Blogs

"Blogs, short for web logs, are like online journals for a particular person. The owner will post a message periodically, allowing others to comment. Topics often include the owner's daily life, views on politics or a particular subject important to them.

Blogs mean many things to different people, ranging from "online journal" (Techcrunch), to "easily updated personal website."(iNC)Beyond being a simple homepage or an online diary, some blogs allow comments on the entries, thereby creating a discussion forum. Blogs engage readers and can build a virtual community around a particular person or interest. Examples of free blog publishing systems include Slashdot, LiveJournal, BlogSpot". To search blogs by topic, go to http://blogsearch.google.com

(Source: Wikipedia)

Higher Education use of blogs are many and varied. Here are a selection of top sites organized by category:

News and Trends - These higher education blogs cover all the news, politics, social issues and economics impacting schools and students.

• Education Nation: Check out this very grounded and informative blog if you’re interested in reading about graduate school, college tips, and higher education news.
• Reality Check: John V. Lombardi casts a critical eye on the business of higher education.
• Eduwonk: Eduwonk covers higher education news and adds its own analysis on the side.
• Open Education This blog promotes "free education for all" and includes insightful posts about lesson plans, student activism, drop out rates, the economy, and more.

Professor Blogs - Professors take to blogging to rant about students and their schools’ tenure systems as well as share their own goals and research.

• The College Puzzle: Dr. Michael W. Krist blogs at stanford.edu about how to achieve college success.
• University Diaries: An English professor blogs in order to improve university life.
• Recession Realities in Higher Education: Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield Ray Schroeder blogs about higher ed and the economy.

Academic Librarians - Learn how academic librarians are leading their colleges and universities into the future through innovative technology systems and more.

• Keywords from a Librarian: Mary W. George is a college librarian who blogs for Inside Higher Ed about teaching and information.
• Academic Librarian: This blog from Princeton celebrates library history and plenty more.
• The Kept-Up Academic Librarian: This blogger helps librarians, educators and administrators keep up with all the news about higher education.

Administrators and Departments - Deans and other administrators blog about campus life, college politics and beyond.

• Confessions of a Community College Dean: "Dean Dad" has found himself a new calling in academic administration and answers questions about college politics and more.
• Eric Stoller’s Blog: Eric Stoller does it all: he’s an academic affairs professional at Oregon State and also a freelance higher education technology consultant.

At USD:

Blogs can be written by organizations or individuals. USD doesn't have a sponsored blog, but organizations such as the LRC provide space for students, (Lindsey McDougle) faculty (Law Professor) (Simon Croom) and staff blog individually. Others such as (USD Prof Jack Minan) participate in other's blogs.

To search for blogs or start your own, access the"How do I get it?" link below

• Blogs allow you to …

  • Easily share your expertise or opinions with others
  • Encourage comments from others and take time to reflect on those comments before responding
  • Encourages learner-centric experiences
  • Hone writing skills: Express yourself in writing and track
  • Exchange information with individuals and capture an individuals changes in thinking

To search blogs by topic, go to http://blogsearch.google.com

To create your own, free blog publishing software is everywhere. The largest and most popular are: WordPress and Blogger (owned by Google). Both host your blogs which means that they run on their servers, and provide easy-to-use editors to manage your content. They give you full control over who can view your blog and whether you allow comments etc.

Access a Blogger account setup tutorial

Activate and account on Blogger

Read and make comments on the USD iTeam's blog

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