Nursing Students: How to make a link to a file

To make a link to a file is a several step process. It involves using Google Docs & Spreadsheets to upload your files. Once your files are uploaded, you publish them. Once you publish them, you are given a URL. Copy this URL and paste it into your Nursing blog.

To access a file that contains the directions for this process, Click Here.

How might I use a blog in teaching?

"A blog will only be effective for students in their learning (and for your teaching) if it is relevant to the learning context being provided or developed. From a student's point of view the most pragmatic way in which this is understood is in terms of assessment - if a blog is used but contributes nothing to their final result, then it can be very hard to encourage students to use a blog."

Sebastian Fiedler, Seblogging
Link to the rest of the text.

Using blogs to integrate technology in the classroom
The link below includes some good information about blogs as well as links to additional references.
Link to Teaching Today

How do I get started?

First, you need to create a blog. There are several organizations that offer free services:

http://www.blogger.com (in four steps you're a blogger)

http://www.livejournal.com/

http://beblog.com

Why create a blog?

How do you engage students outside of class? Invite them to create and share a blog. It's very simple to create, post to, and read postings on a blog. And it's easy to share your blog. In a class, you can encourage students to post their thoughts on a reading, class discussion, group project, etc. A student blog makes it possible to share their thoughts with you and other students in the class.

Reading your students' blogs can be made more efficient by using an aggregator. During this FITSI 2008 session, you'll be introduced to Google Reader.