Month: October 2010

Edublogs Weekly Review – Goblins, ghosts, and Halloween swag for your blog

smileAre you as excited about the chocolate and costume filled weekend ahead as we are?

We thought it might be fun to share a few of the Halloween resources we’ve come across which might make good additions to a weekend blog post or add a bit of holiday fun to your sidebar.

So here goes:

Online Pumpkin Carving

Use this web application from Spookathon.com to carve your own virtual pumpkin.  You can then download the carving as an image or embed the jack-o-lantern right inside of a post or page on your blog.

Halloween Widgets

PrimaryGames.com has kid friendly and fun widgets and resources such as puzzles and countdowns that can be put right on your blog.

Images and Avatars

One of our favorite free-use image sites, FindIcons.com, has many excellent images that would also make a great costume for your normal user or blog avatar as well!

Learning About Halloween

This post wouldn’t be complete without encouraging you to check out Larry Ferlazzo’s The Best Websites for Learning About Halloween list on his blog. This recently updated list is full of web resources on the history and cultural practices of both Halloween and The Day of the Dead.

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

20 reasons why students should blog http://bit.ly/1HnfjW #edtechMon Oct 25 11:16:03 via TweetDeckKyle B. Pace
kylepace


“A Timely Epiphany”…I’ve been reading and reflecting… http://is.gd/goyfo #sjsdblogs #stjosephschools #ebshareThu Oct 28 14:44:28 via Seesmic twhirlJaime Dial
DrDial


Looking for ideas on how to help students evaluate web sites http://bit.ly/bLfa6Y #edchat #ebshareFri Oct 29 00:00:07 via webNate Merrill
Nate_Merrill

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

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Giles-Sweet Tech Blog

Chock-full of resources for students!

Ohio, USA

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

If you know any additional Halloween resources to share, please leave a comment below.

Most importantly, everyone have a safe and happy Halloween!

Edublogs Weekly Review: Library blogs are stealing the show!

At Edublogs, we like watching the counter at the top left of our homepage grow. As of today, there are over 617,000 teacher, student, and education blogs on Edublogs.org which receive millions of page views each month!

In addition to that, we have tens-of-thousands more blogs on our Edublogs Campus blog sites.

So it was admittedly somewhat surprising that when looking through our stats of the most popular and frequently visited blogs in the past month, there were five library blogs that ranked in the top 15!

This is no slight on library blogs, but with the many different types of blogs we serve, such a large number from one group was a bit unexpected.  But in fact, when looking through the top 100, many more library blogs are drawing a large amount of visitors as well.

libraryThe five most frequently visited library blogs are:

  1. Union Hill Elementary School Library
  2. WHS Library
  3. Old Town Elementary School Library
  4. FHMS Media Center
  5. The Beak

Congratulations to all of the library blogs out there that are extending the reach of library resources well beyond the four walls of the school building.

Some of the great ideas we see on these blogs include book reviews, reading groups, access to the library catalog, and school photos. The library really can be the hub of learning and idea sharing in a school.

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

Students are blogging today. Join us! http://bit.ly/9q1orQFri Oct 22 12:57:46 via Power TwitterDenise Allen
DAhernAllen


The Teacher Experience Exchange is a free resource for teachers. Check us out! http://budurl.com/hptee #ebshare #ntchatWed Oct 20 04:05:01 via TweetDeckHP Teacher Exchange
HPTeachExchange


I have a trunkload of pumpkins I’m taking to school today. What do pumpkins have to do with digital media? This: http://bit.ly/cUyGCcMon Oct 18 12:34:29 via webBill Genereux
billgx

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

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All Library Blogs

There is just too many good ones to choose from!

See the library page from our blogs directory!

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

We really enjoy seeing all of the different uses of Edublogs out there. And we couldn’t be more thrilled that librarians are finding blogging as a valuable resource in their schools.

Does your school have a library blog not listed?

Do you have a tip for what to include on library blogs?

Chime in, comment below, and let us know!

Edublogs Weekly Review: It’s blog action day! Where’s your post?

Today, Friday the 15th of October, is Blog Action Day where bloggers from around the world write about one topic to raise awareness and help drive change through collaboration.

This year, the topic is water – providing access to clean and safe drinking water to the nearly 1 billion people around the world that are currently without it. Facts from the official blog action day website point out that pollution, irrigation, poor infrastructure, and inefficiencies all contribute to the problems at hand.  In addition, as much as 10% of illnesses and disease could potentially be eliminated just by having access to healthy water.

It is definitely not too late to contribute posts and comments from students and teachers alike.

We’ve scoured the Edublogs site to look for student and educator blogs that are participating in Blog Action Day.  The day isn’t over, but as of the time this post was published, there looks to be hundreds of posts just on Edublogs.org blogs alone!

Here is a list of posts on water found on Edublogs that you might want to visit:

If you don’t see you post here, please leave a comment below with a link so that we can all share!

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

The Blogger’s Cafe is open for business, after hols do you want your students to be better bloggers? http://thebloggerscafe.edublogs.org/Tue Oct 12 03:53:29 via webHenrietta Miller
henriettaMi


our school librarian is awsome! check out her blog…prezi, glogster, youtube, wiki…she does it all! http://bit.ly/cziyEf #edtechWed Oct 13 13:51:44 via webMichelle Sumner
edtechdhh


via @datruss – Moodle Schmoodle and no point to Sharepoint – A blogging alternative experience – http://bit.ly/bUBWw9 #ebshareFri Oct 15 12:51:56 via TweetDeckedublogs
edublogs

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

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Technology Integration and 21st Century Classrooms

FULL of excellent tech resources! From an Edublogs Campus site.

