What’s in a blog?

What’s in a blog? – Kerrie Smith :
this was created as a handout for the 2008 CEGSA conference

• Why blog? – what would I get out of blogging?
• What makes a good blog?
• How do I get started? Where can I blog?
• What is a blog roll?
• How do I watch blogs of others?
• Support groups
• Tools to use in your blog
• Using blogs with students
  

Why blog?

• Learn
• Share
• Create
• Collaborate
• Professional development
• Reflect
• Showcase
• Be part of a learning community
• Chart your professional journey
  

What makes good blog?

http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2008/04/27/heres-my-first-five-tips-for-writing-better-blog-posts-what-are-yours/

• Short paragraphs
• Headings
• Hyperlinks
• Comment on the comments
• Subscribe to your own feed
  

What to do with a visually noisy blog - by Christine Martell

The F reading pattern – reading for web content

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

• Readers first read in a horizontal movement across the top of the page
• Then a little further down the page, horizontally again
• Then in a vertical movement down the left side
• Users won’t read your post word for word
• The first 2 paragraphs are the most important
• Start headings, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words
  

Getting Started: Places where you can set up your blog

• http://edublogs.org/
• http://blogger.com
• http://wordpress.com/
• http://www.typepad.com/
• http://me.edu.au
• http://www.livejournal.com/

Layout, difficulty of use, and basic tools vary from blog to blog

Sue Waters: http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/getting-started-with-edublogs/

Tools

• http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/2008/07/11/simple-tools-for-creating-screen-captures/
• http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/category/blogging-tips/
• http://www.clocklink.com/
• http://feedjit.com/
• http://www3.clustrmaps.com/
  

Monitoring blogs

• RSS Readers & Aggregators
  e.g. http://rssreader.com or http://www.feedreader.com/
• Google IG
• Pageflakes
• Bloglines
• Netvibes
• BlogRovr
• Friend feed
  

Using blogs with students

• Authentic audience
• Connections between home and school
• Literacy
• Reflection
• Celebrating achievements
• Engagement with web 2.0 tools
• Free up the writing process
• Encourage communication
• Feedback from others through comments
  

http://alupton.edublogs.org/class-blogs-management-moderation-and-protection/

Support Groups

http://www.groups.edna.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1862

Blogging Corner is a place for bloggers, would-be bloggers, and blogging mentors.

http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/

an international network for educational bloggers and friends. A meeting place, as well as a coordinating location for live face-to-face and virtual events