Blogs+and+Forums

toc = = =Camp Blog Sites= = = =What is a Blog?= media type="custom" key="4004751" = = = = = = =Why Blogs in the Classroom?=
 * [|Elementary School Teachers]
 * [|Middle School Teachers]
 * [|High School Teachers]
 * Blogs are a great way for teachers and students to reflect on learning in the classroom.
 * Use teacher blogs to communicate assignments or other class information to students and parents.
 * Allow students to keep electronic journals.
 * Let student blogs be building blocks for e-portfolios that can follow them through their schooling.
 * Create a class newsletter written by the students.
 * For more ideas visit [|TeachersFirst: Gated Blogs for the Classroom].

=Cool Blog Sites to Check Out=
 * [|Cool Cat Teacher]
 * [|The Write Weblog]
 * [|The Secret Life of Bees Weblog] (Students actually communicated with the author of the book through this blog!)
 * [|Extreme Biology]
 * [|AP Calculus]
 * [|Technorati] (This is a blog search engine.)

= = = = =What is the difference between a blog and a discussion forum?= This is actually a matter of some debate but, generally speaking, blogs are more about the thoughts of individuals while forums are community conversations about specific topics. Bloggers basically create online journals where they post news and commentary about the events they are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Forum participants are usually responding to questions or statements made by members of an online group that share an interest in the specific topic being discussed. Forum discussions are often threaded so that the reader can track how the replies to the original comment are structured (the longer the thread, the more interest the group has shown in the discussion topic).

=Some Forum Sites for Teachers=
 * [|A to Z Teacher Stuff]
 * [|ESL Teachers Board]
 * [|Teachnology Teacher Forum]

// **Contact your Instructional Technology personnel if you need any assistance or have questions about integrating blogs and forums into your curriculum.

Special Note: Many of the ideas above were adapted from the book __Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms__ written by Will Richardson.** //