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I'll admit that I know very little about blogging. However, I was fortunate enough to attend Jim Gaston's talk on blogging and thought I'd post the notes that I took on the talk below.

Please visit Jim's blog (http://digitaledu.blogspot.com) for more information on blogging and technology related to education.

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BLOGGING,

BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

(Jim Gaston, http://digitaledu.blogspot.com)

View Jim's PowerPoint Presentation here.

How can we take these kinds of tools and use them in the academic world to engage our students?New Stuff from District ITMySite 2.0Currently in Beta mode.A link will appear within the next couple of weeks.Almost every system is in the process of being replaced.e.g., Curriculum, HR, Registration, etc.Developed in conjunction with Microsoft and Newdesic.Will become the default portal sometime in February.MAP (My Academic Plan)Enables students to define an academic goal, layout a plan to meet the goal, and then to track their progress towards meeting their goals.NEW SIS (Student Information System)Will integrate with MAP.Will provide an upgraded level of service to students.OverviewWhat is a blog?ConsumingFindingOrganizing/Subscribing (RSS)ProducingCreating a blog.Creating blog postings.PromotingTracking usage.Web Siteshttp://del.icio.us/jgaston/blogsLinks to all web sites addressed in the presentation.http://digitaledu.blogspot.com/Jim’s blog on technology and education.What Is Blogging?From Wikipedia:A blog is a user generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.Derived from Web log.Began as online journals/diaries but has evolved into a new form of media.Impact of BlogsDan Rather, Mark Foley, & Trent LottDaily Kos & Joseph LiebermanDaily Kos is probably the leading liberal political blog.Some say that Lieberman lost the primary as a consequence of this blog.Around 60 million blogs.Every day:100,000 new blogs created1.3 million new postingsAnyone who has anything to say can create a blog.There are no editorial controls or standards as found in “traditional” media.It is important to keep in mind that not all of the information is critical or unbiased.Students need to realize who is provided in the information and critique whether the information is correct.Blogs are much more responsive to events that are occurring at any given moment.Some were posting during the Hurricane Katrina event as it was happening.Not likely going away any time soon.Popular bloggers are being recognized and courted by groups who want to use blogs to sway public opinion.It’s possible that blogging will have an even greater impact during the next presidential election.Reading BlogsBlog Index and Searchtechnorati.comThe one used most often by Jim.Searching by “tag posting” will provide posts which use the search term as a keyword.If you search all blogs, you’ll get every posting in which the term is mentioned in the text, whether or not the blog is related to your search.blogsearch.google.comsearch.blogger.comBlogger is the most used blogging service.Blogpulse.comVirtually all blogs allow comment, which allows for numerous viewpoints.Subscribing to BlogsRSS (Really Simple Syndication)A text file that contains updates to the content of a site.Nearly all of the latest browsers have RSS feeder options.Allows for the viewing of blogs without visiting the blogs themselves.This way, you can organize and arrange the blogs to your liking.Reader.google.comAllows for the organization and sharing of blogs.Bloglines.comWeb-based services are convenient because they can be accessed anywhere, whether you’re reading the feeds from home or elsewhere.Producing a BlogBlogger.comPurchased by Google about a year ago.Free service.Easiest to use.Wordpress.comA small cost per month.Edublogs.orgFree blogs for teachers, trainers, lecturers, librarians, and other edu professionals.Uses Wordpress without the cost associated with Wordpress.Creating ContentBlog PostingAdding images and video clipsPromoting Your BlogRegister your blog with your favorite blog search sites (e.g., Technorati.com).Link to other blogs.Post comments with a reference to your blog.The more links pointing to your site, the higher your blog ranking on the various blog search engines.Tracking UsageIf you build it, will they come?Site trackingSitemeter.comAnalytics.google.comYou need to copy and paste the code provided when you register in order to track your blog visits.doclc.blogspot.com