Using blogs in PE

Ideas:

• Keep a photo record on your blog of activities and events


• Get students to blog about competitions or tournements


• Get students to record their fitness levels on a blog to show the development of their skills


• Embed video demonstrations of different sporting skills so students can watch them from home etc..

Examples:

This teacher blogs about everything he will do with his students in PE weeks in advance so his students can prepare themselves and their parents can see what his plans are etc.. http://peatwilliams.blogspot.com/

This school records all its sporting activities on a blog http://downsviewpe.wordpress.com/

This teacher keeps a blog to share with parents information about his PE lessons and keep them posted about any sports related information they need to know. http://bcsd.k12.ny.us/middle/wood/Wood.htm

Using blogs in MFL

Ideas:

• Embed videos of different languages and ask students to commment underneath with thwa they think the translation is?


• Embed videos of you asking a question in an MFL and ask students to comment under your post with the answer to that question.


• Post revision work


• Post links to newspaper articles / stories to do with particular countries


• Create a blog for an MFL school trip for students to add to with their own photos, and comments (a bit like an online travel journal)

Examples:

This blog has a massive number of links to world sites, and has posted hundreds of pictures of MFL events / classes / trips for their students to enjoy http://www.gillottsmfl.com/

This German blog has links to revision activities, podcasts and other student work http://eggdeutsch.typepad.com/

Using blogs in GEOGRAPHY

Ideas:

• Upload posts about world events


• Upload revision questions & exemplar work


• Post links to newspaper articles about geography related topics


• Embed a weather report to your blog and even disaster reports so students can keep up to date on world issues

Examples:

This geography department in Guildford has a blog where they upload geography related news, weather incidents, revision tips etc.. http://thegeographydepartment.blogspot.com/

This geography blog also posts regularly about world events, and includes posts about the work their students are doing http://dolphinschoolgeography.blogspot.com/

Using blogs in MATHS

Ideas:

• Upload new or embed existing video tutorials of how to do maths activties such as rotating shapes, solving equations etc..





• Upload revision questions





• Post an equation and get students to comment underneath about how to solve it

Examples:

This teacher in India has a detailed blog showing lots of video tutorials and step by step written instructions on how to complete different maths tasks. She has won an award for her online teaching. http://mykhmsmathclass.blogspot.com/

This maths teacher blogs regularly on ideas for lesson plans in maths, and how to motivate maths students. http://misscalculate.blogspot.com/ It is mainly aimed at other teachers.

This blog does the same as the above one, gives ways of teaching maths, ideas, lessons, resources etc.. http://croitz.blogspot.com/

This site includes links to 25 different maths teachers' blogs so you can see other teachers around the world and how they use blogs http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-25-blogs-for-math-in-the-classroom/

Using blogs in SCIENCES

Ideas

• Upload instructions for experiments along with video demonstrations on to your blog



• Upload links to articles about science

Examples:

The teacher at this school in the US blogs regularly about anything Biology related. She has a "shared" blog where she has used a particular setting to allow students within her class to post articles on to her blog too.. This means it is a shared creation. http://missbakersbiologyclass.com/blog/

Using a blog to further your CAREER!

Ideas:

• Record your successes as a teacher eg, shows you've organised, conferences you've attended, difficulties you have encountered and overcome, meetings you've been to, exams results your students have achieved etc..




• Share your good practise ideas with other teachers both in your school and out of them.

Examples:

This English teacher uses his blog to record what he has done each week. For example he discusses books he's read, interesting videos he has seen about vocabulary, what his year 9's enjoyed, how he motivates students etc.. http://bgenglish.blogspot.com/

This Maths teacher uses his blog to give others ideas about how to teach maths. He includes motivational ideas, interesting lesson plans etc http://croitz.blogspot.com/

Using blogs in PSYCHOLOGY

Ideas:

• Upload revision tips for students



• Upload example essays / question papers



• Add links to articles and research that are relevant to your students

Examples:

This school in Nottingham do all of the things above, but mostly just use it for reminding students about deadlines, encouraging them to do revision and discussing currenty research / topics.http://psychology.nottinghamhighblogs.net/

Using Blogs in ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Ideas:

• Display your students work, permanently, all year round



• Encourage other students to peer assess each other's practical work



• Upload art that inspires you and encourage students to log on and comment on what they think. Get them all to become "critics".

