Blogosphere

What is it?
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions. - Jessie

A weblog, or simply a blog, is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger”. Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are mostly arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently. In simple terms, a blog is a website, where you write material on an ongoing basis. New items show up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they may or may not comment on it, or link to it, or email you. (Jen) A [|blog] may be comprised of news, commentary, diary-like passages or some combination of all three, but the defining characteristic of a blog is always chronological order. Whenever a writer creates a new post, it appears on the page directly above the last post. This allows visitors to read the most recent happenings first and scroll down to as many later entries as they like. –Emily Kaestner

Emily De Witt- Blogging( []), short for weblogging, is a way for people to post a diary/journal on the internet. Content in blogs ranges from people's personal thoughts to commentary. The defining characteristic of a blog is that it's always in chronological order.Whenever an author creates a new post, it appears on the page directly above the last post.

The blogosphere is a term used to describe the millions of interconnected blogs on the Internet. It started off as a humorous term to describe the social creature that grows from a critical mass of blogs according to wisegeek.com. Blogs can be about a great variety of subjects ranging from informative news to personal accounts about their lives. -Brittany

**How do they work? **

Blogosphere is an interlinked chain of blogs. A blog can be started by anybody, and usually edited by anybody. Most blogs are public, allowing everyone to see what was written and often, anybody can respond or reply. [|HowStuffWorks] - Jessie

The basic working of a blog starts from the content management system used to create that particular blog. This is where a blogger creates, designs, manages posts, manages comment and experiments with the blog. Basically this is the place where blog gets it's look. There are also other popular online interfaces like Wordpress, Blogger, etc. which give menu driven options to the user, but the basic functioning, is the same. That is to help bloggers to mange blogs. A blog gets its look through coding languages like HTML, PHP and CSS, but generally bloggers don't have to go into these details as the content management system or the online interface give bloggers preset themes that are menu driven and can be designed as well edited easily. These online interfaces give blogs their original themes, but these can be changed through other theme codes that are freely available on the Internet. These websites or other blogs provide theme templates and show you the demo version so it's easier for you to choose and decide the type of look one wants for the blog. These themes are divided into various columns to make the appearance good and easy to surf. There are also some major inbuilt functions like an archive list, place to show author's profile, option of receiving comments, labels for the post and options to show a popular or recent posts. [|How do Blogs work?] (Jen)

A blog is a simpler webpage. It usually just has one page of entries instead of a bunch of different pages. The blog is organized in reverse-chronological order so the most recent post is on the top. A blog is public for everyone to see it.

Since no coding knowledge is required, anybody and everybody can start a blog of their own. For starting a blog, all one needs to do is find a free blogging service and register with a catchy name. For the layout of the blog you can take any one of the many website templates offered by the blogging service or make one on your own. There is an option for creating a post, wherein one can publish one's posts. It's that simple! And your blog is on the way! Ready to roll and ready to connect with the world. It's also important to know how to promote your blog if you want traffic on your blog. This was a simple explanation of what is a blog and how does it work! –Emily Kaestner

Emily De Witt- Bloggers post their work by logging into a Content Management System. This is the inner workings of the blog, where the writer can create new posts, edit old ones, manage user comments and set up the blog's look and feel. Blogging tools such as Wordpress and Blogger have slightly different systems, but their main functions are the same, allowing writers to manage their blog through an online interface. While Wordpress's software can be hosted on any website, both services provide web hosting for bloggers who need it.

Blogs allow virtually everyone to convert their text into a HTML web page, in other words, people's text becomes part of what is displayed on the blog they are using in the form of a post. People can create free blog accounts for many different blogs and post their thoughts, comments, opinions, and information to their respective blogs. Once they post their blog comments it is officially a part of the world wide web for almost anyone to see. Once someone posts a new comment to the blog it appears at the top of the blog, whereas, the oldest posts appear at the bottom. The last step is to tell others about the blog so that all can contribute. -Brittany Weltcheff

Why would a K-12 teacher use it?
<span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">A K-12 teacher would want to use it to have students collaborate easily outside of class on an educational topic from his or her class. Teachers can also find an appropriate blog to have students follow, if it is a news or popular topic that changes frequently. - Jessie

Teachers can use blogs to communicate with their students about daily happenings and things going on in the classroom. Teachers can additionally use them to keep communication open with parents to let them know what is going on. Finally, teachers are able to post blogs for their colleagues to read about strategies and lessons they are using. –Emily Kaestner

<span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">A teacher would want to use a blog in order to create a sense of community with the other teachers and families around them. A K-12 teacher would also be able to use it for interactive learning and collaboration inside their classroom. Blogs give teachers an opportunity to use differentiation in their classroom. (Jen)

