Image Source: http://www.utopiafilmfestival.org/images/2007movies/balancing-act.jpg
Running a blog service for educators isn’t unlike balancing a load of boxes, as the image above illustrates. It’s tough work and I’m grateful to those companies that have chosen to offer free services to educators. Irrespective of their commitment to service, educators are looking for services that meet certain criteria. Some criterion can be set aside, but others–such as ad-free blogs for users–are non-negotiable in some environments.
A few months ago, I made the decision to abandon Thingamablog and switch to something else. When I started with Thinga, I was just playing around. 7,000 entries later, I was done playing and looking for something easier than FTPing files to a server.
But what should that something easier be? I was strongly leaning towards Edublogs.org but then, as a result of constant upgrades and changes there–which undoubtedly improved their service even as it made it possible for them to put advertisements everywhere if you weren’t a paid subscriber–I found myself looking elsewhere…it was just poor timing but it factored into my decision. I haven’t paid a cent for my blog hosting, only for domain registrations (mguhlin.net and mguhlin.org) and image storage space for my photos/images (which I would have paid anyways to archive my photo library). So, essentially, I blog for free.
The moment of truth came when I had to present at a Texas leadership event and wanted a quick blog to setup. Though I’ve always eschewed Google’s Blogger–the dashboard with its “next blog” turned me off (you can turn this feature off by getting a 3rd party template or adding special code to your existing template), and the fact that Blogger was blocked in K-12 schools–I decided to throw that out and go with Blogger. I was pleasantly surprised by ease of use, and improvements in Google’s Blogger/Blogspot service since I first looked at it years ago.
Now, as we have new educators joining the ranks of the edublogerati (whatever the heck that is), the question is, what blog tool to recommend? Obviously, “serious” bloggers will want to host their own content on a server, even though I’ve abandoned that expectation for my own blogs. There’s no reason why I can’t do it (I have access to a server), I have the know-how, but why bother? And, it’s so easy to incrementally back-up my blog entries and comments to WordPress blog running on my own computer (which I bring up just for that purpose) that having your own copy isn’t the roadblock it once was.
So, what criteria should we be encouraging our new edubloggers to consider? Here is a list suggested by my personal learning network (via Twitter), and I’ve added a few myself:
- No advertisements – Ads are universally spurned in K-12 education. In my district, they are blocked by the appearance of policy documents that fill the space where an ad would go on a web page. So, you could be reading a blog entry but stumble smack dab into an blocked advertisement, not to mention an inappropriate advertisement!
- Free as in no cost – While die-hard techies will want to manage their image with a blog on their own server, sometimes paying serious money for it (just read Wes Fryer’s story) or at least having to pay for bandwidth usage, most folks just want a place to ruminate and a way to back up their work.
- Easy to back up the work – Everyone likes to be able to back up their hard work, especially since blogging is something that is really a LONG-TERM commitment. After all, I wasn’t kidding when I said blogging was about being a lifelong learner…lifelong is as long a commitment as you get. I’ve been blogging almost 5 years (or is it 6?) and I have over 7000 blog entries on my original blog site (http://mguhlin.net) and quickly approaching 400 blog entries on this site (http://mguhlin.org).
- Easy to Manage Group Blogging – Although most blogs are solitary affairs, the old writing alone bit because it’s so much fun and miserable (don’t we like to play, “Ain’t it Awful?”), it’s great to invite others to participate. As a classroom teacher, I’d love to have my grade level or team join me on maintaining a group blog so that i don’t have to be a solitary sojourner, or wandering learner.
- Up time – I wasn’t the only one who was disturbed by an Edublogs.org blog outage that seemed to last for some time. This expectation that a blog platform actually work in the face of a not-working reality meant that some asked themselves, “If it’s not going to work reliably, do I really want to use it?” So, up-time is definitely important!!
- Frequent Updates – Although up-time is important, it’s also critical that frequent updates be done to keep the service fresh and alive. After all, if I want to embed new media in a blog entry, the service needs to allow me the most flexibility without restricting me to its security policy (like WordPress.com does!).
- Easy admin/user console – The administration console has to be drop-dead easy. One of the best blogs I’ve seen that does this is Apple’s Blog user interface. Wow, talk about a simple interface. The new WordPress 2.7 interface is pretty easy to navigate now, unlike what it once was. Google Blogger is also fairly easy, too.
- Easy to Embed Media and Content – Being able to embed media is critical. If I want to embed VoiceThreads, YouTube, Beep.tv, whatever, I should be able to. RSS feeds, Delicious/Diigo, all of that needs to be easy to drop in. I love Google’s simple interface for doing this in Blogger.
- Easy to Adjust Look-n-Feel – Changing the look-n-feel of a blog site is a must. Most sites are template driven. WordPress is the best in regards to this, although it’s possible to do it with other blog sites.
- Add Blog Entries via 3rd Party Tools – One of the niftiest things with the Typepad blog I contribute to is being able to use ScribeFire to update content. I also love being able to post to Blogger and Edublogs.org via Diigo Annotation/Social Bookmarking Tool and Flock browser. These additional tools make it possible to share your ideas no matter what you’re doing and facilitate blogging.
