Resources

Weblogs

NECC Keynote Weblog Video
http://www.weblogg-ed.com/weblogs_in_ed_video

As part of a keynote address at the 2004 National Educational Computing Conference, Intel CEO Craig Barrett included a video in which high school students and their teachers explain what weblogs (blogs) are and how they use them in their classrooms. The video is available online in Windows Media, Quicktime, and Flash formats. To access the streaming video, click on the blue links in the text of the webpage.

The Amazing Web Site Machine
http://www.blogger.com/knowledge

This online article from Blogger provides a brief overview of the blogger.com weblogging tool. Blogger is a free service sponsored by Google. Blogger and Live Journal are two of the most commonly-used blogging services.

LiveJournal
http://www.livejournal.com/

LiveJournal is another free weblogging tool; they also offer a paid service with additional features. For a chart comparing the two versions, go to http://www.livejournal.com/site/accounts.bml. Because different blogging tools have slightly different features and interfaces, it is a good idea to look at both Blogger and LiveJournal before deciding which to use.

Weblogs Come to the Classroom
Accessible to UT Austin faculty and students through the UTNetCAT at http://www.lib.utexas.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=11729010&db=aph

This brief article, written by Scott Carlson and included in the November 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, examines how some university professors have used weblogs to supplement their instruction. The author includes links to several examples of classroom blogs.

Citation:
Carlson, Scott - Weblogs Come to the Classroom.
Chronicle of Higher Education; 11/28/2003, Vol. 50 Issue 14.

Scholars Who Blog: The Soapbox of the Digital Age Draws a Crowd of Academics
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i39/39a01401.htm

David Glenn?s online article in the Chronicle of Higher Education explores some of the ways scholars use weblogs to engage in professional discourse that includes both colleagues and non-academics. Through descriptions and examples of real blogs, Glenn points out both benefits and dangers of this new forum for discussion.

Matrix of Some Uses of Blogs in Education
http://www.edtechpost.ca/mt/archive/000393.html

Scott Leslie has included in his blog a nice overview of some of the potential applications blogs may have in educational contexts. The matrix is accessible through his blog (http://www.edtechpost.ca) or link to it directly by going to http://www.edtechpost.ca/gems/matric2.gif.

Living in Parallel Worlds: Blogs and Course Management Systems
http://www.syllabus.com/news_issue.asp?id=155&IssueDate=11/12/2003

This November 2003 Syllabus Magazine viewpoint column presents a clearly written description of what blogs are and how they can be used in the classroom. Also include is a discussion of the connection between blogs and course management systems.

Blogging and RSS: The ?What?s it?? and ?How to? of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/Richardson.shtml

Will Richardson has written an online article that explores weblogs and how they can be used in educational settings. He highlights the tools available and includes an overview of RSS (rich site summary) and some applications RSS news feeds may have in education.

Into the Blogosphere
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/

The University of Minnesota offers ?an online edited collection [that] explores discursive, visual, social, and other communicative features of weblogs.? The resource is fundamentally a collection of essays to which visitors to the site are invited to post comments.

Audioblogger: Speak Up!
http://www.audioblogger.com/

Audioblogger is an add-on application that allows users to include audio posts to their Blogger weblogs. Adding an audio post is simply a matter of calling a central phone number and leaving a message. Posts can be up to five minutes in length. Note: While Audioblogger is currently a free service, long distance charges may apply.