Blogs

**//Blog//** is a short term for "//Web log//".
It is an easy-to-use website that allows participants to post, comment and view others contributions. They can include text, graphics (pictures), videos and links to other websites.

In an educational setting there can be many uses, including homework sites, class websites, and interactive student blogs (literature circles, collaborative studies, notes, etc.). You can learn more at http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

Here are a few websites that you can use to get some ideas about what we can do with blogs.

Elementary http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337 http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=5655

Middle/High http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=52168 http://twoislandlight.blogspot.com [|http://coreycharron.blogspot.com]

=__**Blogging Services**__=

FREE blogging services are available at:

[|http://blogger.com] (note that this site does contain links to random blogs, a potential concern) [|http://edublogs.org] (ad free for teachers) [|http://www.classblogmeister.com] (a free service for educators, pictures must be hosted elsewhere to use)

__Blogger NavBar__

The Navbar in blogger blogs is of concern to educators due to the random link to "Next Blog". Here are instructions to remove the navbar from blogger blogs.

[| Removing+the+NavBar.ppt]


 * [|Blogs in Education Resource]

[|Education World - Blogging in Education] [|Blog Savvy] How NOT to use Blogs [|Blog Savvy]How TO Use Blogs**

== =**//__RSS__//** =


 * RSS** is an acronym that stands for [|Real Simple Syndication]. Most blogs and many websites have a symbol (such as the one to the right) indicating it allows what is known as an RSS feed. This feed can be used to follow new posts / activity on the website remotely by using an RSS aggregator, of more commonly called a "feed reader". More commonly, many new browsers are placing RSS feeds directly into the URL address bar.

There are several popular aggregators, including Google Reader, Pageflakes and [|Netvibes]. These aggregators allow individuals to customize their web experience by designing their own webpage where feeds bring pre-selected information to them.

RSS feeds can also be used to embed live, constantly updated information into blogs and wikis themselves using simple widgits designed for this purpose. For example, a class wikispace studying world politics could have news feeds embedded from several international news organizations that would update selected news feeds (e.g. middle east politics, business, sports, etc) as new stories are released.

RSS feeds can also be used by educators to quickly and easily follow individual students blogs.