the next new thing: create, communicate and collaborate with blogs will richardson march 11, 2004...

The Next New Thing: Create, Communicate and

Collaborate With Blogs

Will RichardsonMarch 11, 2004

Internet @ Schools EastWashington, DC

User Warning:

Use of Weblogs and RSS technologies may lead to

sleeplessness, irritability, and the horrible reality that you’ll never being able to know it

all. Use at your own risk.

Weblogs First

What is a Weblog?

A Weblog is an

easily created,

easily updateable Website that allows an author (or authors)

to publish instantly

to the Internet from any Internet

connection.

Weblogs Don’t Require…

• Knowledge of HTML

• Knowledge of FTP

• Webpage creation software

If you can send an e-mail, you can update a Weblog page.

Weblogg-ed

How Easy Is It?

Just Watch…

What Weblogs Can Do

• Create Digital Paper—as much of it as you want

• Allow for collaboration from far-flung participants

• Add voices to the conversation

• Archive thoughts and research

• Provide instant audience

• Filter and organize information

So, a Weblog Can Be…

• Online Filing Cabinet

• Photo Album

• Portfolio

• Online Journal

• Collaborative Space

• Much more…

Blogs Get on the Map

How Many Blogs Are There?

• Over 5,000,000 with 10,000,000 expected by year’s end.

• Over 50% are kept by 13-19 year olds.

• Fewer than 50,000 are updated daily. 66.0% of surveyed blogs had not been updated in two months.

• The typical blog is written by a teenage girl who uses it twice a month to update her friends and classmates on happenings in her life.

Nothing Will Stop…the BLOG!

Why Weblogs?

Weblogs have a number of characteristics that make them interesting as classroom/library tools.

Aside from ease of use, archiving of info, audience, access and collaboration, there’s:

1. Multimedia—Weblogs can make use of audio and video, and some can store files of other types for easy retrieval.

Why Weblogs? (Con’t)

2. Hypertext—Weblogs allow for easy linking to research and sources of information.

3. Low cost—Most Weblog software is either free or relatively inexpensive, depending on your needs.

4. Communication—Instant, comprehensive and complete

Weblogs in Schools

More and more teachers and educators are finding that Weblogs provide interesting new ways of communicating with students, parents and colleagues.

Weblogs in the Classroom:Online Filing Cabinet

• Students and teachers can use the Web log as a place to store assignments, plans, handouts, etc.

Claire

• Students can extend conversations outside of the classroom, and collaborate with invited guests from around the world.

Weblogs in the Classroom:Collaborative Learning Space

The Secret Life of Bees /Author

• New (or veteran) teachers can use Weblogs as portfolios or as an archived discussion of their practice with mentors .

Weblogs in the Classroom:Professional Development

Entry Year Teacher

Weblogs in SchoolsWeblog as Website

•Schools can use a distributed content creation model when using Weblogs as Websites.

Little Miami Schools

• School library sites can serve as easily updated research portals and resource sites.

Weblogs in Schools:Library Portal

IMC

Weblogs in SchoolsInformation/Communication

• Weblogs can provide a great way to manage knowledge, from committee work to historical artifacts.

Technology Committee

• Weblogs make for an easy classroom interface for notes, links, homework and conversation.

Weblogs in Schools Classroom Portal

Journalism 2

Considerations

• Privacy and safety

• Cost

• Technical support

• Connectivity of classrooms and homes

• Time to develop

• Web log software

Web Log Options

• Free Web log software on the Internet– Blogger– moTime– Many others

• Software for local installation– Manila--$295 a year for up to 3,000 sites– Moveable Type—Free to schools

• Pay Web logs with hosting– Type Pad--@$30 a year with a limit on space

Helpful Hints

• Start a Web log—If you are going to teach with blogs, you need to be a blogger.

• Read other Web logs—And find other educators using them. Web logs foster community.

• Start small—Create a classroom portal, invite some others into the conversation, build from there

• Web logs are a tool…fit them to your curriculum, not vice versa.

What is RSS?

The behind-the-scenes tool that adds

powerto blogging.

Real Simple Syndication (RSS)

RSS allows writers to automatically syndicate the content they create and

it allows readers to “subscribe” to receive that content when it is

published.

– Most Weblogs have RSS “feeds” built in– Content comes to you instead of you going

to look for it.– Makes it easy to keep track of more

sources of information

Real Simple Syndication (RSS)

• Two parts to RSS

Part 1– An XML “news feed” from the Weblog Part 2--A

“news reader” to translate

and display the feeds

Many Blogs in One Place

You can subscribe to as many news feeds as you can keep track of….

WeblogsNewspapersMagazinesSearches

Amazon.comThousands more

Using RSS Feeds

• Step 1—Look for xml button

George W Bush

Using RSS Feeds

• Step 2—View XML feed and copy address

XML Feed

Using RSS Feeds

• Step 3—Find a news reader (aggregator)Aggregators check the feeds that you tell it to, see if there is any new content, and if so, save the content for you to view when you are ready.

Using RSS Feeds – Part 2

• RSS Feeds can also be displayed as content on a page.

Athletics

RSS in Schools

• Teachers can aggregate content from student Weblogs

• Parents can aggregate news from the school and work from student Weblogs

• Administrators can aggregate news from various school Weblogs

• Librarians (and others) can “push” content simply by posting to a Weblog

• Everyone can use e-mail less, scan more information in less time.

• And much, much, much more…

RSS in Schools

And one more cool application:

Research can come to you!

Claire

First Steps

• Start a Weblog and start publishing to the Internet

• Read some other Webloggers• Go to bloglines.com and sign up for an

account• Subscribe to some feeds• Start thinking and playing

Thanks!

And if you have further questions, or you’d like to join my conversation, please

visit me at

www.weblogg-ed.com

THANK YOU!