Edublog Guide

What is a Blog?

A blog might be considered an online journal or personal record, either text or graphical, that describes events, thoughts, ideas, reflections from the author's perspective. Journals kept for the purposes of creating writing pieces from the thoughts and ideas collected within are called a writer's diary. Journals that incorporate pictures or grahics are called photo journals. Journals may be created individually, or collectively as a cumulative journal. In a cumulative journal, each student creates a journal entry and then all of the journal entries are compiled into a group journal.

Although most journals we typically construct use a word processor, other tools are just effective. See an example of an online journal at Flat Stanley Visits Texas. In addition, the record keeping function of a database makes an excellent journal and reflection collection tool. “Forms” can be created to assist authors in recording consistent “types” of information, such as comments and other information relevant to the reflection or journal entry. Graphic information such as pictures scanned from the book or related pictures taken with a digital camera can also be collected into the database.

However, the newest phenomena in journaling is the use of online blogs (web logs) to communicate thoughts and gather feedback regarding those thoughts, thereby taking journaling to a new level of interactivity. The use of blogs for personal journaling is exploding. Over 56 million Americans read a blog daily (PEW,July 2006) and over 12 million Americans post to a blog on a regular basis--that's a new blog created every 11 seconds. Check out a few of the blogs that are available for topics of interest to teachers:

The purpose of this assignment. . .

The purpose for this assignment is two-fold.

First, you will be using the Internet to research for resources that match curriculum expectations related to the subject area of the Ontario Curriculum Standards. Therefore, part of your grade will result from how well you evaluate online resources and select those that match the expectation and the grade level of the target audience to post on your edublog.

Secondly, the activity "simulates" communicating online over time with your target audience. Therefore, part of your grade results from how well you communicate with your students via the edublog "over time"--seven postings the night before your edublog is due does not simulate the teaching experience of posting every week and will result in a lower grade on the overall project.

2) Step 1: Exploration of Blogs. Do the following:

• Check out the Class Edublog at http://edublogs4class.blogspot.com)
• Read an article on blogs first (available at http://www.kdp.org/pdf/publications/record/RSM06Ray.pdf. ) It will give you some perspective on how blogging can be applied to education.
• Check out the following blogs and decide what you like and do not like about blogs. This should help you decide what needs to go on your OWN edublog:
  • http://www.weblogg-ed.com/
  • http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/PHastings/bac.html
  • http://msfrizzle.blogspot.com/
  • http://www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000313.html
• Download (right-click the link and choose "Save Target As" to download the file to your computer desktop) the checklist for your edublog AND the rubric that will be used to determine your grade for the edublog.

3) Create your BLOGGER account for your edublog:

Follow the steps below to set up your edublog:

• Set up your BLOGGER account:
  • Go to http://www.blogger.com
  • Click on the Create Your Blog Now link (big red arrow)
  • In Step 1 Create Your Account
    • Type in a user name AND password
      HINT: Record this information and keep it somewhere safe! You WILL forget this!
    • Type in a display name!!
      BE CAREFUL! This is the name that will appear as author for the posts that you submit. Because you are setting up an edublog for your students, this identifier might be something like "mrjones" or "misscandace". However, you might want your students to select names that do NOT reflect their names. Be sure to check with your campus tech specialist or internet use policies set up by your school. Helping your students select online user names that protect their identities and private information is an important skill for them to learn.
  • In Step 2: Name your blog
    
