Some thoughts on beginning with blogs and RSS:

*  Start by signing up for a reader, and subscribe to some blogs and websites for both personal and professional use

*  Let those sites lead you to other sites of interest

*  Don't forget to occasionally go out to the 'source' blog/site, rather than always reading off your RSS reader

*  Comment on topics of interest to you (bloggers love comments, and you start forming connections)

*  Just "play"!

*  As long as you select some edublogs for your reader, you'll learn what you need to about using them in the classroom, you'll get ideas for how they fit in seamlessly, and you'll grow comfortable with them... TRUST ME!

 

 

 

A great source of info on blogging:

http://movingforward.wikispaces.com/Blogs

 

 

 

 

Some questions to prompt your thinking if you might be ready to try blogging yourself (or with your students):

 

*  Even if not actively participating in blogs - how might your class/students benefit from *reading* other blogs or sites off RSS feeds?

*  Do your students create 'products' that might be interesting to be shared?

*  Do you have discussions that could benefit from further 'conversation'?

*  Do you ask your students to be reflective?

*  How could your class benefit from 'making connections'?

 

 

 

 

How do you create and use a blog?

* Create a free education-related blog at edublogger 

* They're also free at blogger.com

* Others, like TypePad, charge a fee, but you may like those because of the features available

 

Once you've created your blog, using it can be as simple as word processing, or as fancy as you'd like to get!

 

 

 

Some Lorenzo Walker blogs:

http://jpblog-jill.blogspot.com/index.html

http://lwthsit.blogspot.com/

http://principalblogs.typepad.com/jeanettejohnson/

http://learninglagniappe.edublogs.org/

http://lindasgedblog.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

Some RSS feeds related to Lorenzo Walker courses and concerns:

http://lwleadership.pbwiki.com/Assignment:++RSS+Feeds

 

 

 

Who out there in education is blogging?

http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers

 

 

 

 

What about cautions in blogging?

http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/november-december-2006/blog-rules.html

http://ghsprincipal.edublogs.org/2007/02/16/dont-blog-with-students/ 

* Remember that readers can sometimes 'see' things that get through district/school filters

 

 

 

What are some of the other terms I'll hear associated with blogging?

*  blogroll

*  edublog

*  tags (Technorati)

*  feeds

*  TrackBack (and ping)

*  Web 2.0

 

Wikipedia's list of blogging terms