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Be A Blogger! (Released to the web September 4, 2007) Educators are discovering, along with the rest of the world, the power of blogging. A blog is simply a diary of thoughts by a person or group of people, made available on the internet for all to read. The word is derived from "web-log." A blog is informal, sometimes irreverent, and always personal, making it an ideal means to communicate with others on the level you would at an informal gathering. Since it is posted on a website, and usually ordered by date and time, it allows people to connect with the blogger at their own convenience. Principals are using blogs to communicate with parents and school stakeholders, teachers are using blogs to communicate with parents and students, and students are using blogs to help hone their writing and communication skills while communicating with peers. Becoming a blogger is simple and often free. While some high-profile blogs are hosted on their own websites, the majority use inexpensive or free blogging sites already set up with an easy to use interface for creating posts. Do you want to become a blogger? If you have a relatively recent vintage internet browser and a few minutes of time you can. We'll show you here using a very popular and absolutely free service by www.blogger.com, which is owned by Google. First, bring up www.blogger.com in your browser:
Explore if you want, but click on "create your own blog now" when you are ready to start. Since blogger.com is owned by Google, you will be prompted to create a Google account if you don't already have one. Not to fear--the account is free and all the process will entail is the creation of an account name and a password, which you will need to remember. Once you have followed the prompt and signed in to your Google account you will be brought to this screen:
Here you will provide a name for your blog. Teachers often use their own name (if it is available) for the title, or some other name which is easy to remember or meaningful to the intended audience for the blog. Click on "continue" for the next screen:
Here you will choose a template for your blog among the many available. In the future you can change the template or make up your own, but for now just pick one that you like. Click on "continue" for the next screen:
Congratulations! You have a blog. Potential readers would locate your blog on the web by typing www.yourblogname.blogspot.com in their browser. [Note the different "blogspot" versus "blogger."] Now that you have a blog, you need to add some content. Click on "start posting" to get to the editing screen:
Here you can create a post in a simple word processing format. When you click "publish post" it will be automatically posted on your blog and tagged with a date. The "settings" and "template" tabs will allow you to make changes in the way your blog is seen or accessed, including the ability to allow or disallow readers to post back to you on your blog. You can also edit your blog at anytime. To get to this screen in the future all you need to do is access your own blog from any browser, and click on the "sign-in" link to edit or post to your blog. Educators using a blog to communicate with parents or other stakeholders should remember to "keep it real." Language that would be appropriate in a tri-fold brochure or another advertising medium is not appropriate for a blog. Postings on blogs are heartfelt, personal and informal. They need not be long or fact-filled, although they can be. Most important is to communicate with readers the way you would at a party of friends or family and to put your own spin on the topic. Blogs created to tout the company line or to push generic information are quickly ignored. Posts should be regular if not frequent. Most blogs are edited daily or weekly, or at least when something interesting comes to the mind of the blogger. Whether you allow readers to post back or not may depend on your audience. At a minimum, educators would be wise to use the setting to moderate return posts so that their blog doesn't become polluted with inappropriate responses. Contact information and a personal profile are good ways to let readers become more familiar with you and to contact you privately if desired. On www.blogger.com or any of the other free blogging sites, there are educators, students and many others offering up personal reflections that can really add to the richness of the educational experience. For more information:
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