what's your reason?

iT SUMMIT starts Monday.
I present at 11:30-12:30
Basic Blogging 101:
How and Why to Create a
Classroom Blog
in 60 Minutes or Less
This session will focus on the positive outcomes, possible issues and creation and also basic maintenance of creating a simple classroom or school wide blog or edublog. We will take a look at several well functioning existing blogs and go through the basic steps to creating a classroom blog. Participants will leave this session with the knowledge of how to create and maintain a classroom blog.
I have my presentation ready, handouts ready, outfit ready and small snacks for attendees ready. My main theme is how much I love blogging.
What's that? You love blogging too! Great!Part of my presentation will be taking a quick peek at different styles of blogs. Do you have an interesting blog? Well of course you do or you wouldn't be blogging! I have room for a few more blog visits during my presentation time so if you'd like us to visit your blog leave a comment and tell me why we should pop by (we meaning myself and 10-50+ iT SUMMIT conference goers). It is a great way to get some traffic!
And now this goes out to all my readers......I really have no clue how many people stop by my silly little blog but this visit is important because
I really want you to tell me why you love blogging.
Pretty please.
I'd like to share your comments with conference goers so leave where you are from too-I think this will be fun and I'll be sure to stop by your blog and say thanks. No blog? No Problem- I'll thank you right now for your visit and sharing of thoughts.
Until we blog again.......

10 comments :

Jenn said...

Sassy, let me just start by saying what a fabulous topic to present on!

I would love it if my Little Bean`s classroom had a blog. What a great way to connect that would be!

And that`s just it...I think the biggest reason that I blog is connection. Connecting with others far and near. I have met so many great people this way, and I have gained so much perspective though blogging.

I also blog as a way to share my ideas and document my family`s everyday life.

As a bonus it`s a great way for me to express my creativity. To play and learn new photoshop/computer skills and incorporate them into my blog.

Oh, one more thing...I met you and other new peeps from Saskatoon via the bloggyword :)

I`m sure there is more, but that`s it in a nutshell.

Blogging - It`s a good thing!

Jerri-Lea said...

We first started our blog to share news with family, some near, some far.

Then it developed into something to share resources with others.

The kids are so excited to check our blog and see who left us comments! Positive, immediate feedback!!

Connections ~ like Jenn mentioned. We have been so lucky to meet all kinds of people and have a great time bouncing ideas off each other.
Also how I met Sassy.

Blogging is a great way to share what's going on! And it's so easy to do!!

Anonymous said...

I don't have a blog, but I love blog surfing and yours is one of my favorites! I go on mat leave in Sept. and when I go back to teaching the following Fall I will be at a new school ready for a whole new experience. I'll definately be contacting you on how to set up my own classroom blog. I wish I new you were presenting at itSUMMIT earlier! I would have went. Good luck tomorrow...I'm sure everyone will love your ideas! Thanks for your great blog.

Kate said...

This is an exciting topic for me! Way to go! First off, I think the number one reason to have a classroom blog is that lots of parents work. They aren't able to have as much face time within the actual classroom as I am sure they would like to. But they are on the computer {at night, when the kids are in bed and they have 5 minutes to themselves!} so it would be great to have a place to go and catch up, add their 2 cents and feel like they are a part of the process even if they aren't physically in the school. It's technology working for us. I wouldn't be surprised if they started offering Parent/Teacher interviews via Skype in the future. We need to roll with the times.
As for me...my blog is not pretty or cool or anything. I am limited in my technical ability! It is word heavy though and that's why I LOVE blogging. A limitless soapbox? Yeah, ok, I admit it *blush* but for the most part it's this generations way of keeping a diary. I forget so much in our day to day lives but you can bet I put something about it on the blog and I can always go back and take a look. It's a way to cherish your family's/classroom's/friend's memories. It gives you reinforcement in your ideas, your art, your thoughts. Positive or not...the feedback you receive drives you to new and different heights. It also forces me to continue improving my writing skills which I think is so important in our classrooms today no matter the age of the students. It is a strong platform for learning. I can't wait to hear all about it! xox

Saucy said...

I love blogging because it not only distributes valuable info to my peeps in a timely fashion, it has made the world a much smaller and more interconnected place! I have IRL and "blog" friends through social media: blogging, twitter and facebook.

If you want to know what your traffic is, you can install easy widgets that can gather you that info on a daily/weekly/monthly basis - and most of them are free. They will send you emails with updates regarding page views and impressions, bounce rates and more.

Also, blogging is a powerful tool for coaches and extra curricular coordinators as well as classroom teachers! The Cheerios have their own blog at

www.bearsjuniorcheerleading.com

... of course, it's important to get releases from parents to use images of team members, just as you would for a classroom blog!

Jennifer said...

I first started with blog surfing. I would stumble upon tutorials that I had to try. Which got me into fabric and sewing and scrapbooking again. I loved it so much, I decided to start my own blog to connect with others and share creativity.
Jenn
http://ahappycircus.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited to use blogging in my classroom next year thanks to your help! I think it is a wonderful idea to share information about what is going on in the classroom for parents who don't always get a chance to stop in. Its interactive, easy, and can be done completely at your convenience! I would love for my blog to be a space where parents and kids alike can both comment and share...I would love to include my students in the blog to give them a sense of ownership in what is shared with their parents and the community. Great idea Chantelle!
-Chantelle C

Toronto Educator said...

As an educator and consultant I agree that social media and a variety of platforms can be used successfully in the classroom setting as an effective communication tool.

However, teachers must at all times model and demonstrate proper use of language, punctuation and sentence structure in order for it to be of any value. I have visited your blog before and I am surprised to find that you are an educator: it is riddled with punctuation errors and poor grammar.

I encourage you to examine your own literacy skills as you profess to be an expert in this area.

I also agree with one of the comments above and would caution anyone undertaking the mammoth task of maintaining an online journal for their classroom to be aware of the Privacy Act and its ramifications, particularly in the area of non-custodial parental access to information and privacy settings. Backlinks, trackbacks for comments and comment moderation should all be enabled on classroom blogs. Self-hosted platforms and private servers are preferable in the educational setting and I hope that you address these issues in your presentation.

Niki said...

One of my friends is an AP Bio teacher and he requires his students to do a blog all year about where they encounter biology in real life. It encourages them to make the conection between what the learn in the classroom and what they live outside of the classroom.

Most of the people i adore live away from me. We all use our blogs to keep in touch and share in each other's lives. That is why i started The Nikiverse 3 years ago -after MUCH prompting- but now i also find that it serves as a nice scrapbook for my life. Instead of just the big events which will go into my actual paper scrapbooks, this is a place for me to capture the smaller and sometimes odder moments of my life.

Megan said...

I know I'm a bit late, but I love blogging for the community it creates. And I can find lots of crafty inspiration from other blogs! I also like the recipes and pictures that people post. Check out newlywife.com where I actually post daily (I don't post as much on my blogspot)