Blogs - Help or Hindrance?

What is a Blog?
A blog (a blend of the term web log)^[1] is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger^[4] on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog," was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999.^[5][6][7] Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used "blog" as both a noun and verb ("to blog," meaning "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog") and devised the term "blogger" in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms.<sup>[8]

I will first look at the Pros and Cons of blogs to educators and then I will focus on two blogs that I found very interesting for different reasons:
PROS</sup>

1. ^{Learning from other person's opinion}
2. ^{Reflection of classroom strengths and weaknesses. Exploring best practices.}
3. ^{Used as a collaborative tool - packed with endless possibilities.}

^CONS

1. ^{Being swayed by someone else's opinion}
2. ^{Ideas are at times not cohesive or cogent. Individualism taking the place of objectivity.}
3. ^{Time-consuming. The educator's calendar is so packed that there are already not enough hours in the day to complete all there is to do.}

^{I'll first focus on Dr McLeod's Top 50. I have been hitting one pretty often because of the fact that it deals with political issues among other issues of interest to educators. http://www.technorati.com/blogs/www.joannejacobs.com?reactions.}

http://www.joannejacobs.com
Linking and thinking on education and parenting. A former San Jose Mercury News columnist, I'm the author of "Our School," which tells the true story of a charter school that prepares Hispanic students for college.


Read more: http://technorati.com/blogs/www.joannejacobs.com?reactions#ixzz0ztavzctk
I believe that educators should be interested in the political arena as it ultimately shapes theirs and their students future. I'll share an article from her site that I found quite interesting and I believe it's one to watch based on the present political climate.
http://technorati.com/politics/article/dems-calling-for-tax-breaks-for  /  This is a powerful story and one we all need to pay attention to. For me blogs are educational and allows you to get involved in areas of interest, not necessarily all related to 'educational issues.

  Another blogs I spent time with that I found very interesting and informative was Ms Bliss' - the Canadian teachers blog of sites educators can use. Not only did she name them but she defined them giving educators instant choices as to what would be most appropriate for using with their students.
 It spoke to sites that I've found interesting and that I'll definitely be using, even some of the sites that have been assigned to us are defined there.
Glogster.EDU is one of those tools that opens dozens of lesson ideas to foster creativity and higher order thinking skills. No more will we have poster boards dropping off the walls in the hallways or students covered in Crayola markers down their arms. With Glogster teachers and students can create interactive posters for research, websites, presentations, reflection, and more.
Voicethread –From digital storytelling, reflection, photo essays, and more, this tool has been one of my students’ favorites. Also be sure to check out Voicethread for Educators Ning for ideas on using the tool.
  Blogs can truly be informative and worthwhile reading. The can have a great impact on your teaching as it allows for new and interesting strategies to be implemented in your classroom. Blogging has been one of the greatest experiences for me.