WEB 2.0 и образование B презентации использованы материалы статьи Д.О.Степулёнка « Google - окно в интернет, iGoogle - поставим на подоконник самое нужное » (КИО ) и Brian Benzinger back-to-school-with-the-class-of-web-20-part-1/

Что такое Web 2.0 Появление термина Web 2.0 принято связывать со статьей «Tim OReilly What Is Web 2.0» ews/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html на русском языке - «Что такое Веб 2.0»

Что такое Web 2.0 В этой статье Тим О'Рейли cвязал появление большого числа сайтов, объединенных некоторыми общими принципами, с общей тенденцией развития интернет-сообщества, и назвал это явление Web 2.0, в противовес «старому» Web 1.0. Несмотря на то, что значение этого термина до сих пор является предметом многочисленных споров, те исследователи, которые признают существование Web 2.0, выделяют несколько основных аспектов этого явления

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 1. Наличие веб- служб Веб-службы (web-servises) - программы, доступ к которым осуществляется через сеть Интернет (при помощи протокола HTTP), при этом обмен данными происходит в формате XML. В результате другие программы могут использовать веб-службы вместо самостоятельного выполнения сложных вычислений. В отличие от обычных динамических библиотек (кусков программы, выполняющих определенную функцию), такой подход обладает рядом плюсов: Веб-служба находится на серверах компании, которая ее создала. Поэтому в любой момент пользователю доступна самая свежая версия данных и ему не приходится заботиться о версиях и обновлениях библиотек. Инструменты для работы с HTTP и XML есть в любом современном языке программирования, поэтому веб- службы являются платформонезависимыми

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 2. Использование технологии AJAX AJAX - Asynchronous JavaScript and XML подход к построению интерфейса веб-приложения, при котором страница, не перезагружаясь, асинхронно загружает нужные пользователю данные. Использование AJAX стало наиболее популярно после того, как Google начала активно использовать его при создании своих сайтов Gmail и Google Maps. Web 2.0 не привязан к какой-то одной технологии или набору технологий.

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 3. Веб-синдикация. Веб-синдикация – одновременная публикация одного и того же материала на различных страницах или сайтах. Для этого используются так называемые RSS-потоки, содержащие заголовки материалов и ссылки на них.

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 4. Веб-смешение Web mash-up («мэшап», дословный перевод – «смешение») – сервис, который полностью или частично использует в качестве источника информации другие сервисы, предоставляя пользователю новую функциональность для работы. В результате такой сервис может становиться также новым источником информации для других веб- сервисов. Таким образом, образуется сеть зависимых друг от друга сервисов, интегрированных друг с другом. Например, сайт по поиску недвижимости с интегрированными картами Google Maps в итоге представляет собой новый, более удобный сервис, с помощью которого каждый пользователь может сразу увидеть все предлагаемые для продажи дома на карте.

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 5. Использование меток (тегов) Метки (теги) - ключевые слова, описывающие рассматриваемый объект (относящие его к какой-либо категории). Ключевые слова приписываются объекту, чтобы определить его место среди других объектов. С понятием меток тесно связано понятие фолксономии - термина, о котором широко заговорили именно в связи с ростом сервисов Web 2.0.

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 6. Фолксономия Фолксономия (англ. folksonomy, от folk - народный + taxonomy – таксономия) – практика совместной категоризации информации (ссылок, фото, видео клипов, документов) посредством произвольно выбираемых тегов (ключевых слов). Другими словами, это понятие относится к спонтанному сотрудничеству группы людей с целью организации информации, которое интересно тем, что оно полностью отличается от традиционных формальных методов классификации. Как правило, это явление возникает только в неиерархических сообществах, таких как общедоступные веб-сайты, а не в многоуровневых коллективах. Так как организаторы информации обычно являются её же основными пользователями, фолксономия производит результаты, более точно отражающие совокупную концептуальную модель информации всей группы. Появление и быстрое распространение блогов тоже вписывается в концепцию Web 2.0, создавая так называемую "редактируемую Паутину" (writable web). Возможность пометить документ ключевыми словами существует и в языке HTML (англ. keywords), однако этот способ был полностью скомпрометирован широким его использованием в целях поискового спама.

Признаки Web 2.0 Признак 7. Социализация Социализация – использование разработок, которые создает сообщество пользователей этого же сайта. Сюда входит возможность индивидуальных настроек сайта и создание личной зоны (личные файлы, изображения, видео, блоги) для пользователя, чтобы пользователь чувствовал свою уникальность. При формировании сообщества большое значение имеет соревновательный элемент, который позволяет сообществу саморегулироваться и ставит пользователям дополнительный стимул для работы с сайтом.

