1. Jessica Balsley K-5 Art Educator, Ankeny, IA Art Department Facilitator Founder, The Art of Education

2. W HAT ARE BLOGS ? A blog is like an online journal, a place for anyone to share his or her thoughts with the world wide web.

3. W HY I STARTED A BLOG

4. “When teachers participate in traditional staff development their attendance does not ensure their learning. What they learn may not be meaningfully applied in their classroom practice” (Scanlon, Gallego, Duran, Reyes, 2005). “….current work suggest arts teachers should be given the opportunities to participate in learning experiences that address specific arts-centered issues” (Lind, 2007, p.3). “The teachers truly treasured the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers in the same discipline. The arts teachers had a shared set of ideas and a vocabulary that allowed them to understand one another (Lind, 2007,p. 8).

5. S TATIC P AGES

6. P OSTS

7. A FEW OF MY FAVORITES !

12. S O MANY BLOGS … SO LITTLE TIME !

13. F OLLOW 100 A RT E D B LOGS AND S TAY S ANE WITH G OOGLE R EADER Watch out for Information Overload!

14. C REATING YOUR OWN B LOG What is the purpose of your blog? What will you provide to readers? Who is your audience? How will your blog help you become a better educator?

15. C REATING A P OST IS EASY !

16. B LOG E XTRAS - W IDGETS

17. B EHIND THE S CENES

18. G ETTING READERS TO YOUR BLOG

19. 8 T IPS TO GAIN READERSHIP Comment and view other blogs Feature and refer to other blogs on your site Share your link with parents, teachers, put in your email signature and newsletter Add yourself to blog directories Generate good content Consistent Posts Be yourself and be patient! Don’t be afraid to have an opinion!....

20. A TTENTION G ETTING P OSTS

21. M AKING TIME FOR BLOGGING

22. T IPS TO MAKE TIME FOR BLOGGING Pre-Schedule Posts Make a goal for yourself for x amount of posts per week Post about what you are feeling right now or what you are interested in right now Make it fun not a chore Short posts are ok!

23. W HAT BLOGGING HAS DONE FOR ME … Passion Fun Connections Professionalism Fights Burn Out Reflective Teaching

24. QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?