Blogging In Education

Web 2.0 is the worldwide web that we use today. With Web 2.0 we can access tools that allow us to create blogs, wiki's, podcasts, etc, and then share them with the world. This ability to create, and share gives students in todays classrooms the chance to survive in todays techno-savvy world. The knowledge and skills associated with Web 2.0 are a part of the culture today, and students need to learn them so they are ready for the world then are entering.  

What is BLOG and why should every teacher have one?

"Blog" is a shortening of the word 'weblog', which gives us a better idea of what a blog actually is. A blog is a website that individuals create to share opinions, and information on any topic they wish. They can be personal pages where people share their day-to-day activities with others, or they can be used for sharing and focusing on a particular subject.  For instance, this blog is specifically about technology usage in the modern day classroom. Teachers should have and use blogs to communicate with others on what is happening in their classroom (parents, co-teachers, principals), and can also be used to put students work onto. Putting their work into a blog will encourage students to pay more attention and care to their work, and to think seriously about the work they are doing. Sharing and communicating ideas on the internet is something all students in todays world need to know. 

What are the pedagogical implications of a student driven BLOG?

A Blog allows students to access and input information. From the handout we read "Blogging and Bloom's" we learn that blogging can go from low on the taxonomy to high, students can post journal entires about events and trips they went to, and in the process work on their writing skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation). Things that students blog about are likely to be a high standard because of this idea that anybody can read it, therefore the student wants their work to be quality. Also, revisiting learning in the form of a blog entry causes students to really reflect on their experiences. In the interest of creating quality blogs, students are likely to spend time perfecting them, and in the process are learning all about the topic of the blog. Blogs allow student to get feedback from each other, parents, teachers, and this encourages them to produce good work, and gives them positive reinforcement.