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| Fig 1 |
According to Nussbaum-Beach (2012), a blog is a website that is “continually updated with journal-like entries, or posts, usually arranged in chronological order with the most recent appearing first. Blogs are great sources of ideas, information, and experiences about learning, leading, and teaching (Chapter 5). There are millions of blogs available and more are being published each day. Blogs require participation from users and the blogger. Blogs encourage feedback and discussion. Buttons below the post allow users to easily share the blog content with friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other media. Blogs have become the fastest-growing personal publishing medium because certain blogging platforms like Tumbler and WordPress are free for users. Because they are free, users are able to create their own blogging website in a matter of minutes without any knowledge of web design or HTML (Nussbaum-Beach, 2012, Chapter 5).
There are at least six advantages of blogs. First, blogging is very easy. It is as easy as writing an email. The blogging software takes care of all of the
programming and publishes the pages to the web.
A user just needs to write the content and everything else is taken care
of. Next, blogs can be set up quickly. If using a platform that is already created
(like Tumbler), a user can set up a blog in about ten minutes. Third, blogs are search engine friendly. What this means is that users will not have
to spend time worrying about how to make sure compatible readers can find their
blog. Blogs automatically link of the
posts and pages together, which helps search engines to find and index the
site. Blogs will also use any relevant
keywords in the titles, Meta tags, and URLs of every page, which also helps pages
rank higher in search engines. Additionally,
blogs are very organized. One of the
hardest things about maintaining a traditional website is keeping the pages
organized. Blogs automatically organize
the content by date, category, tags, and even include a built in search. This makes it much easier for people to
navigate the blog and find what they are looking for. A fifth advantage of blogs is they are a
magnet for readers. If a blogger is
writing about something that they are passionate about, there are bound to be
others who are passionate about the topic too.
If the blogger writes regularly, this will keep the readers coming back
for more. Finally, a blog is an instant
online community. Blogs have built in
commenting systems, which allow readers to comment and have discussions about
different topics. This promotes
readership, and also generates unique relevant content (“How to Start A Blog”,
2007-2015).
Just as there are advantages, there are also disadvantages of
blogs. First, whatever is published on
the blog is available for everyone to see.
This can have serious repercussions for professionals who do not
exercise tact in their posts. Also,
blogs can be biased and/or contain inaccurate information. Finally, blogs can be
time consuming. Finding the time to
write regularly can become a chore.
Blogs are useful when the information is relevant, not old and outdated
(“Being Online: Blogs”, n.d.).
Blogs can be applied as training tools for knowledge creation and
enhancement. Because they are very easy
to start and use, setting up a blog is a simple way to share information with
employees about things that will help them to do their jobs better. With a blog, links can be embedded so that
users can go to another site for more information and/or videos. Because users can post comments, the blogger
will be able to easily see if there are any clarifications needed in the
training information provided. Also, based
on questions, bloggers can see what other trainings may need to be
offered.
Middle school educators need opportunities to share and receive information that is relevant to their content. Many schools have Professional Learning Communities where teachers get together on a weekly basis to discuss content, assessment, and lesson planning. For many educators, this is the only time to collaborate with colleagues. By using blogs, teachers would be able to self-educators in order to further their short and long range personal and professional goals. Teachers can also gain valuable information from blogs that will help to enhance their current teaching practices:
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| Fig 2 |
http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/
Lisa Nielsen’s blog, The Innovative
Educator, is designed to share ideas that will help make school more
exciting. The blog is updated in a
timely manner, usually every two-three days.
The type of content provided includes information on SMART Boards,
flipped classrooms, and social media in education. These topics are relevant to the middle
school teacher who is interested in learning new ways to engage students
through the use of technology. The blog
does invite comments and a weekly roundup of the “hottest posts everybody’s
reading” which could be helpful to readers who are unable to check the site
daily. This blog is reputable and has been recognized by many of the leading
EdTech websites.
http://crazyladyteacher.blogspot.com/
Kirsten Foti’s blog, CrazyladyTeacher, is
subtitled “My Life as a Middle School Teacher.”
This blog is a good resource for middle school English teachers because
it incorporates content related strategies and tips. For example, Foti has a link from her blog to
Word Wizard, a program that helps to enhance students’ vocabulary. The blog content looks to be updated weekly,
although the last post is dated January 12, 2015. There is a link for comments on the blog although
few comments have been made. The blog
also includes screenshots of what is being explained in the post. The blog appears to be reputable and there
are links to the bloggers Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest
pages.
https://blog.edmodo.com/
The Edmodo blog is quickly gaining in
popularity. It is a way for Edmodo users
to learn about updates to the site, read teacher stories, get tips, news, and
learn about events. The Edmodo blog is a
great source to help educators effectively use technology in their
classrooms. For example, the post “4
Ways to Become a Snapshot Trailblazer” walks teachers through the process of successfully
using the common core aligned technology in their classrooms. The blog does
invite comments although there are very few.
This blog is a reputable expansion of the wildly successful Edmodo site
which connects millions of teachers, students, and parents to collaborate on
assignments and discover new resources.
http://blog.betterlesson.com/
The Better Lesson Blog is a blog that was
founded by a group of teachers from Atlanta and Boston public schools to help
educators create, organize, and share their curricula. There are several categories that will be
useful for middle school teachers, such as Common Core, ELA and Math. What is good about this blog is that under
the featured resources tag, ELA teachers can find grade specific lessons for
writing and novel studies. This is
useful for the teacher who is introducing new curriculum with minimal
resources. The site allows for comments
either on the site or through posting to the Facebook page, Twitter page, or email. The last general post to the page was September
2, 2014 which is a bit outdated.
However, if teachers are using the site to find content planning ideas
this is not much of a concern.
http://www.edutopia.org/blogs
Edutopia:
K-12 Education Tips & Strategies That Work is a site that is used by
many educators. The blog companion is
just as useful. In the blog, users will
find practical tips from real educators, as well as lesson ideas, personal
stories, and innovative approaches to improving teaching practices. The blog encourages feedback with a link to
send emails about any of the blog posts.
Recent posts include “How the Common Core Supports Deeper Learning” and “7
Super Bowl Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom.” The blog is updated regularly and often there
are multiple posts on the same day. For
example, January 22, 2015 has 5 posts. The
blog is credible and reliable as Edutopia is a good reputation in the education
community.
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| Fig 3 |
For
those who are new to blogs, there are many ways to get started. People read blogs as a source of information or
the blogger is a person of interest. When
using blogs as a personal learning network, educators are able to make
connections and build relationships with other educators, administrators, and
experts all around the world. Being a
connected educator is also being a connecter learner because collaborating
online helps users to build their own personal learning network as they
interact with other educators. The first
step for the educator would be to select blogs to follow. Using an internet search site, such as Google
Blog, will help to narrow the focus.
After finding blogs of interest, the educator should begin subscribing
to those blogs. They should also make
time to check the blogs regularly, at least once a week, if subscriber updates
are not available. Starting small will
help the educator to not become overwhelmed.
References
Being online: Blogs. (n.d.).
Retrieved
from http://www.teach-ct.com/gcse_new/being_online/blogs/miniweb/pg6.htm.
Figure 1. Scocco, Daniel. What is a blog infographic. Digital image. Daily Blog Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Figure 2. Beckingham, Sue. Blog
infographic. Digital image. Social
Media for Learning Sue Beckingham, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
Figure 3. Fossatti, Marrianna. Blog word art. Digital image. Blogs and Conversations about Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
How to start a blog. (2007-2015). Retrieved from http://www.howtostartablog.org/
Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2012). The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age. Retrieved from The
University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
