What is educational blogging?
"Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need
to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom....From an education perspective the
availability and ease of use of blogging software makes creating blogs a viable classroom activity and a means for teachers
to communicate with other teachers." (Western Australian Department of Education and Training, 2008, Blogs in
education, [online], Available at: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/)
- Microblogging in education
- Malinka Ivanova, Lecturer at Sofia Technical University writes that microblogs are important tools for networking, communication, learning, and for forming communities of practice. She records a number of lists of education professionals who like to use Plurk and Twitter. There are also some posts selected by her that give different perspectives on microblogging.
- Blogging unit for download
- This blog post by Silvia Tolisano addresses the following topics - introducing the world of academic blogging; online safety; effective commenting; relevant writing; setting up a blog; formatting blog posts; the difference between hypertext and 'traditional' writing and reading; creating a learning community on your classroom blog; connecting to a world wide audience; and assessment and evaluation of student blogging. This information is for primary school teachers but can be adapted to any level of schooling.
- What bloggers can learn from journalists
- This blog post by Anita Bruzzese discusses 10 things that bloggers can learn from journalists. It takes time to gain trust, verify facts, use attribution, step away from the computer, look for a 'hook', be consistent, consider each word and sentence, avoid 'overwriting', rewrite, and acknowledge a role in making history.
- The Learning Circuits Blog
- This blog post by Tony Karrer seeks to find out from other bloggers what they have learned about learning in 2008. There are 16 responses with the names of the blogger and a link to their blog post. The reflections on the last 2 years are also included as 'recaps'.
- Here are the results from my PLN Survey
- This blog post by Sue Water describes the results of her Personal Learning Network (PLN) Survey. Microblogging tools are identified as the most important ones in a PLN and the top five activities for beginners are: twitter, starting and subscribing to blogs, social bookmarking, and opening a Ning account. Prominent tips for building PLN's are: start slowly and identify mentor/s; use the same user name across tools; share as much as you like; ask as much as you answer; try new tools before deciding they are not worth the time; comment on other people's blogs; and promote life long learning.
- The Ultimate Blogger Writing Guide
- Dean Rieck presents eight important writing tips for blogging: put the reader first; organise your thoughts; use short paragraphs; use short sentences; use simple words; be specific; write in a conversational style; and be clear.
- Blogs and Community : Launching a new paradigm for online community?
- This resource describes blog based communities as manifesting in three main patterns: the single blog/blogger centric community, the central connecting topic community, and the boundaried community. There are of course many hybrid forms emerging between the three. A table of the technological architecture of the these blog forms explores the platforms, technological boundaries, and scaleability. Another table denotes social architecture with power, identity and interaction modes as elements. There are a number of useful links throughout the text and cited in the references.
- Blogs, reflective practice and student centred learning
- This paper discusses a study in which students in their final year of Human- Computer Interaction (HCI) are required to participate regularly in blogging practice. The course is constructed around four simultaneous strands of blended learning: lectures, directed reading, a mini-project, and blogging. For this study, students are asked to blog on any HCI issues that they consider to be relevant. There are quantative and qualatative analyses. Findings are that blogs are an effective tool for reflection on theory and practice of HCI, and allow for greater feedback about the practical design exercise than would have otherwise been the case.
