Creepy blogger!

I have to confess to being a closet blogger. That is, I personally have used blogs to organize and collect things I’ve done and learned online, but I admit to not using them that often in my classes.  My first blog was created using Blogger in 2009, but its lack of ability to make pages within the blog led me to make a new blog for every online course or tool I learned in preparation for starting MET.  This soon got unwieldy!

When I started MET and found we had to have an ongoing e-portfolio, I was impressed with WordPress’s templates, appearance, and pagination, so have used it to document course assignments, and to keep a running reflection in the home page blog.  I haven’t made either blog public, and find that I am a “creeper”; I read other people’s blogs, but don’t encourage two-way participation in my own creations.

In my classes, I use Blogger in two ways. First, whenever we have a guest speaker or see a longer video that doesn’t allow time for an in-class assignment, I have the students comment on the video and on each others’ comments based on a set of open-ended criteria.  I also post replacement media for absent students, who can then access it from home. However, I find that, at least with my grade 9 students, they do not readily comment “back & forth” in this educational setting, and I don’t know if it’s because of the linear way Blogger is organized or their lack of interest in the topics (!).

The second way I use blogs is when reading a novel with the class. We have students post personal responses to journal questions in the class blog. However, I have yet to find a blog platform that doesn’t end up looking somewhat overwhelming, especially to struggling readers and students with low motivation.  I am hoping to find a less visually chaotic format in the links Group 7 has posted. I like blogs that have a moderator function that allows previewing of comments before posting is allowed, as well as those that are easy to set up in terms of members, i.e. ones that don’t require remembering a password or requiring an email address, and that can be set up in batches.

General impressions of blogging platforms:

Drupal:

  • I was going to try it, but the need to install base system files and modules to my computer put me off right away.  I want a cloud-based application, especially since our work computers are locked by the IT department at school.

Edublog:

  • This looks worth a try, especially with its webpage-like format and educational focus.
  • I could see having groups or the whole class create a digital newspaper this way, instead of cutting and pasting.

Loudblog:

  • I could see using this personally to post podcasts and mp3’s with my other weird music collecting friends (post-MET, once I have a life again
  • 8-0)

Tumblr:

  • This looks very similar to Posterous. Has anyone used both?

I hope to improve upon my lackluster blog performance after this week’s experience, and am motivated to explore further..

BTW, great job with the interactivity in your WordPress, Group 7!

KJ

 

Posted in: Week 07: Blogs