Technology Integration Blog – Pennsylvania, USA

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

It is collaboration and community that shows the real power of blogging. Blog Action Day is a great opportunity for students and educators to blog right alongside professional bloggers and organizations from around the world.

Don’t forget to share your favorite posts from Blog Action Day below!


Edublogs Weekly Review: Celebrating teachers everywhere

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

October the 5th was World Teachers’ Day, and we here at Edublogs are sending out a huge thank you to all of the teachers and educators around the globe!

There is no doubt that educating future generations is the single most important responsibility that exists, and it certainly is no easy task. The dedication, patience, professionalism, and time it takes to reach students and foster their learning is worth celebrating more than just one day each year!

World Teachers’ Day is a joint effort by International Education and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. You can visit the official World Teachers’ Day website here.

Put together for this week’s celebration, you might enjoy getting a glimpse into these classrooms from across the globe.

Growing the Profession

Also this week, the US Department of Education launched a new website, Teach.gov, aimed at increasing awareness of the teaching profession and encouraging new generations to seek teaching as a career.

The website has considerable information for anyone considering becoming an educator, not just in the US, and also several inspirational videos that showcase the significant job that teachers have.

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

a deep-thinking 7th grade blogger! who knew? (note occasional use of @snappywords for interesting words) http://bit.ly/c8QgZU (on @edublogs)Thu Oct 07 04:25:44 via webDierdre Shetler
dierdreshetler


Check out this post: “Do Twendships Exist?” => http://is.gd/fMZvd #ebshareWed Oct 06 00:39:37 via Seesmic twhirlSean Nash
nashworld


Our international blog directory is now well over 1,000 strong! Have you added your blog yet? http://bit.ly/bCO9mT #ebshareWed Oct 06 13:52:29 via TweetDeckedublogs
edublogs

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

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Ms Woodward’s Class Blog

A great example of a class blog! From an Edublogs Campus site.

A composite grade 1/2 class in Victoria, Australia

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

In honor of World Teachers’ Day, do you have a story to share or a link to your blog about a teacher from your past?

From all of us at Edublogs, thank you teachers for all that you do!


Help us improve and win an iPad!

As you know, we’re pretty obsessed with making Edublogs better.

And this is your chance to help with that, by telling us what you think about Edublogs and how you’d like us to improve for you in 2011.

All you need to do is take this short survey (you can complete it in under 2 minutes, we promise).

ipad_front

And, even better, we’ll be giving away 2 iPads to 2 lucky users who complete the survey :)

So, just click here, answer a few simple questions and enter you email address at the end to go in the draw.

And thanks again for using Edublogs, and helping us make our service better for teachers and students around the world!

Edublogs Weekly Review: EdCamps and Teach Meets – A new kind of professional development

conferenceOver the past year, a grass roots movement in educator professional development has evolved into a widespread phenomenon.

EdCamps, mostly in the US, and Teach Meets, mostly in the UK, are popping up all over as a new type of collaborative conference.  In fact, they are often called an “unconference” as the attendees are the presenters and the focus is on the needs and wants of those attending.

This week, Edutopia published an Introduction to Edcamp: A New Conference Model Built on Collaboration which includes interesting information on the history of the EdCamp model.  Would you believe that the idea for EdCamp came after a few educators attended a similar “unconference” for computer programmers?

Jason Bedell also posted an exhaustive post on unconferences as part of his ongoing series on “Professional Development 2.0”.  He provides great tips on how to start your own.

One of the differences in these types of conferences is that anyone that attends is also encouraged to present. If you are thinking about presenting about blogging, web 2.0 tools, or other tech uses in the classroom, don’t hesitate to let us know!  We might be able to provide resources or tips for your presentation – we’re always happy to help out whenever we can.

Want to learn more about edCamps and Teach Meets and how to bring one to your area?

Top #ebshare tweets from the week:

A 1:1 Progam is Possible in Your School! Interview with Rich Kiker http://bit.ly/d1qoUv via @shellterrellTue Sep 28 14:03:06 via webChuck Poole
cpoole27


Via @amcollier: Storytelling in higher ed. What are your instructional strategies using storytelling? http://bit.ly/aX4ME4 #ebshareTue Sep 28 13:30:18 via TweetDeckedublogs
edublogs


A post on the impact of PLNs and the climate of American public education. http://alienpedagogy.edublogs.org/Mon Sep 27 12:51:09 via webRyan Skardal
Skardalien

Want to share a post, ask others to visit a blog for comments, or show off cool student work? Use the hashtag #ebshare to let us know so we can re-tweet it for you!

Featured Edublog of the Week

edu_featured_dir Learning Science in the 7-8 at PDS
 Check out the daily student summaries – what a great idea!

Poughkeepsie, New York

Find more great blogs like this one in our International Edublogs Directory.

Summing it up

The changes and advancements in professional development opportunities are exciting.

Leave a comment below if you know of an unconference near you or know of another great resource to share!  We would also love to hear from you if you have attended an unconference before and what you think about the model.

Have a great October weekend!


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