Purposes of Blogs
Why is a blog a good educational tool?
I would like to learn more about blogs
In my opinion, a blog is a good educational tool because it gives people a medium to express their ideas and thoughts. It is high time that the masses have a vehicle to express themselves. Each individual has infinite potential, and with the vehicle to express that potential, people will express themselves is myriad network of ways. Personally, I like it because people are empowering themselves, and not blindly following the elites.
Donald L. Buresh
Dr. Wilkinson,
Just like my post about microblogging, I did not think of blogging as an educational tool for the courses that I facilitate. But again, as I read through the contents of this module, I realized that it can be useful to students if they understand how to use it in conjunction to the course. One of the things that I like about blogs is it allows readers to post comments about the subject. This will allow students to look at the topic at different perspectives. It may also help them, as you have said in the module, "establish lifelong patterns of inquiry and scholarly communication" because they want to write as best as they could since it will be published.
-Christine
Blogging allows the students to write about the course topics on a regular basis throughout the semester.
It also allows other students to conduct a discussion with the blogger regarding the topics.
Blogs can help motivate students by exploring critical and relevant information in their field. It may promote engagement, interest, and excitement, as blogs are becoming means of connection to new information.
A blog is a good educational tool because it fosters collaboration and social media best practices.
Before improvements in communication technology, publishing of academic work was often difficult and costly. Blogging however, is a fantastic opportunity for students to prepare and "publish" their thoughts and writing and make it available for immediate consumption. If the blog is integrated into the course through assigned postings/readings, then there is a guaranteed audience. Many blogs go unnoticed, but in the educational setting we can generate traffic immediately.
RICARDO,
It is a great way to have students engage with experts. We think about students blogging but they can follow blogging and discuss it through the discussion boards. There are so many ways to utilize blogs. It is a great tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson:
According to the course readings, a blog is a good educational tool for a variety of reasons. "In addition to providing teachers with an excellent tool for communicating with students, there are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are: motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms." They provide "excellent opportunities for students to read and write." They are "effective forums for collaboration and discussion." Finally, blogs are "powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur." Therefore, blogs are not only useful online but on campus as a supplement to traditional methods of course delivery. Dr. Ricardo Richards
Phyllis,
There are so many good blogs to follow and with examples of good communication skills as well as information in a specific field. It provides such rich teaching and learning tools.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Phyllis,
I like the idea of students being responsible as a group for a blog. I hadn't really thought of that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Willie,
I like your comment about the “depth of ideas†that blogging could foster. Writing for academic and professional entities are specific. However, now corporations are moving toward hiring employees that have more inclination to “innovative ideas†and critical thinking. Blogging could foster both innovation and critical thinking. However, there is a time management issue for both faculty and students to incorporate this feature in the classroom as several participants have mentioned.
Best wishes,
Phyllis Gooden, Ph. D.
Hello Kelly,
Blogging can be a very good way to encourage collaboration, critical thinking and writing skills. I think it would work well in classes that are more than the 5 week online course with a structured syllabus requirement that I teach. I think courses such as 8 weeks and beyond offers students more time to complete the requirements and blog to develop quality content and incorporate materials. Longer courses would also give faculty member time to mentor, and collaborate with students. Blogging for a 5 week course would have to be carefully planned and managed. I do think blogging is a good resource to integrate in the learning environment for course study.
Phyllis Gooden, Ph.D.
Marie,
Nice post. How would you use it as an assignment?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Marie,
Nice post. How would you use it as an assignment?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
A blog is a good tool in general to get students involved in class. A blog is a good educational tool because it is a short dialogue. Students are on the go a lot and have many responsibilities. Some have several jobs, a spouse, children, etc. little time to study. With blogging less time is spent in the actual typing, therefore, more time can be spent reading the material. The blog is to-the-point and can be read quickly by everyone. Another reason a blog is a good educational tool is because it can be done on a smartphone, any place and any time of the day.
Willie ,
You can tell you learned from your courses! ( I hope my students do that from my class). You just have another tool in your education toolbox. The more tools you have the better approaches you will have to connect student learning to the real world.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I took some classes last year in the Instructional Technology program last year. I can speak from that perspective, but I think I would rather speak from the perspective of an English instructor (even though I have not used blogs before). Writing in classrooms seems to me to have two wildly different, conflicting purposes: a limited, traditional and strict purpose - because exams, like many decent jobs, will be about written skill; and a wider, idealistic one: the ultimate method of exchange of ideas in depth. I would gander that student blogging is powerful and stimulating and enriching (I know it was for me last year in the classes I took!)
Eileen,
I am not sure it has happened but I know there is a concern about making contact with outside people puts students at risk. You also can't control what is said as easily. Did you know most college athletes are not allowed to have any type of social media because of stupid things they say and stalking by others outside the univeristy.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
