Blogs provide a communication space that
teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum
need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being
undertaken in the classroom.
Definition:
Blog/WebLog: a web page containing
brief, chronologically arranged items of information.
A blog can take the form of a diary, journal, what's
new page, or links to other web sites.
Peter Scott, Internet
Librarian 2001
From an education perspective the availability and ease of use
of blogging software makes creating blogs a viable classroom
activity and a means for teachers to communicate with other
teachers.
Students keep their diaries or journals in the form of a Blog, while other examples include blogs with a structured activity relating to a specific text:
The Diary Project Started in 1998, this global multimedia resource that encourages teenagers to write about their day-to-day experiences of growing up. The site is monitored by a team that includes adults and teens who read all the material that is sent to the website. It should be noted that material on this site is only appropriate for adolescents older than 13.
A number of libraries use blogs to provide
current information to library users. They are also
involved with delivering some of this information
from newspapers and other sources using RSS feeds.
Blogs: A Disruptive Technology Coming of Age? Phillip D. Long, Syllabus Magazine 2002
Discusses applications of blogs in education and suggest that their ease of use will make them a ubiquitous communication tool.
EduBlog Insights Anne Davis, Georgia State University
Maintains this blog to enable teachers to reflect, discuss, and explore possibilities for the use of blogs in education.
Weblogg-ed - The Read/Write Web in the Classroom Will Richardson, Hunterdon Central Regional High School
An extensive blog of teachers' comments about their use of blogs with their classes. Interested teachers are invited to join.
In microblogging, also referred to as themed IM (Instant Messaging), users write brief updates, usually limited to less than 200 characters, and publish them via a web browser based service, email or mobile devices. Popular microblogging services include:
The practical usefulness of many microblogging services depends on the individual user creating and interacting with a Personal Learning Network [PLN] of professional colleagues.
Collaborative blogs, also known as Group Blogs, publish posts written by multiple users.
Student 2.0 is an excellent example of a group blog authored by students.
We are students: the ones who come to school every day, raise our hands with safe questions, and keep our heads down. Except, now we have a voice—a strong voice—to share our ideas through a global network.
This YouTube video introduces the blog's young authors.
