Blogs

What Is a Blog?
Blog is short for //weblog//, an easy way for people to publish short articles and receive feedback. Think of it as an interactive online journal comprised of short articles listed chronologically.

Blogs can be fantastic tools for professional development in that they engender conversation. Unlike traditional websites, in which one publishes content for public consumption with no means of collecting feedback publicly, blogs allow readers to leave comments, ask questions, challenge opinions, and conduct discussions based around the original article.

Find Blogs That Interest You!
[|Alltop] (general) [|Alltop] (education) [|Bloglines] [|Google BlogSearch] [|Technorati]

Some "Edu-Blogs" You May Enjoy
[|2 Cents Worth], David Warlick (general education issues) [|Beyond School], Clay Burell (general education issues) [|Blog of Proximal Development], Konrad Glogowski (MS English) [|BudTheTeacher], Bud Hunt (HS English/educational technology) [|Continuities], Jackie Ballarini (HS math; new teacher) [|Cool Cat Teacher], Vicki Davis (MS educational technology) [|DougBelshaw.com], Doug Belshaw (MS Social Studies/educational technology) [|dy/dan], Dan Meyer (M/HS math; visual design) [|EdTech Solutions], Karen Janowski (special ed/assistive technology) [|Edu.blogs], Ewan Macintosh (educational technology) [|EduSpaces], Christopher Sessums (general education & technology) [|The Faculty Room], multiple contributors (general education issues) [|The FischBowl], Karl Fisch (constructivism/educational technology) [|iLearn Technology], Kelly Tenkely (ES educational technology) [|Intrepid Teacher], Jabiz Raisdana (educational networking & technology) [|JoanneJacobs.com], Joanne Jacobs (general education issues) [|The Jose Vilson], Jose Vilson (MS math) [|Moving at the Speed of Creativity], Wes Fryer (educational consultant) [|Newly Ancient], Arthus Erea (HS student) [|Open Thinking & Digital Pedagogy], Alec Couros (higher ed.; educational technology) [|Practical Theory], Chris Lehmann (HS principal) [|The Principal and Interest], Dave Sherman (ES principal) [|Remote Access], Clarence Fisher (MS educational technology) [|Stager-to-Go], Gary Stager (educational consultant) [|Students2Oh], multiple contributors (general education issues) [|Sustainably Digital], Ben Wildeboer (HS science) [|The Tempered Radical], Bill Ferriter (MS language arts) [|TipLine], Jim Gates (educational technology) [|Thoughts on Teaching], Todd Seal (HS English) [|Weblogg-ed], Will Richardson (general education issues)

Your Task

 * 1) Using either the search engines or list provided above, select 3-5 blogs to read in some depth (they don't necessarily have to be education blogs; find one on your favorite hobby, sport, or other area of interest.
 * 2) Peruse the archives to find at least 1 post on each blog in which some degree of discussion takes place in the comments. Does the discussion seem to be constructive/valuable? Why or why not?
 * 3) **Optional:** Contribute a comment to any post on any blog (make sure it's a fairly recent post, otherwise you may not get any responses to your comment).

There are a million blog hosts out there. If you'd like to start your own blog (personal or professional), do a Google search for "blog hosting" or try one of these free services:

[|Blogger] [|Edublogs] [|Wordpress]