A: a blog can be either a verb or a noun.
Define Blog:
A blog (a portmanteau of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.
"Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. (Wikipedia, 2010)
I am not a stranger to blogs as I have a personal blog and you can view it at http://michellejbuckle.blogspot.com/ but I know that I do not know everything there is to know about blogs and I am excited to learn more about how blogs can be implemented in my future classroom.
Blogs can be used in the classroom for many things. Such as a personal journal. Students create their own blog that is secure and are able to comment on their peer's journals and encourage each other. A reflective learning journal is also great as teachers can see what the students are learning in a particular subject also because it is engaging for the students.
Cheers,
Michelle
Wikipedia. (2010). Blog. Retrieved July 28, 2010, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
You are definately right in saying that Blogs can be used in the classroom for many things. The examples you have given are good ideas as student's can express their thoughts, ideas, emotions and learning journey on their own Blog. I feel the use of teacher's seeing student's Blogs needs to be increased. Teacher's can give feedback to student's about what they are learning and try and explain a topic differently if they are not on the right track. Assignments can also be completed via a Blog, such as what we are completing in Managing E-Learning. Teacher's can mark essays, journal entries and comments for instance, via the internet allowing instant feedback.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of issues with Blogs however if they are not addressed. Cyber-bullying is quite popular now that the use of mobile phones and computers has increased the past ten years. Before students use computers and Blogs in class, they need to be made aware of the consequences of cyber-bullying and the importance of Netiquette.
One other issue with Blogs that I have, is that it may be engaging for some students, but some others may not be as "tech savvy" and actually not enjoy the use of Blogs. There needs to be another option for student's who have different learning styles, such as the use of a written journal for instance.
In summary, I am a positive believer in the use of Blogs in classrooms after using them for Managing E-Learning, however I am wary of the fact that there are different learning styles in a classroom and all styles need to be addressed.
Yours' kindly,
Rebecca
Wow Rebecca, Thank you so much for your challenging thoughts. When writing my post I did not even consider 'cyber bullying' and 'nettiquite' and they are both very important aspcets to learning through ICTs. I think as Learning Managers we should as an introduction to learning with technology, those topics should be addressed and even if the students come up with rules they should and will abide by... that way it is more authentic for them. Also, you mentioned that learners might not enjoy blogging as they are not 'tech savy' and should be allowed to use another method... I agree but only if the assessment task is on the content and not the ability to use techonology. I have learnt it is important that we teach with technology not using it as an add on. Thank you again for your comment. Michelle
ReplyDelete