blogs+and+wikis

Presented to the Internet Study on Wednesday, March 21, 2007.

=Blogs and Blogging=
 * [|Blogs]
 * Short for weblog
 * Online diary or journal
 * Interactive - readers can post follow-up comments
 * Simple to use and update
 * Multiple free and paid blogging services available (See our Internet Study page for a brief list)
 * [|RSS] = Really Simple Syndication - Your readers can "subscribe" to your blog's feed and have your content delivered to their feed reader
 * [|Google Reader]
 * [|Netvibes]
 * Web-based! You don't have to be on a particular computer or in a particular place to access and update your blog.
 * Take a look at [|the blog I've set up for this Internet Study]
 * Read posts
 * Comment on posts
 * Change template
 * Simple process of creating a blog in Blogger
 * Want one? Sign up for a FREE [|Gmail account] and gain access to all things Google, including
 * [|Blogger] - Google's free blogging service
 * [|Gmail] - free, reliable web-based (or POP) email with over 2 GB of storage
 * [|Google Reader] - RSS feed reader (now that you know what that is!)
 * [|Google Calendar] - Free online calendaring that you can access from ANY computer!
 * [|Google Docs & Spreadsheets] - online word processing and basic spreadsheet functionality
 * [|Google Notebook] - powerful, browser-based research tool
 * Not excited about Blogger? Check out the Resources page for a few more options.

=Wikis=
 * [|Wiki]
 * Wiki = Hawaiian word for //fast//
 * "Online whiteboard"
 * Multiple users can add or edit content
 * Collaborative
 * Multiple free and paid wiki services - this wiki is hosted FOR FREE on Wikispaces
 * Updating and editing is as simple as using MS Word - maybe simpler!
 * Check out the sample wiki I set up for this session
 * Web-based! Think of something to add to a lesson when you're at the in-law's? Sneak off to the nearest computer and fire up a Web-browser to update and make changes

=What about [|eChalk]?=
 * As I see it, eChalk, blogs, and wikis serve some different needs
 * eChalk is a great tool for providing a common look and feel across all schools' sites in the district
 * eChalk may not be the easiest or most intuitive application for having a **two-way dialog** with students or **quickly and easily** posting lessons, content, and supplemental materials
 * Consider posting links on your eChalk page to your class blog or wiki so people can find you easily

=What's next?=
 * Next week's session in Room 510. Bring some ideas of something you may want to do with a blog or wiki (or both!)
 * If you're comfortable getting started on your own, have at it! Add a link to your blog or wiki on this page if you'd like.
 * Stuck? Need help? Ask Scott Elias, Amy Tuttle, Tamara Driskill, Tony Scott...