Microblogging

From the "Bloggers Café" column in Leading and Learning with Technology, Tim Lauer talks about Twitter and Jaiku. These are forms of "micro-blogging", which is exactly like texting---users write brief text updates of what they are thinking, reading, observing or blogging. They have a chat-looking interface and users may add on Twitteriffic, the OS X application that displays your Twitter presence stream on your desktop. Twitteroo is for Windows users.

Some teachers are starting to experiment with the micro-blogging to share what's happening in the classroom with colleagues or friends/family at home and at work. This year's NECC attendees used twittercamp as a digital bulletin board to share messages about interesting conference related topics or just to meet up for lunch.

As blogging evolves, people will use the web and mobile devices to communicate. Both Twitter and Jaiku have the capability to set up on your mobile phone. Check it out and twitterme...? Setup your twitter account and invite me as a friend using kboswell@csdecatur.net.

Blogging - Getting Started

We have a new class Spring 2007. New bloggers! We have a variety of uses for our blogs today:

• teacher web page
• posting thoughts
• class blog
• information blog
• blogs to support learning

I look forward to reading your posts.

"Sticky" Web Sites

I think I first heard the term "sticky" while referring to web sites two years ago while attending the High Schools that Work conference. I really cannot remember who delivered the session. I felt bad not providing her name as a reference, but then I google searched "sticky" web sites. This is not exclusive to education. All businesses of every kind need to learn how to build a "sticky" web site. Teachers are no exception. Parents and students need a source of information to take them on a journey through the class and content.

What does "sticky" mean? A web site that can get visitors to stay longer and return often is known as a sticky web site.

A-ha! Patty Turbeville. It was FETC 2006. Here's Patty's advice for teachers:

1. Before you start, make a web of how your site will be used in Inspiration (webbing software).
   
2. Keep the information current.
3. How will you archive?
4. Publish student work
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate
6. Check your links
7. Check your spelling
   
8. Revise your pages often

Some other suggestions might be to review an article you recently read related to parenting you child or the latest research in your content area. Empower your parents. Share your joys of teaching their children. Be sure to provide links on your site that preview what the students are learning/seeing in your class. We want to encourage discussion about the content beyond the walls of your classroom.

Password Advice

I can't say it enough. Make a strong password and change it every six months.

The best passwords start as a sentence you've created about a significant event. Then use the first letter of each word to compose your password. It is always best to have a date in your sentence as well so you can have numbers and letters.

Sample significant event sentence:
My son started using the potty January 2007.

Sample password from sentence above: mssutp0107