What is a blog?

What is a blog?
• A blog (short for weblog) is a Web 2.0 application that allows you to post information
and allows others to add content by commenting.
• Blog postings, typically updated regularly, can include images, photos, links, video,
audio, or simple text.
Why do I need a blog?
• Communicate with Parents
• Communicate with Other Educators
• Showcase Student Work
Three Types of Blogging Teachers
(http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/november-december-2006/blog-rules.html)
• Independent Teacher Bloggers - writing is completely unrelated to their job with your
school or district;
• Professional Teacher Bloggers - write in their capacity as teachers in your school or
district;
• Instructional Teacher Bloggers - blog as an instructional strategy, usually encouraging
their students to blog, too
How do I get started?
• EM-S ISD teachers and administrators will be able to begin blogging as soon as they
complete the Introduction to Web 2.0 and the Who Let the Blogs Out? courses.
o Introduction to Web 2.0 is a prerequisite to the blogging and the podcasting
course.
o This course will focus on Internet Safety and many of the new Web 2.0 tools that
are available at school and at home.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
Can people comment on my blog posts?
• You can allow people to post comments to your blogs, but in order to comply with the
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Acceptable Use Policy, comments must be approved
before they will appear on the webpage.
• It is your responsibility to read each comment and determine if it is relevant and
appropriate for this district blog.
• Remember that you may encounter negative replies that are still appropriate and can be
approved.
Beware of Dogs Blogs!
• Be aware that anything you post on a public blog can be seen by
your friends, your enemies, your students, your students’ parents,
your family, your minister, your meter reader, current potential
employers, and anyone else with access to the Internet.
• Before you reveal personal information online, carefully consider
whether you want that to be public now and in the future.
Let’s remind our students that they may think it’s cool to post a picture of
themselves on a blog now, but what about in a few years when they are applying
for colleges – do they want admissions officers to see it?
• Before you post information about other people (students AND other teachers), get
permission!
The same Student Website policies are in place with blogs.
In order to publish a student name or work example, there must be a completed
Website Permission Slip on file in the school office or in your classroom.
If you choose to use a student’s name, please use first name only.
We encourage you to post pictures on your blog, but do not include names.
Students can comment on blogs, but they should use first name only or some
other unidentifiable name. We should encourage our students to follow this
policy anytime they are posting information anywhere online.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
• Sign in to Schoolwires from your class or campus webpage.
• Open Site Manager.
• Create a New Page. Select Blog as the page type. Your blog will appear as a new page of
your class site.
• Name your new Blog.
• Save.
• You will see your new
blog listed in Site
Manager. Click on the
name of your new
blog to begin your
first post.
• Click the New Posting button.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
• On the General Tab:
o Enter a title for your post.
o Set the Date, Time, and Format.
o Check the Active box (if you want it to
be available at this time).
• On the Posting Tab:
o Enter your text and use all the formatting icons like you do on any other
Schoolwires page.
o Make sure the Active box is checked.
o Click Save.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
• On the Comments Tab:
o Allow comments on this posting?
This is your choice.
o Do comments need to be approved?
If you choose to allow comments,
you MUST approve all comments
before they are posted. You must
always leave the Yes button
selected. There are no exceptions
to this policy.
o Who can comment on this posting?
The default selections are General
Public and Registered Guests. This
means that anyone can post. You
can limit it to any of the roles listed
here, but in order to post a
comment they must be logged in to their Schoolwires account.
Failure to comply with these Comments Guidelines may result of having blogging and/or
website privileges revoked.
• Your new posting will now be listed in the Section Workspace.
• Click the Edit button to make any changes to your blog posting.
• Click Delete button to delete the entire blog entry and any related comments.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
• You will see the number of Approved Comments and Unapproved Comments listed here
as well. All comments will appear under the Unapproved Comments list until you have
approved them. Click the Moderate button to view and approve comments.
• You will see the Date/Time, Author, and IP Address for each comment.
• You will see the first two lines of the Comment itself. Click the Edit button to see the
rest of the comment or to make any necessary changes to the comment.
• Click the Delete button if you do not want the comment to appear on your blog.
• When you have read the complete comment and want it to appear on your blog, check
the Approved box.
• Approve or delete any other comments.
Change the Display to see a list of
Approved comments.
• To return to your Workspace, click your
blog name to add additional postings or
edit existing postings.
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009
• On the actual blog page, there will be a RSS Feed button where others can subscribe to
your blog.
• On the right side of the page, you will see a list of all of your recent postings and a list of
all posts by month.
• At the bottom of your post, readers can click on the View Comment or Post a Comment
link to see approved comments or post their own (that will not appear until you have
approved it).
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EM-S ISD Instructional Technology Department 2009