A weblog is a website that allows someone to write entries which appear in reverse chronological order on any and every subject that they feel inclined to write about. It can be open to the public for discussion and response, or it can be open to specific set of people for responses, or it may be set to private so that only the owner can read its entries. They can be used as a social interaction tool, or for one's personal use of collecting thoughts and expressing them in order to reflect on one's own thoughts. Most blogs consist of texts, images, and links to other blogs.
How can I use a blog for personal and professional use?
Blogs can be used as a personal reflective device. It can be used to reflect on lesson plans, individual students' growth, or behavior management strategies. A blog of this nature would most likely be set to private so that only the owner could read, and later reflect on the entries. A classroom blog meant to keep other teachers, students, and parents up to date on what is going on in the classroom, upcoming events, and possibly even weekly assignments would be a good professional use of a blog. In addition, blogs can be good tools for communication from one class to another, or from one individual to others. Teachers could create a classroom blog to for communication purposes with parents and students, or the teacher could allow older students to keep an online blog for communication or online journal for individual use.
How are blogs being used in my area?
In the area of Florence, Alabama, blogs are being used in a variety of ways. Blogs have been created for selling real estate, keeping up to date on the weather, and local news reports. Educators have taken the blog world by storm, however. They have used blogs to keep an up to date calendar of events going on in their classroom or school, support fundraisers, and to promote reading programs.
Mrs. Hill from Lincoln, Alabama has created a blog in which she creates posts, to which any or all of her students may respond. She comments on what is going on in their classroom, and what they are learning. Each child has the opportunity to respond to the question or comment that she leaves. Her blog can be found at http://sites.epals.com/hill3rd/.
Another great set of blogs can be found at http://dme.kcsdschools.com/blogs. I found this set of blogs to be very interesting because every teacher in the entire school has their own personal blog that can be found at this website. The blog that I found most interesting was 5th grade thoughts by Angela McCall http://dme.kcsdschools.com/blogs/angela.mccall. Ms. McCall posts questions about what is going on in her classroom and each student and/or parents have the opportunity to reply or comment on each post. She even has the rules for posting on her blog listed. For instance, the students are required to stick to the topic, and have correct punctuation and capitalization.
What is an Acceptance Use Policy and why are they important?
An AUP is a guideline for schools, teachers, students, and other persons utilizing information technologies within a school system. It is a nine page document included in the student handbook sent home to every family in the school system. Some of the guidelines listed in the Florence City School's AUP include preventing copyrights without permission, ensuring that technology personnel are the only people installing any software programs on to school computers, and preventing modifications to any software. This policy also requires all students to have a signed consent form from a legal guardian ensuring that they have permission to access the Internet via their school and classroom. Florence City Schools monitor all Internet cites being used, and block those that show any inappropriateness. The primary use of the Internet via any Florence City School system should primarily be used for research and educational purposes. A list of guidelines for students attending a Florence City School are also included.
