blogging november 7, 2006 milne library room 104 instructor: kate pitcher pitcher@geneseo.edu
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BloggingNovember 7, 2006Milne LibraryRoom 104
Instructor: Kate Pitcherpitcher@geneseo.edu
What do these three people have in common?
Learning Outcomes
Define a weblog (“blog”). Distinguish blogs from non-blog websites. Describe several key characteristics of blogs. Use specialized search engines or directories to locate
blogs in a subject area. Post comments to another person’s blog. Create and post to a blog.
Blogging: An Introduction
What Who How Why
What is a blog…
A “weblog” or (blog for short) is usually defined as…
• A web page with dated entries, generally starting with the most current posts at the top and oldest at the bottom
• Collection of links and commentary• An online journal
What makes up a blog?Some common components: Dated entries/posts Permalinks Blogroll (links to other blogs) Syndicated content Comments Archives
A Short History… Originated as “lists of links” Became personal journals Justin Hall’s “Links from the Underground”
may be the first weblog (1994) In 1997, Dave Winer created
www.scripting.com to share technology issues with friends and colleagues
Jorn Barger coined the term weblog in 1997 with his site, http://www.robotwisdom.com
A Short History… “The act of creating a website to solely
direct users to other websites” was unusual at the time
In 1999 the first batch of automated tools to create and update weblogs were released
Pitas and Blogger were released in 1999 Growth took off! First conference devoted to blogging was
held in Austin, Texas in 2000
Who are these bloggers?Did you know…57% of blog creators are male48% are under 30 years old82% have been online 6 years or
more39% have college
or graduate degrees
source: Rainie, Lee. “Memo: the state of blogging”.Pew Internet & American Life Project, January 2005.10 February 2005http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/144/report_display.asp
Who reads blogs? 27% of Internet users read blogs as of
November 2004 -- that’s 32 million people!
greater-than-average growth of readers among women, minorities, and those between the ages of 30-49
tend to be young, male, well-educatedand veteran Internet userssource: Rainie, Lee. “Memo: the state of blogging”.Pew Internet & American Life Project, January 2005.10 February 2005http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/144/report_display.asp
The Pew Internet & American Life Project
27%
7%
Source: Rainie, Lee. “The state of blogging”. The Pew Internet & American Life Project. <http://www.pewinternet.org/index.asp>. 2 June 2005.
Why the growth? culture of sharing on the Internet ease of use
Why read a Blog? Currency Relevancy Focus Free flow and exchange of ideas Connections Trends Marketing
Siemens, George. “The Art of Blogging”. elearnspace.org 1 December 2002. 5 February 2004 http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm.
How does one syndicate a blog to readers?
Using RSS technology!
Really Simple Syndication
BlogBlog
Today’s postToday’s post Archived postsArchived posts
RSS FeedRSS Feed
Feeds into an aggregator or Newsreader
Feeds into an aggregator or Newsreader
Subscribers Subscribers
SubscribersSubscribers
SubscribersSubscribers
SubscribersSubscribers
How RSS Feeds work…
Why use RSS Feeds? Content is easily disseminated via
headlines Users go to one source -- their newsreader
or aggregator -- to read all their RSS feeds Current awareness service potential
How does one create a blog? Free software Most websites will host your blog on their
server Few HTML editing skills required Easily updated
Creating a weblog… Blogger www.blogger.com Movable Type www.movabletype.org LiveJournal www.livejournal.com Radio Userland
http://radio.userland.com Pitas www.pitas.com Slash www.slashcode.com WordPress http://wordpress.com
Blog tools…Blogger
free ease of use web site will host your blog
(no need to put blog on your own server) no prior knowledge of HTML or CSS tutorials available
Blog tools…LiveJournal
joining the site is free will host your blog on their server
Blog tools…WordPress
free customize the look of your blog host your blog on their server no need to learn HTML
Tips for a successful blog… know your purpose and focus simplicity update regularly links syndicated content publicity
Why should we care about blogs?
Information dissemination Abandonment by youth of traditional
media outlets Grassroots journalism or “citizen
journalists” Interactive capabilities Use as critical thinking tools in classroom “Disruptive technology” (Hiler, 2002)
Blogs in the classroom Why? When? How?
Blog post…
Student responds to post…
Blogs as critical thinking tools… Interpersonal communication Social interaction Facilitates active learning Engagement with material Reflection and analysis Fosters teaching and learning Opportunities for feedback
Critical Thinking…“Shortly after I began producing Rebecca's Pocket I noticed
two side effects I had not expected. First, I discovered my own interests. I thought I knew what I was interested in, but after linking stories for a few months I could see that I was much more interested in science, archaeology, and issues
of injustice than I had realized. More importantly, I began to value more highly my own point of view. In composing my link text every day I carefully considered my own opinions
and ideas, and I began to feel that my perspective was unique and important”
-- Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook
Benefits of student blogging… Subject-matter experts Ownership of their learning Participation and interaction with classmates Provides opportunities for diverse
perspectives
Ferdig, Richard E. and Kaye D. Trammell. “Content delivery in the ‘blogosphere’.” T H E Journal. February 2004: 12-16. InfotracOnefile. Gale Group Databases. 23 September 2004 <http://web3.infotrac.galegroup.com/>.
Teaching BlogsHow do we do it? Webquests Hands-on activities Active learning
Ingredients… Assignments Learning outcomes Design of activities Guided practice in class Assessment
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