Thursday, March 29, 2012

Journal Entries for Week Two


Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson, by Lorrie Jackson, is found at URL http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml.    Elementary blogging allows kindergarteners and other students and teachers to cover different topics, consider different software programs and tools, and use cautions and tips for starting blogs.  More than 24 links to blogging software and elementary logs across America are included. 
Blogging may contain commentary and a writer’s thoughts, and may be accompanied by graphics, and audio and video elements.  Blogging helps students to become better writers, according to research which proves that students who blog write more, use greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation when they write over the internet to a real audience.  Students in grades K-6 may blog about commentary on daily news stories, while middle and high schoolers use Blogger or LiveJournal.    Blogmeister gives teachers control over which and when students’ blogs are published.  KidzBlog allows blogging on just one classroom computer, while Thingamablog requires a hosted website.  Studying the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a prerequisite. 
Blogging Guidelines for the K-12 Classroom is located at the URL http://www.mysecurecyberspace.com/articles/classroom/blog-guidelines-for-the-classroom.html.  Blogs, creative ways to incorporate technology in a classroom, are used by teachers as a tool for administrative purposes and/or for facilitating education.
Blogs can be used similarly to the way that Blackboard is used by educational institutions to add features and tools for communication and learning.
This article describes how blogs can be used in classrooms for announcements, parental involvement, class discussions, student participation via publications of homework and assignments, and reviews of posts by teachers.  Other resources here include Blogging Techniques for the K-12 Classroom from the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, and cybersafety content at Safe Blogging.   The article also points out the fact that not every class subject has content that would require a blog. Blogging can sometimes be slow communication.  The structure of blogs does not provide confidentiality. Teachers should weigh advantages and disadvantages of blogging before making decisions.

National Geographic Kids Blogs is located at the URL http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/about-this-blog.html. In their own words, children tell stories of travels, events, their communities, their lives, and their thoughts.  This site is a combination of blogs pulled from the most recent posts from their many blogs. National Geographic Kids Blogs allows a group of children, who are selected and monitored by NG Kids staff, to share their thoughts and experiences online, through words, pictures, and videos.   DogEared is a blog about books.  Green Scene shows how to take care of the planet.  Children from around the world talk about what they eat, what languages they speak, what games they play, and interesting landmarks in the places where they reside in the You Are Here blogs! Current events are blogged about at News Bites.  Students report on a year-long trip around the world with their family in Global Bros.   The Hands On Explorer Trip blog tells how to enter the next challenge!

Scholastic Kids Press Corp is located at the URL found at http://blogs.scholastic.com/kidspress.   This blog features news for kids by kids.  Topics range from political campaigns, to science, teaching, acting, book reviews, movies, sports, entertainment, and special reports.  The Scholastic Kid Reporters, ages 9-14, are blogging from across America. 
This blog also has links for teachers, parents, students, administrators, librarians, and book clubs.  Resources and Tools for teachers include daily starters, lesson plans, planning calendars, printables, mini-books, freebies, videos.  Strategies and Ideas include new teacher support, professional resources, teacher-to-teacher blogs, virtual field trips, teacher share, early childhood today, and videos for professional development.  Student activities include computer lab favorites, interactive whiteboard, kids press corps, and scholastic news.  Books, ebooks, and the virtual teachers’ store are other included resources on this site.  Teaching with Kids Press Corps is another resource that is a link for teachers.  There is also a link where students aged 9 to 14 may apply online to become reporters










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