Transcript Pods, Blogs and RSS: Syndicating the Learning Process

Blogs in the
Classroom
Todd W. Jorns
Senior Director for Educational Technology
Illinois Community College Board
Blog

Blog is short for Web log.

Publicly available web pages, with personal
views and links expressing the opinions and
observations of a particular person.

Usually on a specific topic or theme (political,
personal, topical, health, travel, research, etc.

A frequent, chronological publication of
personal thoughts and Web links.
Blog

A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in
a person's life and what is happening on the
Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site.

People maintained blogs long before the term
was coined, but the trend gained momentum
with the introduction of automated published
systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com.
Blog

Can be online diaries/news forums that feature
links to news items and stories from across the
Internet's World Wide Web.

Most blogs are headed by an individual called a
blogger, and many of these are people who
want to bring their own views online.

Other bloggers are journalists or industry
insiders who create forums for expressing their
opinions without editorial constraint.
Blog Benefits

Post class materials and class supplements.

Integrate all types of multimedia (webpages,
audio, video, photos, slideshows, etc.).

Comment modes encourage interaction.

Team blogs enable engagement.

Create a class publication

Student journaling & reflection
Blog Sites

Blogger - http://www.blogger.com

Edublogs - http://www.edublogs.org/

LiveJournal - http://www.livejournal.com/
Blog Examples

Melissa Skinner – a former UIS student
http://mrsskinner4.blogspot.com

Ric Murray – technology teacher in Georgia
http://professor-marvel.com/

Technology for the Adult Education Instructor –
(an academic blog created by Waubonsee College)
http://wccniuesl.blogspot.com/
Blog Exploration

Adult Education blogs
http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/education_
and_training/adulte

Blogs about Adult Education
http://wordpress.com/tag/adult-ed/

Adult Student Resources
http://www.adultstudent.com/student/slinks.html
Blog Exploration

The Adult Educator Blog
http://www.grayharriman.com/alblogger/alblogge
r.html

Why Blog? by Frank Catalano
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17616/

The read/write web in the classroom
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/
Blog Exploration

Curriculum related example: Mrs. McCullers’ A
Final Goodbye weblog assignment (overused
words have died/retired from exhaustion). Scroll
down to find assignment
http://itc.blogs.com/mccullers/2004/11/a_final_go
odbye.html

Educational Technology - Ray Schroeder/UIS
http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/blogger.html
Blog Resources

More information
http://www.slais.ubc.ca/courses/libr500/05-06wt1/www/A_Cho/history.htm

Blog description
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Create a blog in THREE Minutes!
http://blogger.com
Questions
Todd W. Jorns
(217) 785-0144
[email protected]
www.flip4u.org