= = 3D"Web = =

= &nb= sp; = Website Created by Amy Crocker

Definition

Brief History

What does a Blog consist of?

- Date Header – date the post is written.

- Title

- Time Stamp or Permalink – the time the post is uploaded to the blog. This allows others to l= ink to a post.

- Post - is what is written, and links (often numerous). Key words are often written in bol= d face letters to allow for scanning.

- Author Nickname – the name or nickname of person who wrote = the post.

- Category – individual postings are often labeled as part of a category.

- Comments – a software feature that allows readers to leave their own comments = and reactions to the author’s post.

- TrackBack- a way for one post written in response to another to be link= ed in a web.

http://www.unc.edu/~zuiker/blogging101/parts.html

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__________________________________________________= ___________

How can blogs be used for educational purposes?

= Blogs can be used as a way for teachers to enhance the writing experiences of the= ir students.

Blogs provide the opportunity for students to write freely in a space where there is possibility for meaningful interaction with others who share interest on a given topic.

“Frequently, teachers tighten and constrain = the space presented to student writers through tightly constructed, teach-driven question or create an unscalable gap by asking students to think and write = on topics outside of their understanding.” “Classroom journals rarely function as compelling, inviting writing spaces where students can meaningf= ully engage with text. Instead, wr= iting and thinking in this space becomes forced, unwelcoming, and inconsequential.” (Bull, G. & Kajder,= S., 2003, p.32). Blogs open up the possibility for students to write in more authentic ways.

= Ø Blogs provide students w= ith a substantial audience. Anyone = in the world who has access to the internet can read a student’s postings. (How powerful!)<= /span>

= Ø Pulling out important thoughts. Because of th= eir framework, blogs are typically brief. “Weblogs provide the framework as haiku imposes order on words= .” (Bull, G. & Kajder, S., Sept. 2003, p.35) A blog is a targeted set of = words that communicates an intended idea. Students learn to get to the point form the start of the post.

= Ø Struggling students R= 11; “Students who struggle with reading and writing seldom read for pleas= ure and only write required assignments.” “These students rarely see themselves in the texts provided in school. They are not engaged by the writing prompts offered in classes and rarely have an authentic writing experience.” Blogs offer opportunities for these students to express themselves to the external world. “Best practice in writing instruction has taught teachers that the presence of an audience can increase engagement with the depth of writing.” (Bull, G. & Kajde= r, S., Oct. 2003, p.32)

= Ø Archiving. Posting is done on an ongoing basis weekly or daily. This allows = for students to explore how ideas unfold and connect over time.

= Ø Feedback. Comments encourage peers to review= and share ideas. Student writers receive comments from readers immediately making the writing responsive and real.

= Ø Multimedia. Blogs allow for writers to include images, and sound files adding to the depth and variety of the experience.<= o:p>

= Ø Immediacy. Entries appear on the Web as soon = as students publish a blog posting – resulting in an immediate sense of accomplishment.

= Ø Active Participation. Blogging provides opportunities for students to communicate in a learning community that can naturally influence more active participation in the classroom environment.

(Bull, G. & Kajder, S., Oct. 2003, p.33)

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Children:<= /p>

Ø Learn how to communicate meaningfully with others who share similar interests.

Ø Are provided with opportunities to learn about and communicate with people of different cultu= res.

Ø Develop reading and writ= ing skills.

Ø Develop self esteem.

Ø Gain knowledge of subject matter.

Ø Scaffold one another’s learning.

Learn more about their student’s interests and strengths.

Ø Learn more about teaching and learning.

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What are the instructional implications for early childhood education teacher?

The following is a list of Instructional activities from Learning and Leading with Technology (Bull, G. & Kajder, S., Oct. 2003, p.33-34).

These activities seem a bit advanced for young children, but could be adapted by incorporating guided questioning, and cooperative grouping.

Literary Activities

1. Character Journals. Students write as a fictional character. Posts re= quire students to think and sound like a given character.

2. Character Roundtable. This is a team-bl= og extension of the character journal. Students might discuss a given event in the story from the characters viewpoint.

3. Open Minds. Using paper, this stra= tegy requires that students draw the outline of an empty head that is then filled with images representing what the character would think or know at a given = time in a selected reading. Brough= t into the blog, student entries could post both multiple images and reflective writing.

4. Think-Aloud Postings. Content postings re= flect student analysis and response to assigned readings. This captures the same types of co= ntent that a student would orally express when conducting a traditional read alou= d.

5. Literature Circle Group Responses. Tradi= tional literature circle “reports” are completed on handouts or worksheets. Students post the= reports to a blog for other students to respond to.

