Creat Student Blogs and Using Bloglines to Manage Them Enrich Social Studies Exit Project with Technology iLearn Social Studies Session 7 of 8

Focusing Questions How do we set up student blogs for use as electronic portfolios? How can I manage my students’ blogs/ electronic portfolios?

Instruction

Framing The Session Previously, we focused on how teachers can use blogs in the classroom. Today we will learn how to set up student blogs that can be used as electronic portfolios that might document: >Research notes >Questions and answers >Personal reflections We will also learn to manage all the information using a Web site known as Bloglines.

Teaching: Rationale for Student Blogs By creating a student blog, each student in your class will have an electronic portfolio to store research, thoughts, and assignments pertaining to their Exit Project online. Information will be kept online to allow student and teacher access from inside and outside of school. This tool creates additional opportunities for communicating and reflecting on student progress.

Teaching Instruction shifts from teacher-centered to student-centered Teacher-focused TEACHER BLOG Students respond to teacher- generated questions that assess student progress. STUDENT BLOG Students keep a reflective journal of their own progress. Teacher role is limited. Student-focused STUDENT BLOG Students keep a reflective journal of their own progress. Teacher role is limited.

Teaching: Setting Up a Student Blog Creating a Student Blog Account: >Open an internet browser. >Go to >Follow the instructions for setting up a student blog. >Once you have set up the student blog, copy and paste the URL into your word document and save it.

Optional Refresher: Student Blogs Go to Follow the instructions. Using your mouse, click on “Create your blog now.”

Optional Refresher: Student Blogs Enter a title (which can be changed) for the blog. Enter a URL that includes section and student’s name. >E.g., 801robertm [This is permanent. It can’t be changed!]

Optional Refresher: Student Blogs Enter the following information: Example of easy User Names: >801RDM (class and initials) >RM185RDM (room and initials) Examples of easy passwords: >IS123 (school name) >ABC123 (generic) NEVER use a student’s last name in the display area!

Optional Refresher: Student Blogs Pick a template.

Optional Refresher: Blog Created! Your student blog is created. >Copy and paste the entire URL into a Word document for use later. >

Handout: Student Blog Address Sheet Accessing the MS Word document >Open the Word document on the Web site. >Do a file-save as: “Class 801 Student Blog URLs” You now have a file in which to save your students’ URLs by class.

Final Thought Classroom Tip: After you create each student blog, copy and paste the URL onto a Word document for later use. Review sample teacher post: >Teacher Post 3: Add your brainstorming map to your blog!Teacher Post 3: Add your brainstorming map to your blog! Great activity! But now how do we manage all of these student blogs?

Guided Practice: Understanding Bloglines Using the saved URLs, create a Bloglines account that allows you easy access to each student’s electronic portfolio from one location. Step-by-step directions on setting up a Bloglines account are available on Web site. Create a functioning Bloglines to keep track of student postings and other sites of interest.

What Is Bloglines? Bloglines features: >Searching for Feeds. >Subscribing for News Feeds – News sources (e.g., New York Times Education). >Subscribing for Blog Feeds – Enter in project URL: >Creating folders. >“Keep New” checkbox. (Note: Student blogs will be erased, and have to be reloaded if the “Keep New” box is not checked.) Instead of having to go to 30 different Web sites in your classroom, you can go to one single place.

Setting Up a Bloglines Account – 1 of 3 Go to: > click on sign up now

Setting Up a Bloglines Account – 2 of 3 Fill in the information requested:

Setting Up a Bloglines Account – 3 of 3 An will be sent to the address you used. Once you respond to that, your account will be active.

Adding Feeds to Your Bloglines Account – 1 of 3 Click on “My Feeds” to start entering the URLs you saved on your Word document. (Later click on “Add.”)

Adding Feeds to Your Bloglines Account – 2 of 3 Copy and paste the Exit Project URL into the area provided.

Adding Feeds to Your Bloglines Account – 3 of 3 Check the appropriate boxes and click on “Subscribe.”

Adding Additional Feeds and Web Sites – 1 of 2 Go back to “My Feeds” and click on “Add” to enter more, following the same steps until all of them are entered.

Adding Additional Feeds and Web Sites – 2 of 2 Also use the “Search for Feeds” feature to enter URLs for student blogs and news feeds (e.g., New York Times Education).

Accessing Your Bloglines Account in the Future In the future, to access your account simply go to Enter your address and password.

Work Time

Getting Started Save the URLs of your classmates on the “Student Blog Address” sheet. Add the URL for the Exit Project blog. Add the URLs for some of your classmates.

Work Time Add any additional Web resources. >Use all of the above URLs to create an operational Blogline account of your own.

Share

What are your thoughts on using a Bloglines account? What did you find challenging, what worked well, and what would you do differently? Is using a Bloglines account an essential stage in the process of using blogs for your Exit Project? Why or why not? Share

What did you do? Share

How does this work address the questions that began the session? Answers

For more information Office of Instructional Technology