Our school’s collaboration via Web log with a local elementary school and two “gymnasiums” from Poland will be beginning shortly after school begins Wednesday. So far, just the home page and the first topics page are up. Still trying to get a feel for the best way all of this will work since we’ll have around 75 kids at any one time participating. Could be a lot of posting going on throughout the process, and I’m thinking of feeding the posts from the topic pages to the home page in some way. We’ll see. I’m still tweaking the banner, and the picture is stock, but I’m having fun getting into Manila again and building some pages. No better way to learn CSS that to start fooling.
—–

Great job by Pam to mentor a new teacher via a Manila Web log. Just the first few entries show the depth of commitment and thought that goes into establishing rapport and effectiveness in the classroom. It will be interesting to follow this throughout the year.
—–

I’m not sure yet that I’ll be attending NCTE in San Francisco in November, but more and more I’m hoping I can. Pat, the true Web log sensei, is doing his typical yeoman’s job of making the most of the opportunity, setting up Manila training with Erin Clerico and Bryan Bell (both the best in the business) and then an all-day NCTE workshop later in the week. For even intermediate Manila users like me, the training session would be worth the trip. And even more, it would be great to get the opportunity to once again spend some time with fellow edubloggers.

Pat also raises some good questions about the formality of these meet ups:

Such a connecting of edBloggers was first mentioned more than a year ago as the edBlogger 2003 convention idea. But it’s not a convention anymore. It’s just one gathering, this one in San Francisco, hopefully more in any number of places during the year….To return to an old theme, blogs are just digital paper. What writer wants to attend a paper convention? OK, OK, a few: folks that are interested in the qualities of a particular kind of paper - its resiliency, its pliability, its longevity, its manufacture, its shipping and storage and distribution systems, etc.

I also like how he gives a rationale for attending NCTE and other discipline specific conventions for blogging purposes:

It follows on the notion of blogs and websites as simple digital paper, and of computer technology as, among other things, an increasingly user-friendly form of communication for teaching and learning. The more invisible that technology is, the more powerful it is. This is, in fact, the beauty of weblogs and content management systems. So I think it’s a good idea to root communities of tech users, of bloggers in this instance, in various disciplines other than technology. Why convene at tech and ed events? Hell, let’s people the actual content areas and pedagogies. Besides, funding to attend traditional conventions is easier to come by than for “blogging” events. Bloggers, as users of digital paper, can and should comfortably show up at conventions of English teachers and teachers of writing, at art education conventions, at science and math and dance and physical education and remedial reading and auto mechanics teacher conventions. edBloggers can, should and will be represented in all teaching disciplines.

—–

<via Anne> Ken Tompkins from Richard Stockton State College here in NJ has created a Web log resource site for his colleagues, and he offers a straightforward description of how students can benefit from RSS.

However, there is a clever work around for personal emails to friends and colleagues. It involves using an aggregator and a weblog. This idea would work wonderfully in class as a safe, virus-free means of keeping in touch with your students.

Here is how it would work:

1. Have your students download and install one of the free aggregators on their personal computer.
2. Set up a weblog as the place to put content/messages for the class.
3. Have your students include the XML address of your weblog in their aggregators.
4. Put content on your weblog.
5. The students’ aggregators will check your weblog each hour and will aggregate any changes you have made to its content.

This may SOUND complex. Actually, it is fairly simple and would be incredibly easy to set up and use.
It is a genuine alternative to email with the same effects without the problems.

I would only add that with Bloglines, they don’t need to install a thing. Is this a great world or what?
—–

I’m glad to see Marion Holland back and blogging, especially with content like this:

I think the asynchronous and archivable nature of web logs will make these blog conversations an important cognitive scaffold for student writing. A scaffold provides support with a platform. What will prove to be unique about a blog platform for student writing? A discussion about this was started during a gathering of educators at NECC and continues on web logs. Students may be less likely to ignore other student’s comments and ideas when part of a web log study group than if they were working together using a bulletin board. The idea was mentioned at NECC that a web log may produce a more focused discussion that is more easy to follow than a threaded discussion board. In the discussion board environment, following an idea’s progression can be difficult as students have to “click around” more to read through various posts. In a web log discussion, students can link to other student’s ideas in their posts and participate in a focused extension of those ideas in the comments area. This may produce more focused, coherent discussions.

