Blogs

=Web 2.0 Hot Spot =

Blogs
Blogs or weblogs are Internet journal entries generally personal in nature that can be viewed by a community of online viewers. Blogs are generally short entries in reverse chronological order with the most recent entries at the top of the list. Blogs began merely as techie journals or personal diaries about the writer's social life, but they have evolved into much deeper uses today including political views, breaking news, and simplistic personal websites.

Blogs have a variety of uses in the educational field. "There is an excitement that comes from writing for a real, authentic audience instead of a circular file seen only by the teacher," said Wesley Fryer, director of instructional support services for the Texas Tech University College of Education, adding that this thrill can be a huge motivator for students. Blogs can be an easy way for teachers to post assignments, announcements, or questions online for students and parents to view. Blogs can contain class resources for students to use. Possibly the best educational use of blogs is for discussion of class-related topics. Blogs are a way for students to interact with each other and the teacher online in an environment that students are increasingly familiar with. Some teachers are using blogs as student journals. Many blogs allow a student to add an entry for public viewing or private viewing where only the student and teacher can see the entry. Teachers also have the ability to limit the access to classroom blogs to control who sees and uses the blog.

Suggested Blogs for classroom use: [|edublogs.org] [|21classes.com] [|wordpress.org] [|pownce.com] [|blogger.com]

I also have a blog that I use in conjunction with this wiki and my duties as an instructional technology coach at Littlestown High School. My blog can be viewed at [|Web 2.0 Hot Spot].