive, administrators are justifiably wary about using blogs in school. With the right guidance, Weblogs can be one of the greatest online communications vehicles in K-12 education. For example, consider the success of The Write Weblog See blog and Web log. (World-Wide Web) weblog - (Commonly "blog") Any kind of diary published on the World-Wide Web, usually written by an individual (a "blogger") but also by corporate bodies. , an online journal-writing project with a group of students in the J. H. House Elementary School elementary school: see school. in Georgia's Rockdale County Public Schools. After this experiment became a hit, teachers and administrators started their own blogs. Consultant Anne Davis--who publishes the EduBlog Insights site--worked initially with 14 "Blooming Bloggers" to use the online diaries An online diary is a personal diary or journal that is published on the world wide web on a personal website or a diary hosting website. Online diaries began in 1994. As a community formed, these publications came to be almost exclusively known as online journals. for self-expression, to develop insights into the qualities of good writing, and to compile tips to transform student essays into "masterpieces." Users could enhance their blogs with graphics, photos and links to other resources. And, since readers could add comments to the dated entries, writers got instant feedback. In addition to student Weblogs, several JHH JHH Journal of Human Hypertension JHH Johns Hopkins Hospital JHH Jewish Home and Hospital teachers established class blogs--such as "McCuller's Weblog" about activities in a third-grade classroom--and administrators devised blogs for school communications. In reflecting on the past year, principal Joyce Hooper says, "One of the highs has definitely been my experience with blogging." Other school examples include the Green Meadow Green Meadow may refer to:
It has about 11,000 students and operates 17 elementary schools, five middle schools, two high schools, and six charter schools. Its superintendent is Dr. Ron Heilmann. , that set up Weblogs for each grade level linked to the district Website. Also, the collaborative School Technology Leadership Blog was established to follow breaking developments in technology. Similarly, Will Richardson, supervisor of instructional technology There are two types of instructional technology: those with a systems approach, and those focusing on sensory technologies. The definition of instructional technology prepared by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definitions and Terminology and communication at New Jersey's Hunterdon Central Regional High School Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a comprehensive, regional, four-year public high school, and school district that serves, as of 2006, approximately 3,020 students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey. , launched the successful Weblogg-ed to share reflections and discussions on using Weblog-related technologies in schools. The Exploding Blogosphere The total universe of blogs. See blog. The use of Weblogs is now exploding; blogs are being used in corporations, government, the media and among private citizens, so students also need to understand their importance as informadon sources. Technorati.com, a search engine that monitors the blogosphere, tracked more than 15.9 million Weblogs last August, and found that the number had doubled in six months. Approximately 80,000 blogs are created worldwide each day, which translates to a new blog every second. The Pew Internet & American Life Project found further that blog readership now exceeds 27 percent of all Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f , and 12 percent of users have posted comments. Weblogs are key components of the online culture for insights and opinion on almost any conceivable topic, as blog directories such as Bloogz. com and Technorati confirm. Getting Connected Blogs are becoming universal thanks to powerful new software that simplifies online publishing for individuals who know little about computers. These tools range from fee-based services such as Manila, Moveable Type and TypePad, to free options including Blogger.com and LiveJournal.com. Weblog technologies allow millions of people to share ideas, and millions more to add additional thoughts, which makes blogs more like conversations than libraries. As a result, the grassroots power of reading, writing and commenting on blogs shifts the use of the Web profoundly, from users being passive consumers of information to becoming active participants. RESOURCES The Write Weblog itc.blogs.com EduBlog Insights anne.teachesme.com J.H. House Elementary jhhweb.rockdale.k12.ga.us Green Meadow Elementary School www.gmeadowelementary.blogspot.com School Technology Leadership Blog schooltechleadershipblog.org Weblogg-ed www.weblogg-ed.com Odvard Egil Dyrli, dyrli@uconn.edu, is senior editor and emeritus professor of education at the University of Conn. |
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