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> Emily De Witt- A K-12 teacher would use it by having students write online reflections via blogging. This would help the students practice their writing and communication skills. Teachers can use them to post assignments, share thoughts, stimulate classroom discussion, and more.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">One reason would be to collaborate with other teachers, like a virtual staff room. Students able to collaborate outside of classroom and utilize technology they are familiar with and enjoy using—makes learning fun! You can take the classroom global- via the web. Through blogs students and teachers can, in a non-threatening environment, share ideas about a variety of topic and get instant feedback from many others. Students and teachers can stay on top of current events and other areas of professional or academic interest. For teachers it is a great research for sharing resources, ideas, training materials and policies that others may have used and posted on their blogs with responses from other teachers. -Brittany Weltcheff

Provide examples for K-12 Education:
<span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">[|Educational blogs] <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Content-related blogs as a professional practice <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Networking and personal knowledge sharing <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Instructional tips for students <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Course announcements and readings <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Annotated links <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Knowledge management
 * <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Options for instructors using blogs include: **

<span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Reflective or writing journals <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Knowledge management <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Assignment submission and review <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Dialogue for group work <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• E-portfolios <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">• Share course-related resources (Jen)
 * <span style="color: #00b7ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Options for students using blogs in courses include: **

<span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teachers can use blogs: <span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">*as discussion about a book they are reading <span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">*news topic the class is following <span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">*continuing discussion or collaboration of a lesson or topic outside the class <span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">*have students do a group project or discussion using a blog <span style="color: #ff0076; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">*to monitor how students interact with one another (Jessie)

[|Ways for Teachers to Use Their Own Blog in Education] As a teacher, you might want to use a blog as a reflective journal to… Ideas to Incorporate the Use of Blogs with Student Learning You can start a class blog with students to… You can encourage your students (either on your blog using the comments feature or on their own blogs) to blog… You can have your students create their own blogs to… You can also ask your class to create a shared blog to…
 * reflect on your teaching experiences
 * keep a log of teacher-training experiences
 * write a description of a specific teaching unit
 * describe what worked for you in the classroom or what didn’t work
 * provide some teaching tips for other teachers
 * write about something you learned from another teacher
 * explain teaching insights you gain from what happens in your classes
 * share ideas for teaching activities or language games to use in the classroom
 * provide some how-to’s on using specific technology in the class, describing how you used this technology in your own class
 * explore important teaching and learning issues
 * post class-related information such as calendars, events, homework assignments and other pertinent class information
 * post assignments based on literature readings and have students respond on their own blogs, creating a kind of portfolio of their work
 * communicate with parents if you are teaching elementary school students
 * post prompts for writing
 * provide examples of classwork, vocabulary activities, or grammar games
 * provide online readings for your students to read and react to
 * gather and organize Internet resources for a specific course, providing links to appropriate sites and annotating the links as to what is relevant about them
 * post photos and comment on class activities
 * invite student comments or postings on issues in order to give them a writing voice
 * publish examples of good student writing done in class
 * show case student art, poetry, and creative stories
 * create a dynamic teaching site, posting not only class-related information, but also activities, discussion topics, links to additional information about topics they are studying in class, and readings to inspire learning
 * create a literature circle
 * create an online book club
 * make use of the commenting feature to have students publish messages on topics being used to develop language skills
 * ask students to create their own individual course blogs, where they can post their own ideas, reactions and written work
 * post tasks to carry out project-based learning tasks with students
 * build a class newsletter, using student-written articles and photos they take
 * link your class with another class somewhere else in the world
 * their reactions to thought-provoking questions
 * their reactions to photos you post
 * journal entries
 * results of surveys they carry out as part of a class unit
 * share their ideas and opinions about topics discussed in class
 * learn how to blog
 * complete class writing assignments
 * create an ongoing portfolio of samples of their writing
 * express their opinions on topics you are studying in class
 * write comments, opinions, or questions on daily news items or issues of interest
 * discuss activities they did in class and tell what they think about them (You, the teacher, can learn a lot this way!)
 * write about class topics, using newly-learned vocabulary words and idioms
 * showcase their best writing pieces


 * complete project work in small groups, assigning each group a different task
 * showcase products of project-based learning
 * complete a WebQuest
 * Share ideas you have for using blogs in education -Emily Kaestner

<span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Emily De Witt- <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">-Open online discussions on a specific topic that the students are learning about and discussing in class <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">-Student portfolios <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">-Student journal/reflections <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">-Document daily classroom activities

<span style="color: #b600ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">One example is of a Language Arts teacher incorporating [|a blog]into their classroom using blogspot. In this 8th grade classroom the teacher is posing questions and quotes for interpretation supported by concepts they are learning in class as well as studying vocab they are using in class. Other examples could be for collaborating on group projects, similar to how we are all separately working on this project. Another example, and one of my favorites, is giving students a global education without ever leaving the classroom. [|This blog] is created by a non-profit group called One to World, a New York City-based non-profit. They train international students to lead interactive workshops about their countries and cultures in NYC K-12 public schools and post all their happenings on the blog for all to experience and see. -Brittany