Revision and Grammar Activities:=

6. Nutshelling. Th= is strategy challenges students to examine a paragraph and extract a line that holds the most meaning or presents an interesting starting place. In working with blogs, students re= view previous entries, select a rich line and paste it into the body of a new post. They then begin their w= riting from there. This “nutsh= ell” serves as the prompt for additional reflection and elaboration.

7. Devil’s Advocate Writing. In working = with argument, blogs can house an interactive, multi-participant dialogue that pushes the reasoning within posts. In some ways, this might function as a precise, online debate. In another use, it might be a test= ing ground for the ideas students develop more fully in later writing. The fusion of the two allows stude= nts to locate the flaws in their original writing, and strengthen their reasoning.=

8. Exploding Sentences. As Gloria Heard ex= plains in the Revision Tool-box, this strategy challenges students to revise sentences. In working with bl= ogs, students “explode” sentences from earlier posts by slowing them down, and adding rich, descriptive detail.

Reinvented Blogs

9. Photoblogs. A photo blog is a blog that incorp= orates images. Print text is fused w= ith visual imagery as students annotate and write captions leading the reader through the blog and the narrative conveyed by the images.

10. Storyblogs. With a creative writing focus, a class-constructed story blog allows for writing and grammar instruction. With a nonfiction focus, the story= blog becomes a class-written essay. This provides not only a model of how writers work by also a lower-stakes entry point for student to write.

Domino Story Building.

Like e-pals, we might have blog pals. Students from different parts of t= he country (or the globe for that matter), would work on projects together. The storyblog in this case might i= nvolve an initial post of an introduction. Students by adding posts would progressively develop the story. Opportunities for instruction would arise naturally.

Culture Comparisons.

Students describe themse= lves and the things they like to do – what a typical day at school is like – what they like to do for recreation. Questions and answers between stud= ents occur naturally after the initial blog is posted. Posts could include photos, and sc= anned drawings and items as well.

Current Events

Some of the first blogs were those focused on topi= cs in the news. (The biggest bei= ng the tragedy of 911.) Students’ sharing of their opinions about what is happening in the world today holds endless learning opportunities.

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Theoretical Perspectives=

Howard Gardner has brought to our attention the many ways in whi= ch children learn. “= Blogs provide a multi-genre, multimedia writing space that can engage visually= minded students and draw them into a different interaction with print text.” (Bull, G. & Kajder, S., Oct. 2003, p.34) Blogs offer the ability to incorpo= rate images, sketches, as well as sound, and motion. A student who is musically = inclined might write lyrics to a song related to a topic, and student who excels with drawing might post an illustration. Blogging provides all students involved= an opportunity to develop interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities.

Vygotsky’s<= /u> – The structure provided by the framework itself is a form of scaffolding. Vygotsky stressed the relationship of interaction and the learning process. Blogs provide students with on goi= ng interaction – students post a blog that is immediately viewable on the web, and get feedback from others who read it. Blogs are in essence ideas t= hat build, develop and change.

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Future Prospects

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Links

http://www.unc.edu/~zuiker= /blogging101/

http://www.unc.e= du/~zuiker/blogging101/parts.html

http://www.oreillynet.com/1pt= /a/2474

http://www.e-poets.net/library= /slam

http://www.teacherlink.org= /content/blog

http://www.photoblogs.org/faq

http://www.Weblogg-ed.com

http://www.blogger.com

h= ttp://www.oreillynet.com/puba/javascript/2002/06/13/megnut.html

http://www.xanga.com

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Bibliography

Journal Articles<= /u>:

Bull, G., & Kajder, = S. (2003). Writing with Weblogs:= Reinventing

Student Journals. Learning & Leading with Technology, 32-35.

Bull, G., & Kajder, = S. (2003). Scaffolding for Strug= gling Students:

Reading<= /st1:place> and Writing with Blogs. Learning & Leading with Technology,

32-35.

Websites:

http://www.unc.edu/~zuiker= /blogging101/ Retrieved March 14, 2004.

http://www.oreillynet.com/1pt= /a/2474 Retrieved March 14, 2004.

http://www.e-poets.net/library= /slam Retrieved March 14, 2004

http://www.teacherlink.org= /content/blog Retrieved March 14, 2004

http://www.photoblogs.org/faq Retrieved March 14, 2004

http://www.Weblogg-ed.com Retrieved= March 15, 2004

http://www.blogger.com Retrieved March= 15, 2004

h= ttp://www.oreillynet.com/puba/javascript/2002/06/13/megnut.html Retrieved March 15, 2004

http://www.xanga.com Retrieved March 15,= 2004

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