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Setting up a Blog
      Technically this in not an unsurmountable task, setting up a blog, that is. Doing it so that it is effective is another story.

     "[It is said through research] that blogs can
        • Promote critical and analytical thinking
        • Be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking
        • Promote analogical thinking
        • Be a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to qualify information
        • Combine the best of sloitary reflection adn soial interaction
                (Eide Neurolearnign Blog, 2005)" - cited by WIll Richardson

Blogs in Schools
     One of the features of the Internet is the accessibility from anywhere, where there's an Internet connection and computer, at any time. This allows teachers to post on the Internet assignments, handouts and other documents so students can access them later if they miss class or forgot the information. The teacher doesn't have to repeat. A blog can do that and can do it simply.
     The reverse also works: students can place their assignments on the Internet through a blog. In fact, the blog may be a tool to start a paperless classroom.
      Another logical step would be for the students to use a blog for storing all there assignments and work essentially serving as filing space for their academic portfolio.
     With the ability to comment on someone else's blog, a blog can serve as a workspace for a group of students allowing them to collaborate on projects.
     These processes can be extrapolated beyond the realm of students and into the realm of teachers and other professionals: opportunities to connect with others with common interests, collaborate on projects, learn from each other, share ideas and concerns. And express one's own ideas, in a way and place where others can benefit.
     The ease of publishing, the availability to the world and extent of the features, suggests that a blog may the source of a school website, or personal website, not only offering information, but offering it in a timely matter and allowing feedback.

Teaching using Blogs
     While the new "Web" offers only only the reading of information on a website, but also the writing of information and thoughts on the Internet, the genre of the blog is pretty much "reading and writing." Certainly the writing can be enhanced with imagery, videos and sound, but communicating through reading and writing still remain the primary media. The next logical step is teaching writing using blogs, allowing a forum where other students can read the writings, parents can read the writings, peers can review and edit the writings, teachers can assess and file the writings, and writers can feel the pride of a published work.

     So our challenge is to design a blog emphasizing some of these features.


Creating a Gmail account       Throughout the term, you may be asked to sign up for a variety of tools or services available online. In order to protect your regular email account and address book from spam or other dangers, you may create a Gmail account used solely for this purpose.

• Go to www.google.com
  
• Click on Gmail in the upper left corner
  
• Click on Sign up for Gmail on the next screen.
  
• Fill out the form on the next screen.
  
• Click I Accept, Create my account.
  
• Write down the login name and password you chose.
  
• Use this account for establishing a blog in www.blogger.com.
  
• To check your Gmail account, go to http://mail.google.com and login with your login name and password.