Monday, August 17, 2009

Blogs in the classroom???


For Managing E-Learning Assignment one, students were required to create a Blog and make regular postings to it. A blog or weblog - to be technically correct - is a webpage that contains brief and arranged items of information, often containing the author’s views on a particular topic (Scott, 2001). A blog allows a person to express their opinion and often invites comments from others on the topic. Through Blogger.com I found the process of creating my blog relatively simple and found that it was possible to experiment with a range of different settings to make my blog as visually appealing and as professional looking as I could.

When using this technology I was quite astounded to see all the connections I could make between social ‘blogging’ and how I could integrate this into the classroom as a useful tool for learners. The Power Point I have attached lists these benefits and is something I believe all educators should consider. While blogs can be used as a personal communication tool they could also be used for student journals and portfolios as well as for communication with parents and their peers. Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999) highlight the importance of students working collaboratively and having the opportunity to hear from people from diverse and multicultural backgrounds. One way to achieve this could be through a student collaborative blog. A section from one of these blogs is listed below and has some meaning to it.

We are students: the ones who come to school every day, raise our hands with safe questions, and keep our heads down. Except, now we have a voice—a strong voice—to share our ideas through a global network (DET, 2009).

Glogoff (2005) states that students taking part in collaborative blogs contributed to better understanding of course content. Blogs could therefore be used to develop metacognition and critical thinking skills. Overall, blogs appear to have many benefits for students. With proper moderation of the blogs and ensuring correct netiquette is adhered to, I believe that they could be used successfully in the classroom.

References
 
Department of Education and Training (2009). Resourcing the curriculum. Citing computer references. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from
http://www.det.wa.gov.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/#collaborate

Glogoff, S. (2005). Instructional blogging: Promoting interactivity, student-centered learning, and peer input. Innovate. Citing computer references. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=126

Scott, P (2001). Blogs in Education. Citing computer references. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from
http://www.det.wa.gov.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

1 comment:

  1. Wow Ben, You have really been doing your research. I found you blog entry on blogs to be very informative. i too agree that student blogs could be useful as an infromation source for parents aswell as providing opportunity for students to work collaboratively both in class and at home.

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