Kyle at the EU Parliament

See Kyle Blog: Using Your

School’s Mascot (Or Other Furry

Friend) to Introduce BloggingMatthew Clobridge

Sycamore Creek Elementary School

Abby ClobridgeFlurry Consulting

Kyle at the EU Parliament

• Background, Goals • The Technical Stuff:

– Kyle’s Blog v.1 – Kyle’s Blog v.2

• How we use the blog at school

• Because of the blog…

• Final thoughts• Questions?

Outline

Year-Round Elementary

SchoolStudents: 675+

Teachers: 40+

Opened July 1, 2008

TechnologyIntegration

web2.0

Teachers

Students

Parents

web2.0

Teachers

Students

Parents

web2.0 in the classroom

Blog Demonstration

Project

Year-round

scheduleUpcomin

g travel…

Creating

a sense of

school

identity

students

parents

teachers

community

teaching by

example

The Students Vote

Salamanders Crocodiles

Cyclones Chameleons

And the

Winner Is…

Google

- Google Calendar- Google Sites- Docs & Spreadsheets

- Web Forms- Videos- Notebook- Picasa

Using Google applications when possible.

Version 1.0 Blogger

Blogger Admin Interface

Pros

- Free

- Easy

- Fast

Cons-Cumbersome posting/editing

-Limited flexibility with look and feel

- Ugly URL

http://kyles-travels.blogspot.com/

Not ideal for school environment

Links to other blogs through Blogger… (no way to control *which* blogs).

In profile, links to other profiles/blogs.

Hyperlink Issues

Note: you can edit CSS code to remove links back to Blogger at top of screen. This practice is not encouraged.

- Minimal room for “extra” content

- Challenges with moderating comments

Can’t edit comments

Automatically linked info from profile

Wanted for v2:

More flexibility (look and feel)

More control (commenting)

Better admin tools

Add-ons (plug-ins)

New URL

Easy and cheap

Wanted for v2:

More flexibility (look and feel)

More control (commenting)

Better admin tools

Add-ons (plug-ins)

New URL

Easy and cheap

Open Source?

www.movabletype.org

www.wordpress.org

www.wordpress.org

Options:

1. Create free blog on WordPress.com site.

2. Host it yourself – and use a hosting provider’s WP install.

3. Host it yourself – with full control.

www.1and1.com

Total Cost for This Year: $44.94

Hosting: $2.50/month for first six months, $4.99/month after. Includes 120 GB space, FTP access, MySQL databases, email mailboxes and forwarding.

Software: Free to install. Requires MySQL database (or alternatives).

Domain: Free for first year, $6.99 after.

Cost

Embedded Slideshows,

Video

Static Pages, Highlight Recent Comments

Comments: Easier to Manage

New Comments – Email Forwarding to Multiple Addresses

View from within email message

www.statcounter.com

Include Statistics, Log Analysis Tools

Future Plans for WordPress Blog

• Upgrade to Wordpress 2.7

– Tiered commenting

– Better admin tools, interface

• Plugins – Install cForms

• Add Feedburner subscription – subscribe to get email whenever updates

Using the Blog for Instruction

Writing in an Online Environment

Writing in an Online Environment

Geography and Culture

First Grade

Upper Elementary

- Students have a sense of ownership of the blog

-Writing (blogging, commenting) for fun

- Students learn PowerPoint

Because of the Blog…

Teachers have asked to createtheir own class blogs

Because of the Blog…

Positive Exposure for the School

Issues and Considerations

Writing the posts…

Approving comments…

Responding to comments…

Maintaining the site…

Answering emails from parents…

Scheduling logistics – who goes where when? With whom?

Coordinating with guest handlers…

kylecrocodile.com