Недостатки Web 2.0 К недостатком новой структуры сети Интернет следует отнести использование сервисов сторонних компаний, которое наряду с достоинствами приносит и определенные проблемы. Среди них: - зависимость от наличия постоянного соединения (исчезает связь - информация становится недоступной или неудобной в использовании); - зависимость сайтов от решений сторонних компаний, зависимость качества работы сервиса от качества работы многих других компаний; - слабая приспособленность нынешней инфраструктуры к выполнению сложных вычислительных задач в браузере; - уязвимость конфиденциальных данных, хранимых на сторонних серверах, для злоумышленников (известны случаи хищения личных данных пользователей, массовых взломов учётных записей блогов). Фактически сайт эпохи Web 2.0 интерактивен и дружелюбен, позволяет себя легко настраивать на первый взгляд, но сбор статистики о пользователях, их предпочтениях и интересах, инструменты поощрения и наказания могут помочь владельцу манипулировать сообществом.

Примеры использования Web 2.0 в образовании (зарубежный опыт)

Organizers Stu.dicio.usStu.dicio.us: Student organizer and social notetaking tool where students can create a schedule, track their grades, manage a to do list, store files for classes, and write public notes in an outline-like format. Stu.dicio.us also allows students to connect with friends and soon will include Facebook integration. More on Stu.dicio.us.Stu.dicio.us

Organizers GradefixGradefix: Best described by Gradefix, Gradefix intelligently organizes and prioritizes all of your homework so you are always on top of it. Students that use Gradefix create a study schedule used to best spreadout and prioritize homework throughout the week in hopes to decrease stress and improve grades.

Organizers ChalksiteChalksite (Teachers): Chalksite is a system built for teachers, students, and parents providing teachers with an easy to use central point where they can communicate with students and parents, post assignments and grades, send messages, and manage a website for their courses. More on Chalksite.Chalksite

Organizers EngradeEngrade (Teachers): Similar to Chalksite, Engrade allows teachers to create an account and have direct communication with students and their parents. Teachers can manage student grades, track attendance, schedule upcoming homework, and provide students and parents progress reports.

Organizers mynoteITmynoteIT: (New release came out the other day) An online note taking tool for students including a WYSIWYG note editor, assignment reminders, grade management, to do lists, and more. Students can also share notes with friends and receive feedback through commenting on notes.

Organizers Haiku LMSHaiku LMS (Teachers): Haiku has yet to launch, but its feature set sounds promising making it worth mentioning. Haiku provides a system for teachers where they can create a public website for their classes, manage content, list assignments and announcements, track grades, and more. Sounds like a similar application to Chalksite.

Organizers CollegeRuledCollegeRuled: Academic organizer, class scheduler, and message board area for students. Students can either create a schedule or connect to their Facebook schedule with CollegeRuled and take notes and manage a to do list for each class. Note: I have not been able to test CollegeRuled as it requires an.edu address.

Organizers PocketModPocketMod: This isnt really a Web 2.0 product, but I felt its worth mentioning. Pocketmod is a small tool for creating disposable paper organizers using print out templates covering just about anything from note paper to reference sheets. Its perfect for students that prefer keeping organized on paper. Also, its just helpful to carry around with you for whenever you may need to jot some things down.

Organizers JotSpotJotSpot: JotSpot is a free wiki allowing users to create and share documents, spreadsheets, calendars, and more. It is my top pick for a wiki and provides a great set of features. Users can even install other applications from an application gallery to extend their wiki with project managers, to do lists, photo galleries, and other applications. It may be a little on the advanced side for students and teachers, but if your tech savvy, have at it.

Gradebooks Teacher!Teacher! (Teachers): Teacher, formerly known as Teacherly, is an online grading tool for teachers where they can create classes, add students, and track grades for all assignments and test scores. I would imagine it would work out fine for students as well wanting to track their own grades in classes. Unfortunately, Teacher is not accepting new users at this time but you can signup to be notified when they do and check out a demo in the meantime.

Gradebooks Stu.dicio.usStu.dicio.us: Built into the Stu.dicio.us organizer comes a very simple grade manager allowing students to assign grade categories (homework, quiz, tests, etc.) and grades to each of their classes. mynoteITmynoteIT: Students with an mynoteIT account can login and access their classes where they can add grade sections and grades. Whats nice too is that unlike Stu.dicio.us, mynoteIT gives the student a clear look with letter grades rather then just percentages and averages.

