Blogs

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Blogs are a way to publish your written thoughts on the web. [|Blogging took off around 1999] with the availability of easy(ier) to use methods of creating web content. A blog is a [|"Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer."] With the widespread use of What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) Editors everyone has the ability to create a published public writing profile. There are blogs on every subject imaginable from [|skateboarding] to [|genetics]. In a digital world, one needs to be able to access the expertise of the masses (and to make sure that one can tell the difference between a great blog and a lemon). Why should you be reading blogs? [|Read this.] Blogging has different components to it and different groups/individuals use blogs in different ways. To learn how to create your own blog and how it could be used in your job category, click on [|teachers] or [|adminstrators] and go through the tutorials. If you feel that you need a better idea of how to consume blogs before jumping right in, scroll down. There is an online tutorial about how to [|read blogs] below. Remember: It always pays to learn from the best before you strike out on your own.

Reading Blogs 101
Insert video here: Why would I want to do this?

Essential Questions:
How do blogs fit into a 21st century view of literacy and communication? What are the basic things you need to know about to be blog savvy and how do you find blogs that will be of value?

Session Overview:
In this session you will learn about how to search for blogs on a variety of topics. You will also learn how to subscribe to feeds, learn what Real Simple Syndication (RSS) is, and learn how to use blogs for professional/personal development and networking.

Objectives and Assessment:
By the end of this short online tutorial you will be able to search for meaningful blogs. You will have set up a feed catcher and subscribed to blogs of interest.

Reading Blogs:

 * 1) How do blogs work?
 * 2) How do I find a blog I want to follow?
 * 3) Search Engines
 * 4) Blog links
 * 5) Blogging sites
 * 6) What is an RSS feed?
 * 7) What is a feed catcher?
 * 8) How do I sign up for Google Reader (a feed catcher)?
 * 9) How do I subscribe to a feed I would like to follow?
 * 10) How do I manage feeds I have subscribed to?

Activities:

 * 1) Participate on a discussion board about blogging. Feel free to post questions, thoughts, or instructional/work flow ideas in the forum.
 * 2) Post a link to a blog you found particularly valuable.