Anne Mirtschin

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ICTEV conference 2009Blogging Beyond the
Backyard

• Anne Mirtschin
• Hawkesdale P12 College
• http//murcha.wordpress.com
• http//murch.globalteacher.org.au

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About Me

• Information and communications technology years
  7-12
• Accounting units 1 and 3
• Passionate about use of web2.0 technology
• Joint MS Innovative Teacher of the Year for
  Victoria 2008
• ICTEV Leader of the Year, 2009
• Bailleu Myer Rural Leadership Scholarship 2009
• Finalist in the Curriculum Innovation DEECD
  Awards
• TPL in 2008 to research Laying the eplanks in a
  web2.0 school with Jess McCulloch

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Exciting outcomes

• Authentic audience
• Self directed learning
• Teachable moments
• Global citizenship
• Classmates from across the globe
• Team teach with other global staff
• Connections with parents, local, national and
  global community

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Benefits of Blogging

• Available 24/7/365
• Customization
• Comparison with other countries
• Source of pride
• Variety of media
• Education becomes interactive
• Using technology for the digital age

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Vital considerations

• Cybersafety
• Plaguarism
• Digital citizenship
• Netiquette
• Digital footprints

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What is a blog?

• A journal
• Outlet for opinions and ideas
• Showcase for learning and achievements
• Reflective entries
• Platform that allows embedding or linking to
  multi-media
• Digital portfolio

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Netiquette

• No IM or txt language anywhere (looking for
  professionalism plus possible need for
  translators/interpretation)
• Always reply and thank a commentor or goto their
  blog and add a comment
• No bullying/no negative comments
• Always write for any audience ages, cultures,
  beliefs etc
• Keep cybersafe at all times

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Cross Post prompts
Cross Culture
eportfolios
Student blogs
B
Backyard Blog
Staff blogs
School blog
Blogging directions
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http//backyard.globalstudent.org.au
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School blog
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Class blogs techno6
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Student blogs- flurogreen, yr 10
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Walk through a blog

• Posts
• Pages
• Widgets
• Categories/tags
• What students like their blogs to look like.

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Specialized blogs - Ping

• Ping http//www.pingmusic.com.au

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why should students blog

• A tool for reading and writing
• Authentic audience
• Highly motivational
• Powerful learning
• Students want to share etc
• 20 reasons

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Outcomes for students

• Pride, improved self esteem, increased confidence
  due to authentic audience
• Willing to write as it is their own online
  personal space
• Self directed learning
• Like reading blogs of other students
• Digital literacy
• Digital citizenship

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Some Observations

• Cyber safety
• Digital language eg hyperlinks
• Plaguarism
• Desire for work to look good and read accurately
• Commentors tease out greater detail

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Cybersafety

• Usernames eg rose, meatballs
• Avatars
• No last names/addresses/phone numbers/other
  identifying details
• Joint administration rights
• Other staff(including principal)
• regularly comment
• RSS feeds to student blogs
• Tips for Keeping them cybersafe

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How to start

• Read many blogs, add comments
• KISS
• Start with class blog
• When confident, commence individual student blogs
• Globalstudent/teacher pages
• theedublogger

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Making and maintaining connections

• Tags/categories
• Comments
• Read stats regularly
• Join technorati
• Actively read other blogs local, national and
  global and make connections
• Join classroom2.0, edNa, twitter etc to develop a
  personal learning network
• Maintain RSS feeds, blogrolls

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Preventing boredom

• Encourage reflections
• Regularaly require students to visit two other
  blogs and comment
• Students take it in turns to publish a post
  prompt
• Add further widgets
• Teach a new tool eg once a fortnight eg
  xtranormal
• Add polls
• Vary posts and activities
• Encourage parent involvement

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Connecting beyond the backyard

• Share post prompts
• Global projects
• Blogging across the cultures
• Blogging competitions
• Develop personal networks eg classroom2.0, edNa
  and twitter etc

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Communicating beyond backyard

• Comments
• Email replies or comment back on blogs
• Translator eg use google
• Communicate regularly
• Set up RSS feeds
• Add links or a blogroll on sidebar
• Share post prompts with other schools and
  countries

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Live Blogginghttp//coveritlive.com
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Cybersafety

• Usernames eg rose, meatballs
• Avatars
• No last names/addresses/phone numbers/other
  identifying details
• Joint administration rights
• Other staff(including principal)
• regularly comment
• RSS feeds to student blogs
• Tips for Keeping them cybersafe

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Working blogs to the hilt

• Write regular reflective posts
• Making comments for reflections
• Post/Page for work to be completed when I am
  absent
• Added timetable
• Clock for timezones
• Add a flickr widget
• Add imagery, multimedia
• Write reviews for new software used

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Working blogs to hilt.....cont

• Write reviews for new software used
• Tutorials

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Find out more

• Heather Blakey
• Edublogger
• Globalstudent/teacher
• SLAV blog

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My profile

• http//www.murcha.wordpress.com (teacher blog
• http//murch.globalteacher.org.au (class blog)
• http//backyard.globalstudent.org.au
• http//ejourneys.wikispaces.com
• http//www.slideshare.net/murcha
• http//eplanks.wikispaces.com

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Contact me

• mirtschin.anne.a_at_edumail.vic.gov.au
• mirtschin_at_gmail.com
• anne.mirtschin skype ID
• murcha twitter/plurk ID