July
2007
Blogs and teaching
Hi there! Today, I would like to share some ideas that are just for you! NOT for your class, but for you as a professional adult person. I’d like to promote some blogs that are written by very knowledgeable educational figures of the day. A blog (if you don’t know the word, according to the definition at www.wikipedia.org)
(a portmanteau of web log) is a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
One of the really cool things to help you get the information from blogs is called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). I heard RSS explained once as giving you the power to have information find you instead of you finding it! All you need is a reader (aggregator - something that finds the stuff for you and many are FREE!) and I would be happy to help you set one up if you would like. One of the easiest readers to set up and use right now is Google Reader at http://www.google.com/reader . This works well, is easy to set up and use, and is free online! What a combination!
Blogs can be a very useful way to “help yourself” to professional development in an “as needed” timeframe. Today, I want to give you just a few excellent examples to go check out.
The first is http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ Weblogg-ed by Will Richardson. He has possibly been blogging longer than anyone else in the educational sphere. His site is, as he posts, dedicated to discussions and reflections on the use of Weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts and other Read/Write Web related technologies in the K-12 realm, technologies that are transforming classrooms around the world.
I have learned so much from reading his blog and listening to him in podcasts and I am sure that you will agree with me that he is a person to watch, read and follow after you check out his blog.
Another is http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ by David Warlick. This man was in the classroom for thirty years and definitely has relevant information for educators - and he has a great sense of humor! Plus, he is a fantastic speaker if you ever get the chance to see him.
The last blog I’d like to share is http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ by Vicki Davis. The tag line for her blog is “Teaching content with new tools, enthusiasm, and the belief that teaching is a noble calling.” She is
a teacher, entrepreneur, edublogger, conference presenter, and freelance writer, an avid reader, technology “geek”, and a heart-felt Christian. In the community, She has been president of the Camilla Chamber, Rotary Club member, and the Leadership Georgia graduate. Her class wiki has won many awards and media recognition. She is a blogger for Tech Learning and a co-founder of Women of Web 2 and co-host of the WOW2 weekly webcast on Tuesdays at 9 pm EST at Ed Tech Talk at http://www.edtechtalk.com/ .
Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get your reader set up. Also, pass on new blogs you find! I’m always on the lookout for interesting information.
Marsha
