ITRT4U

What a great day! I was so impressed with all of the offerings this year that I am sure some of you would have liked to blog too! In addition to asking an ITRT for help, here are some pointers to get you started! Take the time to look around my blog and click on some of the links to gain a better understanding of blogging.

The handouts from todays session are housed in the Temporary Folder on the X: drive (I like to call them the XFiles!) From the STAFF folder click on NRHS and then HARRELL - there is folder called BLOGGING.  Also visit Chris Baugh’s blog, “Chris Blaug,” and click the tab that says “Let’s Blog.” Watching the first video will show you how to get started.

Keep in mind that Chris is working on a way to organize the blog list, but for now, try the FIND feature which is used by holding down the CTRL button and pressing the letter “f.” A dialog box will appear and all you do is type in one of the words you are looking for and it will highlight it on the page for you - not the one you were looking for? Click next until you find the highlighted word you were seeking.  This is a MSOffice feature which can be used anywhere, great for the internet.

Thanks so much to those of you attending the session today! Great job on your blogs!

As I steadily delve into the world of blogging, I find it equally important to become familiar with its terminology. Although I have a link to a Blogger’s Glossary, I am easily entertained with the musings some are having with this simple word, BLOG.

There’s blogging, blogify, blogger, blogspot, blogroll, and today I read about this ladies five year blogiversary! 

So I decided to peruse the link and discovered these cool ones you should try sometime.

Blogoriphic:  something the blogger finds wonderful (blog + terrific) synonyms blogorephic and blogtastic;

Blogger bash:  a party for bloggers, either online or offline;

Blogography:  the profile or “About” section of a blog, often containing a short biography;

Blogerati:  the collective blogging intelligentsia, commonly understood as being the most influential and highly trafficked bloggers online by page rank and the effect of link traffic (”Most Active”); and yes even

Bloggies:  annual blogging awards, featuring online voting and an offline ceremony with nominations in several different categories!

Blogosphere:  the collective content of the blogs worldwide, taken as whole. The term may also refer to the subculture of the community as well, referring to the social network that the interrelationships that bloggers have with one another beyond the technical network itself. Synonyms include blogspace, blogistan, and blogoverse.

Blogroll:  a list of blogs, usually placed in the sidebar of a blog, that reads as a list of recommendations by the blogger of other blogs. Often indicative of the political affiliations of a blogger, these lists may also include many other kinds of recommended media, including newspapers, journals, books or even companies.

Feel free to add some -but remember I am only doing the “blog . . .” words this time!

Would you like to know if anyone is looking at your blog, besides you??????? Unless someone leaves a comment, there is no way to understand if you have any readers, makes you think twice when posting another blog, I am so sure!

Last week, I was so envious when another ITRT asked me about someone leaving a comment from another state, as that is a true sign that more than a SPS representative is reading her blog! Congratulations to Tech Bytes!     

Since October 1st, 2007, there have been over 110,000 hits (31 hits per visit) to the blog server.  Broken down, there were more than 1500 “unique” visitors with 3500+  visitors (2.5 visits per visitor) looking at more than 35,000 pages (10 pages per visit). . .  so what does this mean to you? Well, I need a math teacher to take the total number of blogging accounts at 200+ and a calculator.  Personally, I am nothing but excited to know that all of this has taken place in the last 15 days!But would you like to know if anyone is reading your blog? Please provide any comments regarding the positive use of a counter on your blog.

Currently there is no way to add this information, but I would like to entertain the thought based on the justified need.

 If I try to use the icon (picture of tree) it asks for the URL. It was easier for me to use the UPLOAD option below the Post, although I found some themes not to have this option.

Scroll down in WRITE POST:  Title/Post/Upload/FILE/Browse/Upload

Help with Cyberbullying

Please please be mindful of information posted in a blog.

Please share these links with your students and loved ones!

Social-Web Safety Tips for Teens

Social Networking and School

Teachers can register at http://www.connectsafely.org/ for access to these tips.

Top Ten Safety Tips for Video Sharing

Please review this with your students as well.

Download Video: Posted by mahlness at TeacherTube.com.

Here is another good place with lesson plans at iSafe.

 Safe and Responsible Blogging in SCHOOL

Alrighty then, time to buckle down and get started on this wonderfully quick and painless venture into blogging.

You can get started by visiting our technology integrator’s blog,  Chris Blaug and click “let’s blog” to watch his video.

Upon completion, you should read this article, “Ten Tips on Writing the Living Web,”  from “A List Apart.” It will assist you with the do’s and don’ts of blogging; very helpful.

Download Video: Posted by suziea at TeacherTube.com.

This is the answer to teachers and students blogging!  Keep in mind that this is social networking in its basic form, unlike MySpace, and the governing authorities are SUFFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS. This server is intended to introduce students and prepare them for appropriate behavior in the real world.

Now, if we can only maintain classroom management online . . . (Be sure and check out all the new bloggers, especially Black Cat.  I like her approach to classroom management - Let’s hope it works!)

For those of you new to social networking, it is very simple:  networking on the internet!

From WordPress, Introduction to blogging, “What is a Blog?“

Also take a look at ITRT Ellen Benegar’s “What is a Blog?”\\