- Redundancy – Terrorism, hurricanes, user error, what happens when these wipe out a facility where the servers hosting your blog content are stored? Is there somewhere else that your blog’s data are stored? Will their disaster recovery plan allow for uninterrupted service no matter that their primary facility has been destroyed or knocked offline by natural disasters or human acts (deliberate or otherwise)?
Thanks to Scott Weidig (VanishingPoint on Twitter, VanishingPoint.edublogs.org) for contributing several of these criteria! Once we get the list developed, it will be worth plugging in some popular blogging services and then rating them according to the criteria above! Don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts!
Quick Disclaimer: Even though I use Edublogs.org above in some negative examples, I want to make it clear that James Farmer and his folks are AWESOME for providing this service to teachers and students. I have my own share of Edublogs converts that leave my workshops vowing to use Edublogs.org. However, every service can be improved and this kind of feedback gathering/conversation helps accomplish that (at least, it helps me better understand the criteria and get intouch with what others in my PLN are thinking). I encourage Typepad users to speak up about non-negotiables.
Blogger/Blogspot Specific Tips:
- How to Remove the Dashboard or NEXT BLOG: Go to LAYOUT->EDIT HTML and paste in the following line down below the Variables section but above the Body section:
#navbar-iframe {height:0px;visibility:hidden;display:none} - View Other Blogspot/Blogger Tips I’ve Learned
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Thanks for the post. I don’t have the time or the money to host my own. Having services like blogger and edublogs is very helpful. Edublogs has been great but I am switching to blogger because of the ads that are popping up and because it seems easier to use. I really don’t like the “next blog” feature but free is free for a reason.
Thanks for the post. I don’t have the time or the money to host my own. Having services like blogger and edublogs is very helpful. Edublogs has been great but I am switching to blogger because of the ads that are popping up and because it seems easier to use. I really don’t like the “next blog” feature but free is free for a reason.
I recently had a friend ask me if I knew how to get rid of the banner. She had Will Richardson’s second edition of the book, but the instructions to remove it were not working. I sent her to this linkhttp://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/2005/01/remove-navbar.htmlwith the message “Check this out with its video tutorial. She reports that it works! And she has since removed the banner from her Blogger blog.I too left Edublogs for my own domain. I have to give them credit though for skills I learned regarding managing a blog and “how” to blog.
I recently had a friend ask me if I knew how to get rid of the banner. She had Will Richardson’s second edition of the book, but the instructions to remove it were not working. I sent her to this linkhttp://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/2005/01/remove-navbar.htmlwith the message “Check this out with its video tutorial. She reports that it works! And she has since removed the banner from her Blogger blog.I too left Edublogs for my own domain. I have to give them credit though for skills I learned regarding managing a blog and “how” to blog.
Skip and Cathy, I’ve added the code you need to paste into your Blogger template to remove the Navbar. Take care,Miguel
Skip and Cathy, I’ve added the code you need to paste into your Blogger template to remove the Navbar. Take care,Miguel
I thought I had my Reader cleared for the New Year…but NoooooOooO. 🙂 Happy New Year, Mr. MGuhlin. Thank you for all of the wonderful insights.
I thought I had my Reader cleared for the New Year…but NoooooOooO. 🙂 Happy New Year, Mr. MGuhlin. Thank you for all of the wonderful insights.
I’m confused…you said “the fact that Blogger was blocked in K-12 schools–I decided to throw that out and go with Blogger” If blogger is blocked, and if kids under a certain age can’t use Google, why did you go with blogger? I had real trouble with the new advertising in edublogs this fall, and hear that wordpress is doing the same kind of thing. With edublogs you can prevent the ads by joining for about $50 a year. I loved it when it was free and ad free, but can’t use it now. I like Google for personal use, but can’t use it with my younger students (under 13). That said, what suggestions do you have? Thanks so much!
I’m confused…you said “the fact that Blogger was blocked in K-12 schools–I decided to throw that out and go with Blogger” If blogger is blocked, and if kids under a certain age can’t use Google, why did you go with blogger? I had real trouble with the new advertising in edublogs this fall, and hear that wordpress is doing the same kind of thing. With edublogs you can prevent the ads by joining for about $50 a year. I loved it when it was free and ad free, but can’t use it now. I like Google for personal use, but can’t use it with my younger students (under 13). That said, what suggestions do you have? Thanks so much!
