What is a Blog? A weblog, or simply a blog, is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger”. Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are mostly arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently. In simple terms, a blog is a website, where you write material on an ongoing basis. New items show up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they may or may not comment on it, or link to it, or email you.
Is a Blog a Webpage? • •
To the reader, a blog is a webpage To the author, a blog is an authoring system that allows them to create a webpage without knowing HTML or other web technologies and without needing special software
How are Blogs Different? • • • •
Blogs use a journal or diary metaphor A user makes a post instead of making a page Posts are most often ordered by date Posts can also be ordered by other criteria, such as user-defined categories
So Why Use a Blog? • • •
To make a website To make a website with many authors To publish a journal
All this can be accomplished without even knowing HTML, Frontpage or other web authoring tools.
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Blogs in Education The use of blogs in instructional settings is limited only by your imagination. Options for instructors using blogs include: • Content-related blogs as a professional practice • Networking and personal knowledge sharing • Instructional tips for students • Course announcements and readings • Annotated links • Knowledge management Options for students using blogs in courses include: • Reflective or writing journals • Knowledge management • Assignment submission and review • Dialogue for group work • E-portfolios • Share course-related resources
Features of a Blog-Based Class Before choosing a blogging service, one must know their requirements. Following is a list of features which could make a successful blog-based class: • • •
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It must be possible for a teacher to create as many “class blogs” as deemed necessary to organize class materials. For example, it must be possible for a teacher to create a blog for class notes and another for posting group feedback. The class blogs must be viewable by all students. Furthermore, only the teacher should have administrative privileges to modify these blogs. All students must have their own individual blog for posting assignments. Only two people, the teacher and the student, can view the student’s individual blog. Students can edit their own writing and the teacher can add comments to the student’s submissions. However, students cannot edit the teacher’s comments. For the sake of organization, it must be simple for the teacher to change between students’ blogs. The blogging service must provide server space on the Internet to store class and student blogs. The blogging service must be free.
Although many blogging services are available, not all of them fit the stipulations above. In order to have individual student blogs that allow the teacher to add comments and
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modifications, a blogging service that allows “group blogs” is required. Blogger is one blogging service that allows “group blogs”, as well as the other features previously stated.
Setting Up Class and Student Blogs at Blogger (www.blogger.com) An Account Can be Made in Three Steps:
1) For those without an account, a username and password must be created in the first step. 2) The next step is to enter a title and URL for the new blog.
3) The last step is to choose a template to determine font, color and layout of the blog when viewed as a webpage. You can easily change the template later or have your own customized template, once your blog is set up. 3
Integrating Blogs into your Pedagogy • •
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Creation of class blogs should be done before the first class and assigned relevant blog titles and URLs that communicate the purpose of the blog. For example, a blog of class notes should be titled “class notes. By creating separate class blogs, information can be efficiently organized. For example, one class blog can be solely for keeping lecture-based material. Another blog can be kept solely for giving group feedback to the class. In this way students can easily find pertinent information. Other possible class blogs are student assignment instructions, vocabulary, and answers to past assignments. The teacher-created class blogs can be used as an example when introducing the concept of blogs to the students. The creation of all the student blogs can be done on the first day of class. After introducing the class and the class blogs, give students a non-blog related activity and have them come up to the teacher computer one at a time to create their student blog.
Steps to a Create Student Blog: 1) From the teacher’s account, begin the process to create a new blog as previously described
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2) Enter the student’s name as the blog title and have the student enter a name for their URL address. To keep the student blog private, this URL address should not be shared with anyone. 3) Quickly have the student choose a template for the layout of their blog 4) After a few moments to process and create the blog, one is ready to start adding to it. However, since the blog was created on the teacher’s account, students do not have access to it as yet.
5) Adding the students as members to the blogs is the final, most important step in setting up the student blogs. 6) In the settings menu of each of your blogs, there is a “members” option. Here, group members can be added to the blogs via the add team member”button. 7) Following the instructions, have students type their email address in one of the new user fields and click the save settings button 8) There is also a space to attach a message with the invitation. Since students must have access to the class blogs that the teacher created, an easy way is to create a message to the students containing all the information regarding the class blogs and paste it into the message section of the invitation to join the student blog. 9) It is recommended that students bookmark these URL addresses on their computer
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10) After all the students have completed this process, instruct them to check their email. They should all find an invitation from Blogger with a link to follow to join the student-teacher blog. 11) After the students accept the invitations to join their blogs, the initial setup is complete.
Viewing the Blogs After logging in from the main page, www.blogger.com, users are taken to what Blogger refers to as the “dashboard”. In the case of the teacher, all the class blogs and all of the student-teacher group blogs are shown. In the student’s case, just the student-teacher group blog is shown. Note: It is important to tell students that when adding or editing a post, it will not be saved until the “publish post” button is clicked. Students must be taught the importance of this step or they will lose their work. Advantages of Blogs to Teachers: • Web based authoring – like Blackboard • Design is totally separate from content • Search, comment system and rich archiving tools are built in • Content is stored in a database allowing for robust data-driven operations Advantages of Blogs to Students: • •
Students have access to instructor’s notes on the Internet. Students also have the option of previewing the class material before class and reviewing the material after class. Because students are connected to the Internet, they have access to different dictionaries and bibliographies. 6
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Because the class material is organized into sections, students can easily find information. Students can read comments for the class as a whole and comments directed at them individually. This maximizes feedback and contact with the teacher. Students can observe their progress over time.
Disadavantages of Blogs: • • • • •
Blogs generally have no assessment or polling features. Although they often have a comment feature, blogs are not message or discussion boards. In general, blogs have limited community features such as those found in Blackboard. Most people don’t have very much to say that’s interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner. Blogs are easy to start but hard to maintain. Writing coherently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks. As a result, many blogs are not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization.
How Instructors Use Blogs To teach writing and communication skills: Walter Palmer: Black Bottom Karl Fornes: College Composition As a new form of academic publishing: John Lovas: Jocalo's Blog Harvard Law School: Harvard Weblogs As public writing about their fields: Mike Dorn: Disability Studies Kevin McCabe: Neuroeconomics Laurence Lessig: Lessig Blog
References: Temple University, Florida Gerry McGovern, Web content management author and consultant Blogs in Education
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