Blogging Defined:
Weblogs, or Blogs, are Internet based personal reflections that are updated regularly. Blogs are constructed around specific topics, or courses, and allow for group based interaction. Blogs also can contain videos, photos and files for download. For our purpose blogs are used as a teaching resource to share personal reflections, discussions of Assignments, and to provide resource materials for students. Blogs are flexible and can be shaped into a useful tool for both teachers and students.
Blogging at Dalton:
The Dalton School has been successfully integrating blogging since the 2006 school year. We have found blogs to be helpful in organizing digital resources and making these available to students. Blogs also create a "virtual classroom" experience by adding a venue for conversation and taking advantage of the emerging online social learning environment. An extended view of blogging sees a merging of the traditional paper based assignment with an interactive, multimedia, online context.
Teachers who use blogs see an advantage in having students publish ideas for the class to consider and post comments. Interacting with classmates outside of the classroom adds a layer of richness to the Dalton experience by offering opportunities to either begin or extend class discussions.
Other features of blogging:
Podcasting:
The creation of digital audio files saved as an MP3 is distributed via the internet through software named RSS readers. The RSS reader allows for users to subscribe to podcasts and have new content automatically delivered to them. Dalton Radio uses Podcasts as a means to distribute radio programs as well as Dalton events.
RSS Feeds: allow users to register for new information to be automatically delivered to them via RSS readers.
Other Advantages of Blogging: Blog software is open source which allows third party plug-ins to be created thereby expanding the blog experience. We use the "polling" plug-in to gather student input on debate topics.
Blogs offer an ideal way to post notes captured from smartboards.
Blogs create a web presence for student book reviews or clubs.
Technical Support:
To facilitate blogging, The New Lab for Teaching and Learning (NLTL) has established their own blog server allowing for easily created blogs. The content is secure and backed up nightly. When a teacher is interested in a running a blog we can create one in minutes and tie the login to their existing Dalton accounts. With local tools it is easier to access and manage blogs.