Blogging+&+Microblogs

Blogging and Microblogs:
Blogs (originally termed We**b Logs**) are syndicated journals that may or may not be open to comments by readers. They are usually commentary on a specific topic. Entries are usually listed by most recent. [|ClassBlogmeister], [|blogger], [|livejournal] and [|wordpress] are examples of blog services.

media type="youtube" key="NN2I1pWXjXI" height="260" width="320" by [|Common Craft]
 * __Blogging in Plain English__**


 * Microblogging** is a form of blogging that users send brief messages (about 140 characters) to a site from mobile technologies in addition to computers. [|Twitter] and [|Pownce] are some of the more common services for microblogging.

__**Twitter in Plain English**__ media type="youtube" key="ddO9idmax0o" height="260" width="320" by [|Common Craft]


 * PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS**: I am not much of a blogger myself. It is not that I don't have the knowledge or aspirations to begin blogging, I just haven't taken the time. During a grad course I was introduced to Twitter for the first time. Though I had heard of this service through various peers, I had no experience of the capabilities or the 'point' of such a service. So once our lesson was completed and we created accounts for this service, I have kept it up. I find myself addicted to seeing what everyone comments about. I have found some of the information to be invaluable.


 * CLASSROOM POSSIBILITIES**: I am still struggling to find the classroom use for Twitter. The way it is used now, it is not relevant enough to make the effort to use it effectively. Blogging is altogether a different tool. The capabilities of this tool for the classroom are endless. The most obvious is for students to post reflections from classroom lessons. I believe that this tool should be a standard in all upper-level classrooms.