First Course Website: http://rrisdtime2learn.org/basicblogging3/
Facilitators: Karen Jackson, Erin Lundie, and Linda Nichols

Second Course Website: http://rrisdtime2learn.org/basicblogging4/
Facilitators: Debby Acevedo, Mark Kania and Nicole Ortega

Course Website: http://rrisdtime2learn.org/basicblogging/

 Course Website: http://rrisdtime2learn.org/basicblogging1/

22 participants took part in the 6 weeks course and the results showed increased proficiency in Web 2.0 tools.  Results also showed that the course should be broken down into smaller chunks with more time given to learn each piece.  Those suggestions are being implemented in the execution of round 2 to launch in mid-October.

Elementary Examples
http://cfbstaff.cfbisd.edu/beyond4walls/TCEA/
podcasts_by_cfb_teachers.htm
 New Teacher Hotline
http://www.newteacherhotline.com/

Ideas on Podcasting use in Education

From http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/artman/publish/article_610.php
This is not meant to be a definitive list!

• Record lessons for students (and parents!) to access in their own time.
• Enable students to do a presentation about themselves rather than only sticking to PowerPoint!
• Create a short introduction to your school, or the course you run, for potential to access, and to let parents know what they can expect their children to be doing — get student contributions too!
• Create a class radio station.
• Enable students to submit work in the form of a podcast.
• Create audio resources for use by sight-impaired students.
• Find and use podcasts as part of project research materials.
• Use foreign language podcasts to improve linguistic skills.
• Use podcasts to get an insight into another country’s culture, or another person’s daily lifestyle.
• Enable students to create dynamic presentations without the complexity of digital video.
• Subscribe to various podcasts in different subjects in order to provide extra curriculum resources at virtually no cost.
• Provide students with a different way of carrying out surveys in the local area.
• Create an audio blog of a school field trip.
• Create an enhanced podcast entitled “My summer holiday”.
• Subscribe or listen to different podcasts in order to help students develop their critical faculties.
• Ask students to create a podcast to meet a real need, as part of a coursework project, for example for a local business.  

Tutorials:

Podcasting Tutorial: http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-tutorial.html
Audacity Tutorial: http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html
Download Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Free Music for Podcasting:

• Garage Band: http://www.garageband.com/htdb/index
• cNet Free Music for Downloading: http://music.download.com/?tag=navtab
• PodSafeAudio: http://www.podsafeaudio.com/
• The Free Sound Project: http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/index.php – devoted to sounds not songs. Does require registration.

In an article written in 2005, Tim O’Reilly lists on O’reillyNet a sampling of an initial brainstorming of applications that are Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 at that time:

• PBS Teachers on Blogs – by Andy Carvin Internet activist, author, Edtech expert
• Blogs in Plain English Video Created by “leelefever” on TeacherTube
  [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI[/youtube]
• 6 & 7 Year Olds Define Blogs– A TeacherTube video titled, “What’s a Blog, Described by 6 & 7 Year Olds”. Students from Nelson, New Zealand educate you about what they think a blog is, how they use them and what they love about them.
  [flashvideo width="425" height="350" filename="http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/1908.flv" /]

Why should Teachers have a Blog:

• Why Should Teachers Blog?by Chris Lehmann Principal of the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA
• Why Every Teacher Should Blog by Darren Draper, Technology Specialist Sandy, UT

Who’s Blogging? Examples of Blogs in Education:

• Elementary Examples
  · http://jhh.blogs.com/webwriters/ Fifth Grade Web Writers
  · Mrs. Wagner’s Class- Eva Wagner’s blog for her Kindergarten Class
  · http://mmiller7571.edublogs.org/ – Willard East Elementary Blog
  · http://mrsolm.blogspot.com/ Fifth Grade Blog, AZ
• Secondary Examples:
  · http://ridgeviewms.org/podcasts/ – Ridgeview Middle School initiative for podcasting
  · http://www.dawnsbrain.com/ High School Web and Graphic Design teacher
  · Durff’s Study Skills Blog A blog for 7th grade Study Skills students in Maryland
• Administrative Examples
  · http://naesp.typepad.com/ ThePrincipals’ Office, NAESP’s blog that connects principals with their colleagues
  · http://almostmonday.blogspot.com/- Almost Monday from Puyallup School District, WA
  · http://blog.core-ed.net/greg/ -Greg Carroll, Principal in New Zealand
  · http://principalblogs.typepad.com/lindaperdaems/ The Woodland Elementary Blog, Linda Perdaems, MN
  · http://mr-ps-blog.blogspot.com/ Leadership Blog from an Elementary Principal, AZ
  · Mrs. Marshall’s Counselors blog – A counselors Blog.

How to get Started: Edublog Guides & Tutorials:

• Edublog Tutorial Video- Video on Creating an edublog account by Mark Wooley posted on TeacherTube
• Upload Images to Edublog Tutorial Video- Video on how qto upload photos into Edublog by ontanstaff posted on TeacherTube

What will I say? Get Inspired Reading:

Students who blog have a great opportunity to see their writing read by others and even get feedback on their thoughts and insights from “real-world” people and not just their teacher.   How powerful is it to know that anyone in the world can read what you wrote and make comments.  Remember – Comments can be moderated so that the not so helpful ones are not made public.  

What are some examples of student created blogs?  Here is a list taken from Will Richardson’s Book  Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom.

• learn how to blog – nothing better than a hands on experience for learning
• class writing assignments/ ongoing portfolio of writings - blogs would keep all the writing organized and students can look back over time and see how their writing has changed over the year.  This could also be a showcase of their best work.
• express opinions or insights about class topics – Blogging is not just for LA classes, students can give insight on:
  • history topics
  • pieces of music
  • what makes learning a new language hard
  • how science and math can be found in everyday life
  • write editorial pieces about current events
  • discuss class activities

Any other ideas? 

Check out these blogs from math teacher Karen McLinden.  Students are asked to respond to a post during a specified amount of time.  Some are math topics and some are topics about recent events in the lives of the students.

What are other kinds of blogs that teacher’s have started?  Here is a list taken from Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom.

• Reflective Journal that focuses on:
  • Your teaching experiences – The good, the bad, the ugly.
  • Your own learning – Professional development – What do you do with those ideas?  Did they work?  What would you do again?  What would you never do again?  Have you seen a good teacher in action?  Advice that you need to remember.
  • Share your experiences – Give how-to’s for another teacher, Describe lessons that you taught and how they went, share technology integration that you have attempted.
• Class Blogs:
  • Literature Circles or online book clubs
  • Class related info – i.e. calendars, events, homework, supplies, wish-lists
  • Post questions on class topics for students to respond to – can focus on literature or skills
  • Post writing prompts and have students expand on them as part of their comments to you
  • Showcase student work  or provide example of good classroom work
  • Gather internet resources for class assignments
  • Link your class to another class in the world for a joint project or just an ongoing conversation

Any other ideas?  Please add your ideas in the comments section.