Blogger+(Blogspot)

= BLOGGER =

Blogger is a great way to share information with parents, and students. It allows you to show parents a glimpse of what is happening in the classroom. You can feature student work, pictures, and resources.

Resources links and/or class examples:
· Blogger in the Classroom: @http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en/us/educators/activities/pdfs_GTA/CribSheet.Blogger3.pdf

· How to Create a Blogger for the Classroom: @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqYBa-zGsNQ

· Tutorials for Blogger:
 * @http://www.youtube.com/BloggerHelp
 * @http://assett.colorado.edu/post/904

· Content Delivery in the Blogosphere: @http://thejournal.com/articles/2004/02/01/content-delivery-in-the-blogosphere.aspx

SWOT Analysis
· //Strengths//


 * Free
 * Quick and easy to create
 * Encourages class participation/discussion outside of the classroom
 * Good for collaborating
 * Students feel ownership over class material
 * Good for students who are shy or who do not like speaking in class
 * Can be used for a variety of disciplines
 * Can be used as a motivational tool for students
 * Great home/school connection
 * Easy to "tweak" HTML
 * Easy to change layout of page elements
 * A way to show student work publicly
 * You can choose your own font, background color, and format without knowing codes
 * You can add polls, and links to websites
 * You can choose a web site name that is easy for your students to remember and relevant to your class.

· // Weaknesses //


 * Takes a lot of time to keep up with
 * Hard to keep students on-task
 * May encourage more casual/sloppy writing
 * Difficult for students who may not be familiar with computers
 * May be difficult to keep online conversations going
 * No confidentiality in posts
 * Somewhat limited page layout options
 * Can't be hosted on your own server
 * Some school districts won't allow use
 * Some students do not have access to a computer (C. Pearl)

· // Opportunities //


 * Teachers can use blogger to post educational ideas for other teachers
 * Students can readily exchange ideas with other students outside of the classroom walls
 * Creates a sense of community in the classroom
 * Students feel a sense of belonging
 * Students can read and understand different perspectives
 * Promotes communication between teachers and students
 * Students get to read and write more: promotes more literacy
 * To go paperless
 * To reach more people in less time
 * Students can learn the implications of posting in public formats.

· // Threats //


 * Search Engine Optimized
 * For the most part, blogs are public information/ no censorship
 * Students might be afraid of what others might think of their posts – need to have a positive classroom community to combat this
 * Blogging can take up a lot of time – make sure students are using this wisely and it is not taking up other time for classroom activities
 * Liberal policy on permissible content allows some explicit material

· // Ideas for Classroom //


 * Some class blogs on Blogger:
 * Calculus: []
 * Mr. C’s Class Blog: http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com
 * Can be used to keep parents up to date about what is going on in the classroom
 * Can be used to keep students up to date with what is going on in the classroom
 * Can be used for an ongoing assessment (i.e. journal about a topic)
 * Book Reviews
 * Creative Writing: poems, short stories, etc
 * Classroom Discussions
 * Science experiments journals
 * Display student work
 * Book Recommendations
 * post homework assignments, lunch choices, etc.
 * post classroom pictures
 * collaborate with people around the globe
 * An effective way that teachers can have students write reviews or contribute discussion on specific topics - JH
 * Utilize the Blogger platform to host webquests, where students can virtually collaborate with others while completing their research, ask questions that arise, provide answers or help for others, share digital projects they've constructed, and provide feedback for other students' projects - CM

//Actual blogging sites that you can use in the classroom://
Blogger Edublog Kidblog Wordpress