Blogs for School Counselors : Blogs for School Counselors Stephanie Macias
EDCO 549
Fall II
2011
What is a Blog? : What is a Blog? Definition:
“A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules. In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.” (“What’s a Blog?”)
Can be public or private
Benefits of Using a Blog:
Free or inexpensive
Easy to update students, parents, and teachers of Counseling Department news and events
Collect data using blog surveys
Share resources with students, parents and teachers
Collaborate with other counselors! (Sabella, 2012)
The Goals of a School Counseling Blog : The Goals of a School Counseling Blog Communication with-
Students
Teachers
Parents
Staff
Information sharing
School counseling news
Services offered
Parent workshops and information sessions
Collaboration with other counselors
Share ideas and resources
Who Can Blog? : Who Can Blog?
How to Get Started…. : How to Get Started…. Source: (Sabella, 2012)
What to Blog About? : What to Blog About? School
Counselor
Contact
Information Mission
Statement
And
Goals Special
Features
Of The
Counseling Program Information
For
Students
And
Parents Surveys
For
Collecting Data Source: (Sabella, 2012)
Students Blogging : Students Blogging Use blogging with classroom guidance
Have middle or high school aged students create a blog in their technology development class and blog about their college plans and career goals.
Have elementary or middle school aged students create a Glog using Glogster Edu in conjunction with a classroom guidance lesson like this one and post them to a class blog.
Students can read and comment on each others blogs and teachers can monitor posts prior to publishing to ensure content is appropriate.
Blogs can be used for:
Group projects
Reflection on lessons and assignments,
E-portfolios
Reflective journals
Class newsletters
Class websites
Contributions : Contributions A quick and easy way to share information with parents, teachers, parents, students, and the community.
Promote Counseling Department’s goals
Highlight the program’s successes
Engage students
An opportunity for interactive learning
Show the need for School Counselors! (Sabella, 2012)
Things to remember… : Things to remember… Be sensitive to student’s and families access to and familiarity with computers and internet
Provide other means of communication for those who do not have access
Provide internet safety training for student bloggers
Teachers or counselor should monitor student blogs to ensure personal or inappropriate information is not posted (Lent, 2009)
Future Implications : Future Implications Blogging is a versatile tool that can be used by school counselors to connect with students, families, school staff, the community and other school counselors to promote student success. As we move forward to a more technologically based society, the use of the internet for communicating is increasing. Sharing information via a blog allows key stakeholders to access information from their home or work computers or even their smart phones. Additionally, blogs are a great way to engage students and supplement their educational experiences (Sabella, 2012).
Counseling Blogs to Check Out… : Counseling Blogs to Check Out…
References : References Lent, J. (2009). Journaling Enters the 21st Century: The Use of Therapeutic Blogs in Counseling. Journal Of Creativity In Mental Health, 4(1), 67-73.
“What’s A Blog”. Retrieved from http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
Sabella , R. (2012). The School Counselor’s Website: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. Retrieved from http://www.schoolcounselor.com/resources/c ounselor-website-faq.htm