Rosalind,
I like the idea of using it as brainstorming. Wikis would be great for that also!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would use blogs in the online course to: 1. Brainstorming issues and the solutions. 2. Connecting course content to real-world activities and discussion to transfer learning to new situations.
Michael,
How do you assess their use of Blogs? Do you give them a grade or do you use them as research?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I use blogs (not my own) to direct students to view the content of other artists, designers and animators working in the professional world so they can keep up on the latest tools, tricks and techniques. My students often follow several blogs at a time during and after my class.
Natasha,
I agree and I think sometimes blogging gives students a feeling of freedom they don't necessarily find in discussion.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Currently right now I am using blogs to help give out more information pertaining to the class. Using the blogs is helpful because students can retrieve the extra tools to help them be successful in the online class.
Martin,
Sounds like you have a plan. You will want to create the framework and develop the evaluation so students will know the expectations and you can evaluate them in an objective fashion.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As an instructor I would like to use blogs as an open forum for sharing. I teach an online menu development course and we share thoughts on menus we design as well as menus we experience from other restaurants we visit and through online research.
I would love to add this into a new class I am designing that focuses on hospitality technology where I am found a simulation game the students will use to compete against each other and I see myself for sure using not only micro-blogging but also designing a project where the students will create a blog for their fictitious company.
Andrea,
WOW, that is a great resource and you were modeling good blogging! You have a great idea to incorporate blogging as you can provide the guidance students need to use a new tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
As an online instructor, I see myself utilizing more blogs in the future. In past courses, I wrote a blog on the subject of marketing and based it from my daily work in the audience research department of PR Newswire. Inclusion of blogs on appropriate subject matter can really help students grasp unit concepts more effectively.
Shannon,
You want to create a framework of evaluation. What do you want to achieve from your student blogging? You don't want students to think it is busywork as they will not take it seriously and we as instructor should have an objective for the assignment that matches the objectives for the course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Gracie,
That is true, I teach a business writing course and I too use them in groups most of the time. I want students practicing their writing! That is the only way they learn. It is also a good tool to develop critiquing and feedback skills of students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would also consider using blogging as a tool. I was also like to have more training and resources. I beleive it waould be a great tool to initiate conversation on specific course topics.
In an English course, there really is no limit to how you could use blogs in an online class. You could use them to discuss writings. You could use them for discussions on literature. The list goes on. English is probably one of the easiest subjects for blogs.
Sloan,
I understand. You may want to test it with a group of faculty sharing online teaching strategies. That way you could test the app and share great information.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hector,
That is interesting. Do you think it is easier to follow? I find at times discussion trails are a little disjointed. It may be the way I set them up.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hector,
Sounds like you have a great strategy in place. How do you grade them?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Honestly, this would not be a forum that I would use in my course since I have not done much of this myself. Perhaps, if I have more opportunities using it myself, I may have a different opinion.
Hi George,
I find that students feel more "relaxed" or at ease when using a blog as opposed to participating in a threaded discussion assigned by the instructor. If we seek to develop team building skills in our courses the use of a blog is a great tool in my humble opinion.
Hector Morales
Dr. Wilkinson,
I currently use a blog in one of the courses I facilitate. The course is an MBA Economics for Business course which introduces MBA students to key Micro/Macroeconomic concepts and most importantly the application of these concepts to real life issues. The blog is used in the class for the Group Project which is an important assignment within the course. The Group Project asks students to complete a weekly milestone with the idea of building on each week's discussions to achieve a final product/project which the group submits at the end of the term.
The group project asks students to select a firm they are familiar with or interested in and every week a milestone is assigned linked to terminal course objectives for the week that needs to be completed using the course blog. Students benefit and enjoy using the course blog as it allows them to exchange ideas and share information in a collaborative and efficient way.
Hector Morales