Gradebooks ChalksiteChalksite (Teachers): Designed for teacher, student, and parent communication, Chalksite provides teachers with online gradebooks where they select their class and simply fill in grades for each assignment that they have sent to their students. Students and parents can then login to their account to view their grades.

Gradebooks EngradeEngrade (Teachers): The Engrade online gradebook is built to be flexible to a teachers needs where they can add assignments, create weighted grading categories, customize grading scales (A, B, C, Pass, Fail, etc.), and more. Students and parents can also login and view their grade report.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management GroupvineGroupvine: A service designed to help bring group members together to keep track of events, tasks, and news. Great for students in clubs, professors teaching specific topics, and campus management. For a screencast, view Screeniac.Screeniac

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management NuvvoNuvvo: Teachers wanting to teach online can use Nuvvo providing them with their own online learning portal. Teachers can can add courses that anyone can find and enroll in as well as charge for the online courses. They can manage students, class curriculum, quizzes, and more importantly, learn pages (allowing for headings, text, files, images, and video) that their students will be reading throughout the course.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management SchoopySchoopy: Built to strengthen community communication, Schoopy provides a system in which teachers can manage participating teachers, students, and parents and send messages, ask questions, keep up with assignments and even take quizes. Communities/Schools also can create a public website making it easy for students and parents to keep up with recent updates.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management TuggleTuggle: Tuggle, launching Fall 2006, is a web-based organization tool for student leaders to manage groups, online payments, bulk and texting, and more. ChalksiteChalksite: A web package developed for teachers to help create a class website and a central point of communication with students and parents. Manage class assignments, student grades, and even a public blog.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management EngradeEngrade: Engrade is a free online gradebook that allows teachers to manage their classes online as well as post grades, assignments, attendance, and upcoming homework online for students and parents to see.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management Haiku LMSHaiku LMS: Haiku has yet to launch, but its feature set sounds promising making it worth mentioning. Haiku provides a system for teachers where they can create a public website for their classes, manage content, list assignments and announcements, track grades, and more. Sounds like a similar application to Chalksite.

For Teachers, Clubs, and Management Zoho ChallengeZoho Challenge: Online test tool where you can easily create tests, send tests to candidates (students, in this case), and view results with visual reports and straight forward grading (pass or fail).

Mathematics CalcoolateCalcoolate: Calcoolate provides users with a simple calculator with advanced expression support, mathematic functions, and history for viewing past calculations. CalcrCalcr: Similar to Calcoolate, Calcr is a web-based calculator with mathematic expression and function support as well as history logging in a very minimalist design.

Mathematics Create a GraphCreate a Graph: Create a Graph is a free tool by Students Classroom that aims to make it easy for students to create bar graphs, line graphs, area graphs, pie charts, and point graphs. Navigate through its easy to understand visual interface to add data and customize graphs.

Mathematics e-Tutor Graphing Calculatore-Tutor Graphing Calculator: Advanced web-based graphing calculator allowing students to enter one or more equations and view them with position/intersection indicators and zooming functionality.

Resume Building EmurseEmurse: Great service built for job hunters that want to create, send, and share a professional resume. Users can view their resumes statistics, send out their resume via fax and ground mail, and receive a public or private web address. One of my favorite applications of the year. More on Emurse. Emurse

Resume Building hResume CreatorhResume Creator: Helpful tool for the tech savvy crowd that want to create a Microformat compatible resume for their website. Simply fill out the hResume form covering basic resume information and retrieve an HTML file which you can use to copy-n-paste into your website. You can then style the resume as you wish with basic CSS if your not thrilled with the default appearance. Microformatcompatible

Resume Building AmikoAmiko: Amiko does not appear to work or be officially launched yet, but I have been keeping an eye on it for the last month or so and hope to try it out soon. It appears to be a service that allows users to create and manage an online resume although its feature set does not look all that promising compared to Emurse. Note: The signup form doesnt seem to work for me and Ive tried reporting it as a bug, but the bug form did not work either. Ill keep my eye on it.

To Dos and Note Taking 25 To Do Lists to Stay Productive25 To Do Lists to Stay Productive: Solution Watch roundup of 25 web-based task managers that can be helpful for students wanting to keep track of homework and upcoming quizzes. Be sure to check visitor comments for more. Fifty Ways to Take NotesFifty Ways to Take Notes: Another Solution Watch roundup including over 50 ways to take notes using various web- based tools in seven categories.

