Create and maintain a basic weblog/Sarah's blogging workshop/Week 1 Activity Sheet

Week 1: Looking at blogs
Objective

• Be able to describe what a blog is.
  
• Be able to find blogs that interest you.
  
• Be able to use a RSS feed to monitor blogs that interest you.
  

Activity
1. Find out what a blog is.

• What do you already know?
  
• Definition
  
• History
  
• Why we should blog.
  

2. Using Google Blog Search, find blogs that may interest you.

3. Find out what RSS is.

• Join Google Reader or Bloglines.
  
• Start to save the blogs you have found in your RSS reader.
  

4. Join the workshop email forum

• The email forum will be used to pass on information and continue discussions about issues that arise.
  

Resources

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com

• Blog History: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8FELx6Jvhg
• Blogs in plain English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI
• Blogging. The staff experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PIiizu4yVg
• RSS in plain English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU
• Adding feeds to Google Reader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm8rJuQlsGw
• Setting up Google Reader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9thcD3cS1so
• Managing your feeds in Google Reader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VskBKGBD6g8
• How to use Bloglines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw4PWrlpYes&feature=related
• How to use Bloglines 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_hlEU8yc54&feature=related
  

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Google Search: http://www.google.co.nz
Google Blog Search: http://blogsearch.google.co.nz
Google Reader: www.google.com/reader
Bloglines: http://www.bloglines.com
Sue Waters: Subscribing to blogs and RSS feeds: http://aquaculturepda.wikispaces.com/Subscribe
Vicki Davis: How to be an incredible blogger: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-be-incredible-blogger.html
Christine Martell: How I use Google Reader: http://www.astdcascadia.org/BlogCascadia/2007/09/how-i-use-google-reader