1. The Potential Use of Blogs as a
Learning Technology

2. The Potential Use of Blogs as a
Learning Technology
By Gregory Rooks

3. Introducing the Concept of a
Blog
Let us start with introducing the concept of a
blog. What is a blog, you may ask? According
to Blogger.com
:http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g, a blog is a
personal diary:
What's a blog?
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A
collaborative space. A political soapbox. A
breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your
own private thoughts. Memos to the world.

4. Introducing the Concept of a
Blog
Your blog is whatever you want it to be.
There are millions of them, in all shapes
and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a web site,
where you write stuff on an ongoing basis.
New stuff shows up at the top, so your
visitors can read what's new. Then they
comment on it or link to it or email you.
Or not.

5. Introducing the Concept of a
Blog
Since Blogger was launched in
1999, blogs have reshaped the
web, impacted politics, shaken up
journalism, and enabled millions of
people to have a voice and connect
with others.
And we're pretty sure the whole deal
is just getting started.

6. The Blog’s Use as a Learning
Technology according to
The three learning theories
Schuman, L. (1996). Perspectives on instruction. Available:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/Perspectives.ht
ml,
are:
Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism:
The Basics
Based on observable changes in behavior. Behaviorism
focuses on a new behavioral pattern being repeated until it
becomes automatic.
Behaviorism:
Based on the thought process behind the behavior. Changes in
behavior are observed, and used as indicators as to what is
happening inside the learner's mind. Blogs cannot observe
behavioral changes to determine what is in the learner’s mind.

7. The Blog’s Use as a Learning
Technology
Cognitivism:
Based on the premise that
we all construct our own
perspective of the
world, through individual
experiences and schema.
Constructivism focuses on
preparing the learner to
problem solve inambiguous
situations (Schuman, 1996).
Blogs are a very good match
with the Cognitivist theory of
leaning

8. The Blog’s Use as a Learning
Technology
Constructivism:
Based on the premise that we all construct our
own perspective of the world, through
individual experiences and schema.
Constructivism focuses on preparing the
learner to problem solve inambiguous
situations (Schuman, 1996). Problem solving
inambiguous situations is a good match for
using Blogs as a learning tool.

9. A blog gives you your own voice on the
web. It's a place to collect and share
things that you find interesting—
whether it's your political commentary,
a personal diary, or links to web sites
you want to remember.
Publish Your Thoughts

10. Many people use a blog just to
organize their own thoughts, while
others command influential, worldwide
audiences of thousands.
Professional and amateur journalists
use blogs to publish breaking
news, while personal journalers reveal
inner thoughts.
Whatever you have to say, Blogger can
help you say it.

11. Blogging is about more than just
putting your thoughts on the web. It's
about connecting with and hearing
from anyone who reads your work.
With Blogger, you control who can
read and write to your blog — let just
a few friends or the entire world see
what you have to say!

12. Blogger Comments let anyone,
anywhere, offer feedback on your
posts. You can choose whether
you want to allow comments on a
post-by-post basis, and you can
delete comments you don't like.
Access Controls let you decide
who can read and who can write
to your blog.

13. You can use a group blog with multiple
authors as a communication tool for small
teams, families and other groups. As a
single author, you can create a private
online space for collecting news, links, and
ideas, to keep to yourself or share with as
many readers as you want.

14. Blogger Profiles let you find people and
blogs that share your interests. Your Blogger
Profile, where you can list your blogs, your
interests, and more, lets people find you (but
only if you want to be found).

15. Here are ten popular blogs according to
Margie Gelbwasser in her article:
Gelbwasser, M.. (2009, September).
THE TOP 20 TEACHER BLOGS.
Instructor (1999), 119(2), 37-39.
Retrieved February 28, 2011,
from ProQuest Education Journals.
(Document ID: 1873816341).

27. According to go.blogger.com
Whether you're starting your blog or just think it's
time to give your existing blog a facelift, Blogger's
user-friendly editing tools help you easily design a
great-looking page.

