Blogger

What Is It?
A blog is a web site on which a single user or multiple users may contribute information, present opinions, or share products and creations. Blogs are socially interconnected on the Internet and are updated regularly. A blog can be whatever you want it to be. Blogger is a free tool offered by Google. Anyone can use Blogger with a (free) Google account. Templates are available, too, so starting your own site can be done with ease. Take the Blogger Tour.

Are There Any Examples?
There are various forms of blogs available for public view on the Internet. Most people find a topic of interest and begin to follow and interact with individual bloggers and their sites. If you create your own blog, or one for your classroom, it will also need a particular theme or focus. The following three examples show different blogging styles:
 * **Mad About Your Sport** offers sporting news written by a young journalist.
 * **Faces of Change 2011** is a photo mosaic that chronicles the City Year service project.
 * **Who Will Tell Their Story** posts orphan photographs in search of identification.

Google's Blogger (www.blogger.com) offers links to "Blogs of Note" in order for everyone to peruse what is new, interesting, and popular.

How Do You Do It?
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You can also follow the discussions of your peers to see what questions they have about Blogger, things they have discovered, or offer them your assistance. Be sure to click the "Discussion" tab above to contribute to these discussions. include component="comments" page="Blogger" limit="10"

Try It!
If you don't already have a Google account, create one at www.google.com. If you have a Google account, Blogger can be found in Google Products in the Social category. **Activity** Edublogs has created a Teacher Challenge for beginners. These are the steps we will take in order to create in Blogger. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">**In Step 2, link to Blogger in order to complete your task.** **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Student Blogging Activity 1 (Beginner): Setting Up Your Class Blog **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In this activity you will:
 * 1) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Learn why a class blog is a good starting point for blogging with students
 * 2) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Create a brand new class blog if you don’t already have one!
 * 3) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Optimize your theme and appearance.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Visit the Discussion Question for activity one to reflect on your experiences with getting started with class blogging.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Complete the extension activity (if you have time).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Look What I Made!
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">After completing the above activity, use this section of our wiki to post links to blogs you have initiated for practice or for use in your classroom. Simply click the "Edit" tab above, scroll to this section and add a hyperlink to the blog you would like to share. **__<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In-service Creations List __**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">How Can It Be Used?
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">As you will notice when reading the pdf and when exploring the database link, blogs are useful in any classroom for planning, discussing, responding, sharing, journaling--anything you can think of, really. Remember, participants can be restricted to just your students, or you can share with the world--it's up to you and the objectives of your task.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Blogger in the Classroom <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">SupportBlogging.com provides links to school bloggers. These are examples of how Blogger/blogs can be used in the classroom.

=<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Share Ideas You Have for Using Blogger in Your Classroom:** =

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">To add your ideas simply click the "Edit" tab above. Then scroll to this section in the wiki and add your ideas about using Blogger in your classroom. **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">__Teacher Ideas List__ **