The “how is this different from a news group” question came up again just today and I think Marion’s post offers a clear differentiation. It echoes something Sarah said last year about ownership of the space and the added responsibility of editorial control not just for the idea but for the conversation. One thing I’d love to imbue in my students even more this year is the whole concept of bringing together the ideas and observations of others and, as Marion says, building that cognitive scaffold around them, sorting and adding and processing them into a higher more original understanding. That’s what pushes my own thinking and learning in this space. It never happened to this extent on discussion boards. There is much here to delve into more deeply…
—–

This one, I’m happy to report, set up by one of the teachers in my workshop, who writes:

I’ve recruited high ranking members of the Democratic, Republican and Green Parties from New Jersey to play a role in these activities. I want them to be able to post responses to student questions and pose questions. Do you think I should give them editing ability or should I have them just use the discussion under the main topic?

Great! Could be the next Blog For America…Blog for New Jersey???
—–

(via cogdogblog) This looks like a pretty cool source for Web log related stuff from Quinnipiac. Again makes me wonder how many other teachers and students there are out there blogging in the background. I have a feeling the user base is bigger than we think.
—–

(via jd) “Welcome to the Bloghouse!” I like it. More and more this is what I envision our Web logs as Website evolving into. The “Executive Producer” of the blogs says:

We’ll have all types of blogs for you to read, enjoy, argue over and discuss about, so click around and get to know our bloggers. And come back often to see what’s new and who else is living in the Bloghouse!

I just keep hoping I can enlist enough teachers and students to keep regular Web logs that help create community. I’ll start accosting people when school starts next week.
—–

(via jd) I’ve been resisting getting a photo phone but this new service from mlogs looks pretty fun and pretty easy. (I picked the one linked above because of the subtitle: “a journalism teacher figures out mobile logs.”) They let you post pictures and photos right from your phone, which if I think about it long enough must have some interesting applications in the classroom. Think of all of the on the spot journalism that may mlog equipped students could be doing. Could be a really interesting note-taking tool, though…snap the pic, add the text, have it when you sit down to write. That’ll work. Maybe… Anyway, a cool idea that we have to get someone to integrate into Manila so I have a real reason to buy the phone. BTW…unlimited photo and text posts to your mlog with a dozen audio posts a month. Now if only my mlog had an RSS feed. Hmmm…
—–

(True story, though I’ve left some of the details out because I don’t want to jinx what could be an amazing ending…)Just before we were leaving to come home from Assateague yesterday my wife struck up a conversation with the mother of a boy who had been building sand castles with my kids. It was a beautiful beach day…hot sun, chilly surf, warm breeze, happy kids. Doesn’t get much better than that, until this happens:

I walk over and join the conversation, and we’re talking about I don’t know what when my wife asks “so what does your husband do?” The woman answers “Oh, he’s a reporter for the (insert major American daily newspaper here.)” I’m impressed, and immediately mention (since I have no pride) that I’m looking for reporters to mentor my Journalism 2 students in their Web logs this fall. After the requisite clarification of what a Web log is, she says “I’m sure he’d love to do that. C’mon I’ll introduce you.” We’re walking up the beach, and I’m pretty excited that I might be getting another “real” reporter to teach my kids some “real” journalism when she just kind of nonchalantly says “yeah, I’m pretty proud of him since he just won a Pulitzer Prize last year…” I can’t remember too much clearly after this point. I get introduced to her husband, (a very nice guy, by the way,) manage to (I think) not say anything too stupid as we chat, give him the overview of the mentorship deal, and he says sure, just let him know. And he gives me his e-mail address and I walk away stunned.