28. — Our lets you easily
create a that looks uniquely yours. With
just a click after selecting a template, you can
choose the colors, fonts, layout, and
background of your . But, for users who
want even more control, you can use our
to do everything
from changing the color of links to adding
custom .

29. — Blogger's simple drag-and-drop system lets you
easily decide exactly where your posts, profiles,
archives and other parts of your blog should live on
the page.

30. You’re never more than a click away from sharing
your favorite photo. Just click the photo icon to
upload a photo from your computer. If the photo
you'd like to put on your blog is already on the
web, that's fine too. Just paste the URL and we’ll
put the image in your post.
You can also send camera phone photos straight
to your blog while you're on-the-go with Blogger
Mobile.

31. Mobile BlogSpot optimizes the layout
of your blog for those reading your blog
from a mobile device. To see what your
blog could look like on mobile devices
check out the preview functionality by
going to the Dashboard > Settings >
Email & Mobile tab.

32. SMS/MMS posting lets you
send text, photos and even
videos straight to your blog
while you're on-the-go. All you
need to do is send a message
to go@blogger.com from your
phone. You don't even need a
Blogger account. The message
itself is enough to create a
brand new blog and post
whatever photo and text you've
sent. Later, you can claim your
mobile blog or switch your posts
to another blog; just sign in to
go.blogger.com and use the
claim code Blogger sent to your
phone.

33. Email posting is another
option to consider if
SMS/MMS posting is
unavailable from your
mobile carrier. Find out
how you can use the
Mail-to-Blogger feature
to post by email.

34. Here are ten additional popular blogs according to Margie Gelbwasser in
her article: Gelbwasser, M.. (2009, September).
THE TOP 20 TEACHER BLOGS. Instructor (1999), 119(2), 37-39.
Retrieved February 28, 2011,from ProQuest Education Journals.
(Document ID: 1873816341).
11. Best Student-Written Blog
YOUTH VOICES, youthuoices.net
THE LOWDOWN: Students and their teachers participate in a
"colossal ongoing discussion about everything" via
podcasts, videos, and blogs.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This blog turns the typical student-teacher
relationship on its head with both parties acting as equals and
learning from each other.

35. 12. Best Tell-lt-Like-IMs Blog
ITS NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES,
itsnofallfioiversandsausages.blogspot.com.
THE LOWDOWN: A second-grade teacher with the pseudonym Mrs. Mimi
dishes about the crazy side of teaching.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Fantasies of throwing down with that colleague who
rummages through your desk? Horror field-trip moments that have carved
a permanent groove in your mind? Faculty-room shenanigans that rule
your day? Thanks to Mrs. Mimi, we never have to feel alone.
WHY SHE LOVES BLOGGING: Says Mrs. Mimi, "It's comforting to know
that I am not alone in my frustrations."

36. 13. Best Laugh-Out-Loud Blog
REGURGITATED ALPHA BITS, regurgitatedalphabits.blogspot.com
THE LOWDOWN: Anonymous elementary school teacher blogs about the students she
loves and the job she hates.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This blog gives you totally true antics of the elementary school kind and
tips you can really use: Preview "educational" videos before showing and be alert for fourth-
grade make-out sessions! Perfect with a good cup of coffee, when you need to block out
irritating colleagues, and when you could use a good laugh to start your day.

37. 14. U. Best for Media Specialists
TECHNO TUESDAY, blog.cathyjonelson.com
THE LOWDOWN: Media specialist Cathy Nelson provides tips on incorporating library
technology into lessons.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Nelson shares creative research ideas as well as humorous daily tidbits.
WHY SHE LOVES BLOGGING: Says Nelson, "It enhances my ability to be reflective, to see
how I have learned from others."

38. 15. Best for Problem Solving
CLASSROOM SOLUTIONS, blogs.scholastic.com/classroom_solutions
THE LOWDOWN: Hear straight from Scholastic's team of teacher advisors on topics ranging
from reader's workshop to discipline and organization.
WHY WE LOVE IT: AU of the photos and videos! Almost every post features a photo
showing exactly how the teacher advisor implemented an idea in his or her classroom. You
can also subscribe to the posts for just your grade level.

