HTML in your blog

Here are some ways to use HTML tags to change the look of text in your blog or add a hyperlink in an area that doesn't have the option for hyperlinks (many areas do have the option to make something a hyperlink).

To change the text size, font, and color (if you didn't want to do all three, just eliminate that part of the code):

<span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:arial;color:purple;" >This text is larger, Arial, and purple</span>

This is how the code above will look:
This text is larger, Arial, and purple

Remember to make the font-family a common font that you can find on both Macs and Windows computers. Otherwise, the text will display as the default font. Also, use common colors.

To insert a hyperlink:
<a href="http://thewebsite.com">The hyperlinked text</a>

What is a Blog?

Blog is short for “Web Log.” A Blog is essentially an online diary. A “log” of one’s life, or a class discussion, or family events, or…or… It can be generated by just one person or have input from many people. It can be comprised of only text or it can have pictures, music, and/or sound embedded. The key is that the contributors to the blog do not need to know any web design skills in order to contribute to the blog.

Blogs in Education

Post a comment for how you see using blogs in your classroom, or in education in general.

Wiki History

Have you ever been to Hawaii? There are buses at the Honolulu airport that will take you between terminals called Wiki-wiki buses. They are the fastest way to get from one terminal to the next. Wiki means "fast" in Hawaiian. What does that have to do with Internet wikis? Well, everything! Ward Cunningham is the creator of the software that allows users to edit content on the Web...quickly. Wikipedia.org is one of the most famous websites that uses Mr. Cunningham's technology. Mr. Cunningham named his technology "WikiWikiWeb" after the Wiki-wiki buses in Hawaii as opposed to calling his technology "quick-web." He figured WikiWikiWeb is more fun to say than quick-web. His technology allows anyone to quickly and efficiently create content on the Internet...get it?

source: http://c2.com/doc/etymology.html

Wikis in Education

Imagine that you have a project that involves writing that is going to be a group project. What are some of the problems that arise in this situation? Finding time for the students to work together? Making sure that the members of the group contribute equally? What else? Feel free to comment.

Now, imagine being able to solve some of the drawbacks to group projects. Imagine being able to have groups of students work on a project without having to be in the same room? Imagine, as their teacher, being able to view the history of which student(s) contributed to what part of the project?

Imagine being able to create an online encyclopedia for your class…created by your students…that next year’s students can add to…and the next…and the next.

This is where wikis come in. Wikis are a type of software that allows you to edit a webpage and save the information to a server (a computer in the company’s building). There are some wikis that are private and only accessible within a company. There are some wikis that are have to pay a subscription. And, there are some wikis that are free and public (but which you can make private by requiring a password). Those are the ones we’re most interested in.

What other uses for this technology would you have in your classroom? Feel free to comment.