Managing a class blog

             I believe I could be easily overwhelmed by the amount of options for creating a blog, as well as by the techniques for managing a blog. If I were to assign blogging for a particular class I would facilitate it by creating a blog specifically for that class or that assignment, and then making it so only the students in that class could access and comment on the blog. I would be sure all students were 'followers' and each student was comfortable  using and had access to the technology.
             I would not have to worry about promoting this type of blog because all of my students would have had a tutorial about how to create a Google account, how to find our class blog, how to become a follower, and how to comment on the topics. I would not want to promote this blog to others because of the nature of it.
             I believe this would be the easiest type of blog for me to create, manage, and promote for my students.

Gadgets!

I have had a good time filling out my page with fun and useful gadgets. Also, I have added pictures and information of myself. As far as gadgets are concerned I like being able to see tidbits of what those I am following have written. Also, I was pleased to add a news gadget just for fun. Although I don't really feel the need to add a bit of everything I am glad I feel comfortable finding and adding gadgets. If and when I want to add a video or poll in the future I easily can. For the time being I am comfortable with what I have so far.

How would I use blogs?

Let's see...

       

     I see myself using blogs sparingly in my personal life, and only under a few circumstances. I might set up a blog once I have children to keep far away relatives updated with pictures and funny stories. Or I might set up a blog if I was going on an extended adventure to other countries and wanted to keep my family informed and jealous about all of the cool stuff I was doing. Other than that, I think I would probably only set up a blog and attend to it if it were part of a class I was taking. As I have said in a previous post, I am not very good at maintaining online communication. 

    As a teacher I would try my best to maintain a blog for my students. One particular use I see would be maintaining a discussion forum where I would post topics of discussion and they would comment on those topics. Also, it could be a place for students to raise questions for the rest of the class and myself. I believe I would prefer to maintain a website for all of my classes and department combined (I am writing this with being a high school drama teacher in mind) with particular blogs for the different classes. 

      If I were writing a blog for other educators I would share and ask for ideas for the classroom and use the space to discuss issues that were relevant to our district. 

      I know there is an endless list of uses for blogs and hopefully I will gain ideas by looking through my classmates blogs!

virtual comunication

        Personally, I am not very good at staying connected online. I never remember to email my family, and my facebook lays neglected for days at a time (quite a feat for a college student). I very much prefer to talk to someone on the phone or face to face and I have trouble connecting through blogging. That doesn't mean that I think they are VERY good tools to share information, ideas, opinions, and news. One blog I did get interested in was by a man who walked across the United States. Everyday he would post pictures and a bit of information about where he was and what he saw. I particularly enjoyed seeing the end of his journey because he walked through my hometown and posted pictures of locations I recognized. He also stayed with my friends family in Tillamook before he made it in to the ocean. It was totally awesome :)
       Blogs have made it possible for anyone to be an author, and who knows- maybe I will become hooked!

            Although this is my first time blogging, I have been aware of it's uses in education for a while. My sister is a 3rd grade teacher in Arizona, and she keeps a blog for her classroom. Parents and students can follow along to see what has happened in her classroom and what is coming up next. Also her friends and family (like me) can take a peek at what she is up to down south. I think it is a great idea for a teacher to be connected to the web somehow through blogging or their own website; it is a current way to connect with families.
          I also found many articles and a few studies that outlined many of the uses of blogs in education today. Scott Huette of the Teaching Effectiveness Program mentioned in a 2006 article that many benefits come from students blogging themselves. It was recommended that the teacher model how to set up a blog but then many in depth assignments can use the blog. Blogging for students promotes a different type of thinking that they rarely get. It will promote associative and analogical thinking that is coveted in the work force today, but generally not taught in schools.
          Blogging can connect teachers and parents, teachers and students, teachers and teachers- really anyone who is interested in the workings of your school and the education system. It is a great way to bounce ideas off of other educators or those interested. A lot of the time education is criticized for being behind the curve as far as new technologies and methodologies go, and blogging is a great way to work on improving both of those areas.