Now aside from the personal thrill of getting to meet a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, this is just another example of how Web logs can facilitate collaboration. I’ve done e-mail mentorships in the past, but this is an even easier, more profound way that renowned journalists or authors or scientists or others can really share space with students without physically being there. The possibilities continue to amaze me. As does my luck…

I’m sure I’ll be writing more about what’s in my Bloglines aggregator tomorrow as I just got home from three great days at the beach and have just enough time to throw down some dinner, read books to the kids and sink into my old familiar bed. But I’ll tell you, if nothing else, I simply LOVE the fact that I asked for all of those messages. And if I don’t want to keep getting them, I can unsubscribe. No Sobig virus to worry about. No requests from third generation African princes in exile. No promises of increased sexual prowess. Just good stuff from educators and journalists talking about stuff that matters and keeping track of the meaningful world.

I’m going to save the best Web log beach story for tomorrow, but let me say this…you meet the most interesting people who might work with your students in their Web logs when you start building castles in the sand…
—–

Didn’t get away much this summer what with the new job and everything else that always seems to be going on. So we’re escaping for a long 4-day weekend to Chincoteague Island. (Sorry, Pat…the Jersey shore just isn’t for me.) It’s going to be really weird starting the school year NOT in the classroom. After 20 years of navigating the mayhem that is opening day, it will be nice to just kind of sit back and watch. In fact, I’m coming in late the first day because I want to see Tess board the bus for the first time as she heads to first grade. My little girl…sniff. Anyway, will probably not be posting ’til sometime next week.
—–

Lila Efimova and Sebastien Paquet (among others) are working through some issues with Trackback, and lately I’ve been thinking about how it might be used in my classroom. One thing I think I like about the concept is that it would allow students to put feedback comments into their OWN Web logs which would then show up as a Trackback link for the student at which the comment was directed. (Does that make any sense?) That’s potentially a good thing from an assessment standpoint. One of the clunkier parts of the paperless, Manila Web log infused classroom is keeping track of a student’s work that doesn’t end up in her own space. It would be better if ALL efforts that a particular student was making, be it homework or projects or feedback, ended up in the same place. The downside, obviously, is that the feedback a student receives would not be as well-organized and as easily readable as Trackback doesn’t seem to include entire posts. (Is there a tweak for that?)

The other avenue here is being able to RSS-ify comments which would mean the feedback would be aggregated by the student who is receiving it. I think there is a way to do that, but I haven’t found the answer yet. Again, that’s not the best way for a student to be able to organize the feedback he receives, but at least it does solve that scattered work issue. Any ideas anyone?

He just keeps getting better and better. As Pat says, the three-dimensionality (is that a word?) of this theme is too cool. And what better way to represent digital paper?

On a side note, that I’m finding that digital paper metaphor of Pat’s to be the absolute best way for people to understand this whole concept. I was introducing Web logs to some folks yesterday who had only a vague concept of what they where, but once I said “it’s like digital paper…” I swear their eyes cleared.

Anyway, kudos to Bryan who has once again made me happy that I stayed with Manila, if for no other reason than our themes are better than their themes…;0)
—–

Spent quite a bit of time with the principals involved in the project we are setting up connecting our students with students in Krakow, Poland to study the Holocaust. Actually, there are three schools involved as a local 5th grade class will also be interacting on the topic through the use of a number of Web logs hosted here. And there is a connection to Rutgers University as well.

I’m really looking forward to this experience as a way to stretch my use of Manila. Right now we’ve decided to create a site for general information and news as the project progresses, and then separate Web logs for various areas of study, all of which will be connected through the home page. I’m thinking of seeing if I could funnel the newest posts from the “sub logs” to the main page using Manila’s aggregator as well.

It was interesting to go through the list of questions that we need to resolve: how much posting access would we give students? Should the teachers be the ones to give final approval to posts? Do we want the sites open for people to see or restricted only to the participants? (I argued for the former…) Do we need to create logins and passwords? What about fake e-mail addresses? How do we protect the privacy of the students? Etc. There are a lot of configurations in Manila that I’m going to need to get straight in my brain.
But I think this is going to be a great project. Depending on the connection speed of the kids in Poland, we want to include audio and video files (gems), lots of pictures of artifacts, and we really want to get some conversation going among the students. It has a great deal of potential, especially with the different ages and backgrounds of the students involved. We’re going to start on September 8…
—–