Getting Started

[SO--let's see if I can start going in order with Thing #2! I read some other class blogs and realized I needed to do a post in addition to creating the blog.]

What makes a good blog? 
I am actually a very avid blog reader and have been for several years. I follow a number of blogs for a number of different aspects of my life. I follow two friends to keep up with them, a couple book blogs because I'm an avid reader, some decorating/lifestyle blogs, and a couple weight loss blogs. All the blogs I follow on a regular basis post regularily and also have great photos. The writing is excellent--in fact, one of my blogger "friends" recently changed the focus of her blog from weight loss to "life" and I still read her because she's such a great writer.


I also have a list of education/tech blogs in my RSS feed, but some of them don't post on a regular basis or are "projects" (I'm guessing) and not kept current. They've got great stuff--just not a lot of new posts.  

How could a blogs enhance your classroom? 

I have actually blogged for parents for about a year, now. I took a Google Tools class at the ISD last fall and Ron suggested we blog daily to give parents a glimpse into our classrooms. I thought it sounded a bit much at the time (I mean, daily?!), but I tried it for a month or so to see if I could keep up and then told parents about it! Surprisingly, it is not a burden--and it's one more tool I can use to communicate with parents. I open the "new post" at the beginning of each day and add a few thoughts when I can, often finishing it on my prep hour. I always include a photo (now from Creative Commons Search). If a parent email or conferences and asks what they can do to help their student, I always suggest they start at the blog--it's a great way to "talk the talk". If they can even say, "Hey, show me the draft you started today" it gives kids the impression their parent is on to them. I also think it's a great tool to give the public a glimpse into the life of a teacher--we are constantly denigrated today and this is  great PR.  See RoomB209

Are blogs an easier way for people to self-publish?

I started my own blog a few years ago and it IS the outlet for a frustrated writer and bookseller (I worked in a book store for several years before teaching). I blog every book I read--and, unfortunately, I violate one of my own reasons for following a blog. I am not a regular poster in the school year. I blog a couple times a week in the summer, but not the rest of the year because I don't read as much. I've thought about ways to broaden my topic, but I've not yet taken any steps to do so. See This is my symphony.