39. 16. Best Substitute Secrets
JUST A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, kauaimark.blogspot.com.
THE LOWDOWN: "Mr. Homework" tells harrowing tales of the substitute kind.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Let's be honest. Sometimes we'd rather come in sick than call in a sub.
Mr. Homework, however, is one of the good guys. His outlook on the sub life (e.g.,
"Sometimes it's not about actually teaching anything") makes us wish he was in our district.

40. 17. Most Entertaining Math Blog
HOODA MATH BLOG, hoodamathblog.com
THE LOWDOWN: Math teacher Michael Ed Laviteli uses games to teach math.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The word games may conjure images of worksheets with
cutesy pics and fill-ins, but Edlavitch goes way beyond that. His arcade games
with Flash - complete with worksheets teachers can print out - are reminiscent of
old favorites like Pac-Man. Kids will play video games anyway, why not sneak in
some learning potential?

41. 18. Best Classroom Use of Blogs
LEARNING IS MESSY, learningismessy.com/blog
THE LOWDOWN: Brian Crosby discusses how he uses blogging and other
technology in the classroom.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Crosby's creativity can't help but draw us in. He has used
Skype to broadcast, a class visit from Christa McAuliffe's mother and to
communicate with a student who is on home instruction due to leukemia.
WHY HE LOVES BLOGGING: Says Crosby, "It is the strongest resource I have
experienced in 28 years of teaching."

42. 19. Best View of the Inner City
THE JOSE VILSON, thejosevilson.com/blog
THE LOWDOWN: Artist, poet, and math educator Jose Vilson gives the inner city a human
face by blogging about sometimes touchy topics.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Vilson does not shy away from tackling the controversial, such as his
entry about the shortage of black Latino male teachers like himself. He's passionate about
changing education and exposing inner-city reality, and his passion is contagious.

43. 20. Best Blog From Outside the Classroom
TALES FROM THE SCHOOL BUS, talesofaschoolb usdriver. blogspot.co m
THE LOWDOWN: A school bus driver fills us in on the insanity that goes on before students
enter the classroom every morning and after they leave.
WHY WE LOVE IT: We all have to multitask, but try keeping order and driving at the same
time! This blog gives us the dirt - from failing brakes to bus "heathens" like Whiny Girl. This
is a side of school we often overlook!

44. References
A YEAR OF READING, readingyear.blogspot.com
Blogger.com:http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g, a blog is a personal diary
CREATING LIFELONG LEARNERS, needleworkspictures.com
DIGITAL ANTHOLOGY, di.gitalanthol.ogy.blogspot.com
DOCERE EST DISCERE, docereestdiscere.ivordpress.com
Gelbwasser, M.. (2009, September). THE TOP 20 TEACHER
BLOGS. Instructor
(1999), 119(2), 37-39. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from ProQuest
Education Journals. (Document ID: 1873816341).
INTEGRATING TECH, thespiari70.blogspot.com

45. References
ITS NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES,
itsnofallfioiversandsausages.blogspot.com
HOODA MATH BLOG, hoodamathblog.com
JUST A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, kauaimark.blogspot.com
LEARNING IS MESSY, learningismessy.com/blog
MRS. CASSlDYS CLASSROOM BLOG
classblogmeister. com/blog.php ?blogger_id = 1337

46. References
PRINCIPALS PAGE, principalspage.com/theblog
REGURGITATED ALPHA BITS, regurgitatedalphabits.blogspot.com
Schuman, L. (1996). Perspectives on instruction. [On-line]. Available:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/Perspectives.html
SCIENCE FIX, sciencefix.com
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO CREATE AND USE A BLOG,
go.blogger.com
TALES FROM THE SCHOOL BUS, talesofaschoolb usdriver.
blogspot.com

47. References
TEACH FOR.US, teachfor.us
TECHNO TUESDAY, blog.cathyjonelson.com
THE JOSE VILSON, thejosevilson.com/blog
THE TEACHING PALETTE, lheteachingpalette.com/blog
YOUTH VOICES, youthuoices.net

48. Thank You For Viewing This Presentation!