    • HINT: Choosing the name for your blog should follow rules of naming such as keep it to one word or blend into one word--choose something simple and easy to remember!
  • In Step 3: Choose a template that you like
    • HINT: You can always change the template (and anything) later
  • When you receive the notice that your blog has been created, be sure to write down the URL and be prepared to bring to class.
• Complete the remaining settings for your edublog
  • Locate the dashboard for your edublog (either log in or if you just created your account, click on the arrow to Start Posting)
  • Click on the Basics tab
    • Begin by writing a short description that explains the purpose of your blog. Then scroll down to see more basic options. The defaults are fine for now EXCEPT change the YES to NO beside the option that says, "Add your blog to our listings?" You may change this at a later date, but when using blogs with students you will want to give the URL to users only!
    • Click the Save Settings button
  • Click on the Publishing tab
    • Notice that this is where your URL is located!
    • Defaults are OK here
  • Click on the Formatting tab
    • Be sure to change the timezone, but all other defaults are OK
  • Click on the Comments tab
    • Only allow members to post to your edublog. Remember you really do not want anyone posting on this web site for our purposes--you can easily change this later!
  • Check out the other tabs--You can allow members to post to your edublog by adding their email addresses to your blog under the Members tab.
• That's it for now! You may change ANY of these settings at any time!

Step 3: Create your first post (Post #1: Welcome post)

• Locate the dashboard for your edublog (either log in or if you just created your account, click on the arrow to Start Posting)
  HINT: DO NOT CLICK on the Create a Blog Now link --you want to open your previously created blog and start posting messages
  
  
  
• Click on New Post to bring up the message board.
• Type a title for your message (Check the Formatting tab under your settings if you do not see this option)
• Type the text for your message in the box. This message is a welcome message. Use this message to introduce your students to the purpose of this edublog and what they will find here. Not sure what should go in the message? Then, download (right-click the link and use "Save Target As" to move the file to your computer desktop) the checklist and read what should go in each post. You might want to see samples of what the students in the last session completed for their welcome statements. These are available at: http://www.figg.com/2007educ8Y28/edublog_list.html.
• Click the Preview link to see what your message will look like on the Internet
• Click Publish when you are satisfied with the message. You can always go back and edit the message.

Step 4: Set up your second post: A message with a URL link to a great online tool

Your second message is to give your students access to a GREAT online tool that they may find useful. This can include any of the common tools, such as Dictionary.com, MapQuest, GoogleEarth, specialized calculators, weather information, puzzle makers, timeline makers, rubric makers, or any other great tool that you use on a regular basis! Select one and find the URL. You are now ready to create a second message with a hyperlink inside the message.
HINT: ALWAYS give students the URL along with the name of the web site. Although you can make the name of the web site an active link, share the URL too! Web addresses change frequently and sometimes the site can be found by trimming the URL (remember that from your Virtual Field Trip on Day #1???)

• Select New Post from the Dashboard
• Type in a title
• Type in a message
• Make the URL active by highlighting or selecting (drag the cursor over the letters of the URL so that all letters are selected) the URL and then click on the link tool (world with chain "link" on it).
• Type the URL in the appropriate area and click OK

Step 5: Set up your third and final initial posts for your edublog: A message with 3 links to a topic or theme for your grade level/subject area.

• Pick a topic that you might expect to cover with your students in the block.
• Locate the expectation that goes with that topic (Use SMART Technologies (http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Notebook+activities/) to find the correct expectation from the Canadian curriculum standards.)
• Select THREE online resources (games, ebooks, fun activities) related to that topic. You may wish to use Yahooligans Search Engine (http://www.yahooligans.com) or another child-appropriate Search Engine (check out the online article, Kids Search Engines, available from Search Engine Watch web site at http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2156191) to help with this selection. REMEMBER: You will be graded on how well your chosen activities meet the expectation!
• Write a message that clearly explains the expectation and the three resources (games, ebooks, fun activities) that will help them work on that expectation. The strand expectation should be clearly explained and the links should support learning that concept ONLY.
• Log in to the dashboard of your edublog and post the message.

Step 6: Create FOUR more posts

As the semester progresses, you will add four more postings to your edublog. Each posting will focus on a different curricular area: one message will focus on language arts; one message will focus on science; another message will focus on social studies, and one message will focus on mathematics. For each posting, you will locate the Ontario curriculum standards for the subject area, select an expectation, then locate 3 online resources that meet those expectations. Your posted message will clearly explain the expectation and the three resources that support that learning concept.