To Dos and Note Taking NoteMeshNoteMesh: Best described by NoteMesh, There are plenty of notes services out there; NoteMesh is a different way of thinking about your notes. Collaborate with your classmates to create a unified set of notes for your class. Its like Wikipedia for your notes. Note: School address required when registering.

To Dos and Note Taking Notecentric Notecentric : Notecentric is a new notetaking site designed to help university students have their notes wherever they are and easily share them with fellow classmates. You can add multiple classes to your account and save notes to them using a WYSIWYG editor. Note: School address required when registering. NoteTangoNoteTango: Free and collaborative note sharing site, launched just days ago, that allows students to create and share notes online and search notes created by other students.

Learning and Research EasyBibEasyBib: An automatic bibliography composer that lets users enter sources and fill out a simple forms to be given MLA style bibliographies. Ive used this multiple times in the past for research papers. OttobibOttobib: Similar to EasyBib, Ottobib is a simple bibliography tool that allows users to enter multiple ISBN numbers for books at a time and retrieve the bibliographies in MLA, APA, AMA, or Chicago/Turabian format.

Learning and Research NuvvoNuvvo: Nuvvo offers a service where students can search for courses to enroll in online on any just about any topic. Its a fun and easy way for students to learn and they can select from free or paid courses. DiigoDiigo: Social annotation and bookmarking service where users can bookmark sites and add highlights and notes to them. Great for research. In fact, I used Diigo to help organize bookmarks and notes for this post.

Learning and Research WizliteWizlite: Wizlite allows you to highlight text (like on real paper) on any page on the Internet and share it with everybody (or just your friends). MindpicnicMindpicnic: Similar to Nuvvo, Mindpicnic offers a service where users can create courses and find and study interesting courses full of media, links, flash cards, and more.

Learning and Research Answers.comAnswers.com: Excellent site for researching anything at all. Make a search and receive results from dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other information sources. WikipediaWikipedia: Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia under a Wiki platform that is written and maintained by volunteers. It has possibly grown to be todays largest reference site and encyclopedia on the Internet.

Learning and Research Del.icio.usDel.icio.us: Social bookmarking site where users can save bookmarks and organize them with tags. Users can also take advantage of their del.icio.us network allowing them to add friends to their account and keep track of bookmarks left by each friend.

Learning and Research ZoteroZotero: Next-generation research tool for Firefox that is currently in private beta. With Zotero, users can capture citation information, store media and websites, take notes, and more all within their browser. Note: Zotero is in private beta and I have not had the chance to try it out and will keep my eye on it.

Learning and Research NewsvineNewsvine: I could have picked any ol news site for this post, but Newsvine is, in my opinion, the best news source for students. Its a clean and friendly social news site containing articles from the Associated Press, ESPN, and New Scientist as well as user contributions. Students can browse the site comfortably, rate news articles, participate in article discussion, and even start their own news column where they can write and publish articles. More on Newsvine.Newsvine

Media Sharing YoutubeYoutube: YouTube has quickly grown to be one of the most popular websites on the Internet. I personally use it for entertainment, although you can find a great deal of educational videos as well as create an account to upload your own videos for free. Students can research the site (may come across inappropriate content here and there) and even create projects with video and share them on the web.

Media Sharing Google VideoGoogle Video: Similar to YouTube, Google Video allows users to search, upload, and share videos online for free. Im a fan of YouTube, but Google comes on top when it comes to quality educational videos. Google Video even has an educational category providing hour long videos and caption/subtitled videos (new). educational categorycaption/subtitled videos

Media Sharing FlickrFlickr: Explore, upload, and share photos online. Includes commenting and neat note functionality where users can add blocks of notes on the photos themselves for others to see. EyespotEyespot: Neat site where users can actually create video mixes online and share them with others. You can add up to 100 clips or photos to a movie as well as add transition effects and video effects. Reminds me of videos I had to create back in High School for Graphic Communications class. More on Eyespot.Eyespot

Word Processing WritelyWritely: Online Word Processor allowing users to create and edit documents collaboratively online, import Word documents, publicly or privately share documents, publish to a blog, and more. Zoho WriterZoho Writer: Similar to Writely, Zoho Writer is an Online Word Processor where you can create, share, and collaborate on documents. Users can also publish to a blog, import and export documents, and make documents public.

