ISTC 605 Bolg Assignment

1) What is the definition of a blog?It is an online journal made up of links and postings in reverse chronological order. What is the history of blogs – who started blogging?
In 1998 there were a handful of sites called weblogs, named such by Jorn Barger. Jesse James Garrett, editor of Infosift, began compiling a list of sites like his and sent the list to Cameron Barrett to be published on Camworld. Others also sent in lists and at the start of 1999 there were 23 sites on the 'page of only weblogs.' The listings were easy to read and a lot of people did.Peter Merholz early in 1999 decided he was going to shorten the name to wee-blog and inevitably that was shortened to blog.
2) What is the purpose of a blog?
A blog is used to facilitate communication between the reader and the blog writer. What do blogs contribute to the “community” of the web? Blogs can act as filters for information or as shortcuts to little known or obscure links. They provide information to the reader and the reader can comment to that information. Blogs provide a 'give and take' arena for the internet where it was once only 'take' information.
3) How do blogs differ from discussion boards?
Blogs are more personal in nature as opposed to discussion boards where it is usually group based. Blogs communicate a wide variety of subjects whereas discussion boards tend to be targeted to single subject matter.
4) How can an individual become involved in blogging?
Go to a blogger site like blogger.com and set up your own site. There are literally millions of blogs on the internet.
5) How might blogs be used in an educational setting (with students in the K-12 arena)?
You could use blogs to post class assignments, homework, and other pertinent information. You could provide links to class related websites. You could provide rubrics for assignments or examples of writings, or algorithms for problem solving. There are a lot of ways it could be used.
6) Can you locate some examples of appropriate blogs in which students might participate?
http://www.goodhabitsgoodstudents.com/blog/
7) Cite some examples (URLs) of sites with interesting blog activity.
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/, http://cossondra.blogspot.com/
8) What is your commentary on blogs? Do you see blogs contributing in a positive or negative way to Internet activity?
I see blogs as that opportunity to read a diary without having to feel bad about it when you are finished reading it. If people want to have their personal thoughts and ideals published and read I see nothing wrong with it. For those who blog diary type blogs, it is probably therapeutic for them both mentally and physically. Whether the practice of blogging is positive or negative is like all things on the internet. There are good blogs and bad blogs and the final determination has to be made by the reader. The potential for great accomplishment is there.
9) What do you foresee as the future of blogs? Do you think this is just another fad, or do you believe it is an activity that will continue for some time?
Blogging will probably be around for a long time. There may be a spike in the activity has more people try their hand at blogging, but there will always be those people who want evervyone to known who they are and what they are doing.