Examples:

This school in Notthingham uses a blog in Art. They upload their students work on to it, discuss recent trips to galleries on it, and even document students whilst they are making their art. http://art.nottinghamhighblogs.net/

How to embed a video onto a blog from You Tube

So you might decide that you want to make your blog more interesting by adding in some videos that students can watch at home, or that you can play them in lessons.

To do this, go to You Tube and find the vide you would like. Look underneath the video for the "share" button. Click on it and click on the word "embed."

Highlight and copy the code that appears in that box. Then go to your blog, start a NEW POST and choose the "Edit HTML" tab. Paste in the code that you have just copied (Control + V). It might look like gobbledegook but that's ok for now!


Title your video something in the title box and then click on the orange publish button. When you view your post now, it should have the video embedded in it!

What are blogs and why are blogs useful?

Blogs are a way of regularly posting information on the internet ( a bit like an online diary.)

How can students benefit from using blogs in your lessons?

• Students can record their learning online



• They can receive comments and feedback from other people online. This can be from you as a teacher, or other students in the class (if you allow it). I sent some of my students blogs to an online "teacher sharing" website and now some of my students have even gotten comments from as far away as Australia!



• Students can use them to improve their literacy levels



• Students can unleash their creativity by adding pictures, videos, colours, themes, designs etc



• Students can access work wherever they are (CLIC, classroom etc) They can also submit work (as a new post) wherever they are.



• Students who are EAL can change the language of their blog to their language to help them access your work.

Here are two examples of Media Students' Blogs:

Luke Colburn Year 10 http://www.cbscmedialukecolburn.blogspot.com/

Will Pilkington Year 13 http://cbscmediawill-pilkington.blogspot.com/

How can teachers benefit from their students using blogs?

• Teachers can mark student work much more easily as all you need is a computer and internet access, rather than taking home piles of books and folders. Marks, and feedback can be left as "online comments" on a students blog.



• Teachers can easily share students work with other teachers within their departments



• No more excuses for not handing homework in such as "I left my book at home". Its easy for them to upload homework to their blog wherever they are. They can submit work to you even if they are in CLIC, off sick etc.



• Teachers can save resources such as books / pens etc as students can do a large majority of work online



• Blogs can be easily changed to different languages by students so teachers can help EAL students access work.



• It is easier to discuss students work (or lack of it!) with parents /staff as a link to their blog can easily be sent to them via email rather than sending their books home etc..



• Teachers can demonstrate that they are meeting the following core standards C4, C6, C12, C17, C19, C27, C29, C33, C40, and many many more!

How can teachers benefit from using blogs themselves?

• Teachers can improve their own use of technology



• Teachers could keep all their lesson plans, resources and instructions saved online in blog posts



• If they do this, teachers can be assured that even if a student is in CLIC, working somewhere else, or at home, they can still access the work for that lesson



• You can engage students online, in a way that they are familiar with and enjoy



• Blogs can be easily changed to different languages by students so teachers can help EAL students access work.



• Its a great way of sharing your work with others, or even just privately keeping a record of all the things you've gotten involved with during your teaching career. Imagine applying for a post and sending them a link to your blog so they can see all the exciting things you've been involved with over the years!



• You can post student work on your blog as examples and share them regularly with other colleagues.