Word Processing WriteboardWriteboard: Writeboard is a collaborative writing tool where users can write, share, revise, and compare their documents online with others. It is not an advanced system featuring a WYSIWYG editor, Ajax, and flashy effects, but thats what I like about it. Writeboard is a personal favorite of mine and as a matter of fact I am using it right now for this very post. It includes version control with text comparing and is great for essays and writeups of any kind. More on Writeboard.Writeboard

Word Processing ThinkFree WriteThinkFree Write: ThinkFree Write is a free word processor that, at this time, is probably the closest you can get to an online version of Microsoft Office with features and appearance in mind. You can perform formatting options, create tables, add a header/footer, and spell check as you type just like your average desktop word processor. Pretty impressive. You can also open and save Microsoft Word and OpenOffice documents as well as share documents online with others. Note: There are two versions of ThinkFree Write: Quick Edit (Ajax-based) and Power Edit (Java-based).

Word Processing AjaxWriteAjaxWrite: Lightweight word processor that can read and write Microsoft Word and other standard document formats, display multiple documents at once in tabs, and feature basic formatting. However, feature wise, it just does not cut it for me. What I do like about it is that its very quick and there are no signups – get in and get out.

Presentations Zoho ShowZoho Show: Web-based presentation tool to create, edit, publish, and show presentations. Zoho Show is very feature packed allowing users to create presentations full of text, images, shapes, lists, and pre-formated content templates. Users can also import their existing PowerPoint and OpenOffice presentations, view presentations online, and export as HTML.

Presentations ThumbstacksThumbstacks: With Thumbstacks, create and share web-based presentations over the web. Thumbstacks provides a clean and easy to use presentation builder, although not as feature rich as Zoho Show, and allows users to export presentations in HTML format.

Presentations SlideShareSlideShare: Great new service, currently available by invitation only, that consists of an YouTube-like site for Powerpoint and OpenOffice presentations displaying presentations through Flash players. Users can even place the Flash presentation players on their own websites. Ive been waiting for a site similar to this for some time now; perfect for students and educators wanting to store presentations online for sharing and receiving feedback.

Presentations EmpressrEmpressr: Empressr is an Ajax and Flash- based service that lets you create and share presentations online. One advantage on the feature side is that it uses Flash and Ajax rather than HTML and Ajax allowing you to add more media then other tools including audio and video, although I personally prefer HTML presentations.

Presentations ThinkFree ShowThinkFree Show: Excellent Java-based presentation application that feels much like Microsoft Powerpoint. Create rich presentations and play them through the online editor or by graphic. You can also save your presentations for viewing in Microsoft Powerpoint and share them with others online.

Diagrams and Mind Mapping MayomiMayomi: Mayomi is a free flash-based mind mapping tool that lets you map out ideas, projects, research topics, or anything else that can be dug into. Great for students when it comes to writing essays. More on Mayomi.Mayomi GliffyGliffy: Draw and share diagrams online using Gliffy. You get all of your basic functionality that you would in an offline diagram application but with a few extra bonuses like working online collaboratively and dynamic publishing of diagrams. Create flow charts, floor plans, technical diagrams, and more.

Diagrams and Mind Mapping mxGraphmxGraph: mxGraph is a very impressive JavaScript based diagramming library where users can create advanced diagrams within their browser. The only catch is that it is not a hosted solution where users can create and save diagrams. It is a library in which companies, and probably schools, can use under the mxGraph license. Id love for it to be a hosted solution, like Gliffy.

Spreadsheets Google SpreadsheetsGoogle Spreadsheets: Create, store and share spreadsheets on the web. Includes real time editing and chatting with others as well as import and export options. Google Spreadsheets is my web-based spreadsheet application of choice, although on the negative side, it does not provide chart functionality.

Spreadsheets EditGridEditGrid: An online spreadsheet featuring real-time-update and extensive collaboration features. EditGrid has support for more then 500 functions, includes remote data update, access control, and more. iRowsiRows: Create and share spreadsheets online, create charts, include dynamic information, and upload and save Excel, CSV and OpenDocument files. More on iRows. iRows

Spreadsheets Zoho SheetZoho Sheet: Zoho Sheet is a web based alternative to traditional spreadsheet applications, like MS Excel or Openoffice Calc. It provides basic spreadsheet functionalities coupled with web based features like sharing, tagging, publishing and more. Num SumNum Sum: Possibly the first web-based spreadsheet service launched that introduced social spreadsheets where users can tag their spreadsheets and share with others.

