Off the Shelf 0607-13

Extraordinary Blogs and Ezines
By Lynne Rominger
© 2006

As the author duly points out, blogs and ezines are ubiquitous in today’s digital world. Most students are at least aware of them if not already participating in the world of online publishing. But imagine a teacher assigning one as part of class grade! Do you have the skills necessary to create an effective posting and or article for consumer publication? Mastering those skills may not only be important for education, but also for future success!

This book is an easy-to-read, how-to guide for publishing blogs and ezines. Not only does it give a history of blogging (did you know that it is both a noun and a verb? That it was declared the “word of the year” in 2004?), but it provides resources for formatting and designing the structure of publication. Just as writing a paper infers good technique, blogs and ezines can be an effective voice for critical thinking and reflection.

Though the book was designed for a student audience, it offers a great introduction to teachers who are new to blogs and ezines – especially how to incorporate them into their own classroom curriculum and assessment. The author offers multiple assignment ideas for history, science, literature and language arts!

My recommendation: 5 out of 5 stars
Submitted by M. Coleman, Media Specialist