What is a blog?
A blog is a type of website maintained by an individual or a class with written entries or embedded items such as graphics or videos. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order (most resent last).
A Weblog, or blog as they are commonly called, is a special type of Web page that can be created and easily updated using a Web browser. Each new entry has its own date stamp. Each entry has a comments section where visitors to the blog may leave comments for the author. For example, students in our class will respond to prompts and discuss quality literature, math, the arts, and other related subjects and social issues.
Having a real audience is one of the key components to this program. In addition to receiving comments from your classmates, our class will receive comments from other classes, schools, and professionals in our community, (who are invited to visit our web pages). We anticipate arranging for students in other parts of the country to visit our blogs and comment on your material. Parents are also invited to visit the blogs and to respond.
Blogging can be used for reading and writing, conversations around topics, communicating with a larger audience or sharing examples from learning portfolios. It can be an effective venue for networked learning. Reading and commenting to one another creates a dialogue that requires persuasive writing and critical thinking.
Podcasts
A podcast is a digital audio and/or video recording published on the Internet and available for downloading. For example, select student presentations will be published to the class website via podcasts.
Digital Photography
A digital photograph is a still picture that can be stored electronically and published to the Internet. We anticipate that class activities and special events will be photographed and shared through digital slide shows.
Security
Our use of the aforementioned technologies has been designed to minimize risk to you. All student blogs, pod-casts, and photographs will be placed on password protected pages. These pages will remain hidden from public view. In order to access the restricted pages, the user must be invited and issued a user-name and password. Even with these restrictions, students will be required to refrain from sharing personally identifying information such as last name, address, phone number, age, etc.
Concerns
This blogging project first and foremost will address protecting your privacy and our introduction unit will focus on digital citizenship.