Spreadsheets ThinkFree CalcThinkFree Calc: Java-based spreadsheet application that has the look and feel of Microsoft Excel. Users can share their spreadsheets and work on them collaboratively online. NumblerNumbler: Simple online spreadsheet solution with great real-time editing and chatting with multiple users. Nice and clean interface although not as feature packed as some of the other options.

Calendars 30 Boxes30 Boxes: 30 Boxes is an online calendar that I feel works great for students due to its simplicity and sharing options. It also features RSS subscription to automatically populate the calendar with feed items on the day they were published – great for tracking teacher blogs and academic feeds. Furthermore, users can access their calendars on the go with 30 Boxes Mobile.30 Boxes Mobile

Calendars Google CalendarGoogle Calendar: A bit on the advanced side, but once you get used to it, youll find its quite powerful. Users can create multiple calendars; view by day, week, or month; share their calendars with the web or a select few; subscribe to other shared calendars; and more. More on Google Calendar.Google Calendar

Calendars SpongecellSpongecell: A free and easy to use calendar for you and your friends. Features a simple drag and drop interface where events can be created and viewed on calendars in multiple formats. Users can also share their calendars with others. CalendarHubCalendarHub: CalendarHub offers a great service for personal and group use offering a simple drag and drop interface, calendar subscribing, reminder notification, and more. More on CalendarHub.CalendarHub

Miscellaneous ScanrScanr: Scanr is an interesting product great for those without access to a scanner. Scan, copy and fax whiteboards, documents, and business cards with just a camera phone or digital camera! Great for research at the library and creating a backup of printed class handouts on the computer.

Miscellaneous eFaxeFax: Although this may not be that useful for students, I felt its worth mentioning. eFax lets users receive faxes through for free simply by providing them with a temporary phone number that senders can use to send their documents. eFax is free for receiving faxes but will cost you to send them out (eFax Plans).eFax Plans

Miscellaneous Zoho CreatorZoho Creator: Cant find a product that does what you want? Try creating your own. Zoho Creator allows its users to structure a database, insert and connect data, and publically share it with others. GmailGmail: Generally, most colleges and schools provide , but if youre an High School student, chances are you werent given one. Id personally recommend Gmail for its features and space, however you may have trouble using it in schools due to its chat functionality.

Miscellaneous Google Page CreatorGoogle Page Creator: Users can create quality sites without learning HTML or any other technical knowledge, although they can use them if they wish. You get 100MB of space for yoursite.googlepages.com and can upload files and attach gadgets to your pages. Heres an example site I created in just a minute with Part 1 of this series. Dead simple, but presentable.example site

Educational Blogging Blogging has quickly become one of the most effective learning tools in education today. It introduces students with new methods of communicating, improving their writing, and helps motivate them to find their voice. Dare I say it even makes learning… fun? Educators generally blog about school news, philosophies, and class activities. On the other hand, students tend to write about current events, personal beliefs, and topics related to their education. In blogging, there are no set standards, no boundaries, no restrictions confining you to conform your thoughts to any given set of rules and regulations. You dont have to worry about getting points taken off for not using the default: 12 point font size, Times New Roman, with 1 margins. You can write freely, and at your own pace. Also, bloggers can gain an audience from their writing. Unlike a school paper, blog posts can recieve feedback from students, teachers, parents, and ultimately, anyone in the world. (gasp)

Things Ive noticed with student blogs I often found, and many teachers have noted this as well, that the students would publish to their school blogs even when not instructed to. Students really enjoy reaching out to the world and they are so motivated by it that they want to write even more. They would describe how their day was, what they learned in class, or even things they learned or read on the news that day. Its amazing. I also found that many students became so attached to their blogs that they made it a responsibility to keep consistent. When they found they have been lacking in posts or that they havent been instructed to post for class in in a while, they would often apologize and feel as though they deserted their readers. Its pretty interesting, although expected, to see that kind of connection with students and their blogs. Also, I see that many students refer to other posts by other students in their writing, but do not appear to take advantage of trackback or pingback functionality. I personally feel it is essential that all bloggers understand the use of trackback technology, especially in this scenario, as it makes for communication outside of normal commenting. Not only that, it feels very rewarding receiving a trackback. So, I want to explain briefly how it works and what it means. In simplistic terms, you make a pingback by linking to the post that you are referring to in your post. This will notify the writer of the blog, adding a pingback comment to their post automatically, in turn continuing conversation. This is a great way for students to communicate back and forth rather than only commenting. If they have something to say and feel its worth a post rather then a comment, pingback or trackback it.