Here are two examples of a teacher blog:

GCSE Media Studies Film Blog http://cbscfilmmarketingteacher.blogspot.com/

GCSE Advertising Blog http://cbscgcsemedialessons.blogspot.com/

How to add photos / pictures to your blog

Pictures and photos will add interest to your blog and make it easier for people to understand. In order to do this, start a NEW POST. In the tool bar in the middle of the page, click on the small icon that looks like a photo of a landscape (if you hover over it, it will say "Add Image.")

A box will pop up. Click on CHOOSE FILE and when it allows you, find the picture you have saved on your computer. On the right hand side of the box choose the size you want your picture and at the bottom of the box, choose where you want the picture on the page. When you are happy click on the orange UPLOAD IMAGES button.

Your images will automatically appear at the top of your post. You might wish to drag them down to the right place in your post.


VOILA!

How to create a "blog hub" to keep all your students blogs in one place

So, you have lots of students with blogs.. But its getting a pain to keep track of all of their individual addresses and you can't keep copying and pasting their addresses into your web browser. This is there a blog hub comes in useful. Basically it is a little box that you can add to the side of your exiting blog (or you can create a new blog especially for this) which contrains links to ALL your students blogs which you can just click on.

Why have one?

• It contains all your students' blogs in one easy to reach place


• You can easily share your students' blogs with other staff in your department without the need for spreadsheets or paper copies of the students blog addresses


• You can give the main "blog hub" address to your students and they can look at other students' work easily to allow them to compare their work to others.

Here is my example. Down the sides you can see the links I've added (following these

instructions) to all my A2 student blogs.

http://cbscmedia20112012hub.blogspot.com/

In order to do this, open the blog that you want to add the links to. Look at the top right of the screen and click on the word "DESIGN". This will take you to a screen that looks like the one below.

On the right hand side you will see A box that says "Add a Gadget". Click on that. A box will pop up that looks like this.

Scroll down the list on the pop up box to find the one that says "LIST". Click on the PLUS sign next to it. Another box will pop up.

In the TITLE box, call your list something. For example "Biology Year 9 Top Set Blogs".

You then need to add in each students blog address individually in the NEW SITE URL box. eg: www.bensmithbiologyblog.blogspot.com

Add their name into the NEW SITE NAME box. Eg Ben Smith.

Click on the blue ADD LINK button and repeat the process until you have added in ALL the student blog addresses that are relevant to that list. When you have finished, click on the orange SAVE button.

When you go back to your blog, your list (with links you can click on to their work) will appear down the side on the right. You can have multiple lists (eg one for each class). You just have to repeat these steps. If you wish to edit your list, scroll to the bottom of your list and click on the "crossed tools" to the right hand side of your list. This will allow you to make changes.

How to create a new blog and start posting!

Go to http://www.blogger.com/ and click on GET STARTED. The screen below will appear. You will

have to create a Google Account if you don’t already have one.

To do this, enter all the information you can, eg your email address, create a password etc.. Your “display name” is how you wish your name to appear to others on the site. So you might choose your full name eg Rebecca Germaine or more formal title eg Miss Germaine

Enter the letters you see in the Word Verification Box and Tick the “accept the terms and conditions” box. Click on the Orange Continue button (unseen on the picture above, but it is just slightly down the page if it was scrolled down)

Then you will see a screen like the one below. This is where you have to decide on what to call your blog and what web address you want it to have. When finished, click on the orange continue button

Then you will see a screen like this. Choose a design you like (You can change this design anytime later, using much more creative options - see separate post). Click the orange continue button

Hopefully you will now see a screen like this. Click on the orange Start Blogging Button to start blogging.

This is what the screen will look like if you click on that “Start blogging” or “new post” button. This is for creating individual posts (like diary entries) for your blog

Congratulations! You now have a blog, and you can create posts ON that blog!

WELCOME

Welcome to the CBSC Teachers Media CPD blog. A site where we hope to give you all ideas about how to use Media Technologies in your classroom and how to use blogs with your students. Feel free to comment on our posts, giving us your opinions and ideas, and ask questions about anything you need further help on.

Thanks

Becky and the rest of the Media Department

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