About Blogs Blog Pic used with permission from the good folks at:

How Many Blogs…? □Blogwise.com: blogs in the United States alone.Blogwise.com This count includes only those blogs that have been listed with Blogwise.

What is a Blog? (a.k.a. Weblog) “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." “ - Matisse Enzer's Glossary of Internet Terms

” a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order.”journal or diarychronological order “Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.”online diaries - Wikipedia Also…

- Glenn Weibe – Social Studies Central “a dynamic Internet journal… Some are simple journals written by people with nothing better to do…” And… “…others are very professionally done and teachers are beginning to use them to encourage their students to write & communicate with each other...”

□One Louder (Heather Hamilton, Microsoft Employee)One Louder □Beppe Grillo’s blogBeppe Grillo’s blog □Michael Feldstein’s e-literatee-literate □The Twee Life of MeThe Twee Life of Me □Fermented Penguin MilkFermented Penguin Milk □And other blogs at the University of Warwick ( Sample Blogs on the Web

It seems like almost everybody has a blog……

Blogs in the Classroom □Things to try: □Use Blogs for student journaling/editorial writings □Give student authors a public “audience” and an opportunity for feedback □Have students record and share reflections while working through course materials, doing field work/research, or during internships or even semesters abroad

Tips □The “build it and they will come” approach usually doesn’t work □Build in loose expectations such as posting frequency as journaling takes practice but avoid strict guidelines such as number of words □Have students research and link in web resources to support their thoughts and opinions □Finally, have your students not only write blogs, but find, read and even link to blogs maintained by experts in the field

Getting Started as a Blogger □Free Blog Resources □Blogger.comBlogger.com □Bloglines.comBloglines.com □Includes an aggregator □UWW and UWSP campuses have dedicated blog servers

A Little About Aggregators □“Aggregates” the blogs you select as RSS feeds to one location □Some are web-based - you can be on vacation in the Bahamas and can read your blogs □Others install locally to your computer □

So, you’ve found a blog… Clip art courtesy of Shawn’s Clipart & Webateria:

Is This Blog Worth My Time? □Who’s the author? □Are they credible, considered an “expert” in their field? How do I tell? Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch

Get a Second Opinion… Thumbs Up! Let’s see who’s citing “Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch” at Bloglines Citation Search: Clip art courtesy of Shawn’s Clipart & Webateria:

Great places to find blogs… Have you already found a blog that you really like? Go to the author’s favorite blog links Go to their favorite blog links…

Let’s try it: The Blue Skunk BlogBlog

Give Blogs a Try!