@LKP : I decided I don’t care what K-12 network nazis think about blogger and whether they block it or not for my OWN blog.I see 2 levels of options for K-12 schools and educators who want to blog:#1 Best Option: Professionally speaking, the best solution for K-12 students and educators who want to blog for education/work purposes is to host their own (e.g. Using Apple Blog Xserve, WordPress, b2Evolution, Moodle blog function for students). This gives the District control over the content and the ability to have learning conversations about how to best support instruction with blogs, wikis, etc. and deal with account management. It is the walled garden approach. #2 Best Option for Districts: The next best set of solutions includes paying Edublogs.org, November Learning Communities, Gaggle.net to do the account management and blog handling. The District gets the control but doesn’t have to provide the support (just money) and/or account management which can be a bear for some districts.But for personal learning networks, I wouldn’t use the official district tool. I would recommend they use what works for them. For me, and for others who want a free solution without advertisement, Blogger works. Will it always be the best solution for educators who want to ruminate about the quality of their PLN content, who knows?Finally, I’m a cheapskate. I don’t want to pay $50 or credits for no advertising to Edublogs or anyone for that matter. It’s MY choice (smile).Thanks for asking that question.Hope that clarifies the intent of my post,Miguel
@LKP : I decided I don’t care what K-12 network nazis think about blogger and whether they block it or not for my OWN blog.I see 2 levels of options for K-12 schools and educators who want to blog:#1 Best Option: Professionally speaking, the best solution for K-12 students and educators who want to blog for education/work purposes is to host their own (e.g. Using Apple Blog Xserve, WordPress, b2Evolution, Moodle blog function for students). This gives the District control over the content and the ability to have learning conversations about how to best support instruction with blogs, wikis, etc. and deal with account management. It is the walled garden approach. #2 Best Option for Districts: The next best set of solutions includes paying Edublogs.org, November Learning Communities, Gaggle.net to do the account management and blog handling. The District gets the control but doesn’t have to provide the support (just money) and/or account management which can be a bear for some districts.But for personal learning networks, I wouldn’t use the official district tool. I would recommend they use what works for them. For me, and for others who want a free solution without advertisement, Blogger works. Will it always be the best solution for educators who want to ruminate about the quality of their PLN content, who knows?Finally, I’m a cheapskate. I don’t want to pay $50 or credits for no advertising to Edublogs or anyone for that matter. It’s MY choice (smile).Thanks for asking that question.Hope that clarifies the intent of my post,Miguel
ello, Miguel,For individuals, schools, and districts, Drupal also provides an excellent set of options. For one thing, it meets or exceeds all of the criteria listed in your original post. Additionally, as an open source tool, it provides complete control and portability for the people hosting the site — and there are clean options for allowing users to export their data as well.Moreover, there are numerous reputable hosting companies that will manage the maintenance and upgrades (of both Drupal and the server infrastructure).Cheers,Bill
ello, Miguel,For individuals, schools, and districts, Drupal also provides an excellent set of options. For one thing, it meets or exceeds all of the criteria listed in your original post. Additionally, as an open source tool, it provides complete control and portability for the people hosting the site — and there are clean options for allowing users to export their data as well.Moreover, there are numerous reputable hosting companies that will manage the maintenance and upgrades (of both Drupal and the server infrastructure).Cheers,Bill
Bill, you are a tireless Drupal for Education advocate. The challenge is learning Drupal enough–administration, management, content creation/addition–to implement well enough.Do you offer workshops on Drupal and at what cost? Could you share that or your recommendations with us?
Bill, you are a tireless Drupal for Education advocate. The challenge is learning Drupal enough–administration, management, content creation/addition–to implement well enough.Do you offer workshops on Drupal and at what cost? Could you share that or your recommendations with us?
Hello, Miguel,RE: “Bill, you are a tireless Drupal for Education advocate.”Do you mean “tireless” or “tiresome”? :)All kidding aside, I drank the Drupal koolaid as a result of my experience as a classroom teacher and a technology director at the K12 level. It does solve many of the problems you describe, and it also gives a flexibility not present in some of the other options — and I’m talking both open source and proprietary.At the risk of being self-promoting (as opposed to just Drupal-promoting), my book on “Drupal for Education” is a very good starting point on learning to use Drupal within an educational context. It is targeted for people new to Drupal, and for people who *don’t* write code. It breaks down how to install Drupal, maintain a Drupal site, and, most importantly, build out a powerful and secure social learning environment.There are also a range of training options around. We are in the process of building out a series of Drupal courses that we will offer; currently, we’re looking at 3-6 week units (depending on the subject area); these courses will be delivered to small groups (under 10 people) with weekly meetings supported by a community site (built in Drupal, natch).Cheers,Bill
Hello, Miguel,RE: “Bill, you are a tireless Drupal for Education advocate.”Do you mean “tireless” or “tiresome”? :)All kidding aside, I drank the Drupal koolaid as a result of my experience as a classroom teacher and a technology director at the K12 level. It does solve many of the problems you describe, and it also gives a flexibility not present in some of the other options — and I’m talking both open source and proprietary.At the risk of being self-promoting (as opposed to just Drupal-promoting), my book on “Drupal for Education” is a very good starting point on learning to use Drupal within an educational context. It is targeted for people new to Drupal, and for people who don’t write code. It breaks down how to install Drupal, maintain a Drupal site, and, most importantly, build out a powerful and secure social learning environment.There are also a range of training options around. We are in the process of building out a series of Drupal courses that we will offer; currently, we’re looking at 3-6 week units (depending on the subject area); these courses will be delivered to small groups (under 10 people) with weekly meetings supported by a community site (built in Drupal, natch).Cheers,Bill