From my reading online I see that Blogging has been widely embraced by the academics and educators, and rightly so for a number of reasons which I would like to 'blag' about a little.
As a technology tool blogging has advantages which the notebook cannot compete with, one of the main being the possibility of linking to various materials including text, videos and photos rather than just citing them. This can lead the student to a completely new world via vicarious experiences.
As a publishing media it provides students with the opportunity to read and comment on the writing of their classmates. This not only provides a facility for students to learn from each other but also allows them to benefit from immediate peer review and feedback as they comment on each others' writing. As an Med student reading the through the blogs of my peers has been a learning experience and the requirement to comment on the blogs has forced me to think critically as I read.
As an active component of Web 2.0 the blog has played its part in transforming the internet from a place to locate information to a network which facilitates exchange, participation, interaction and creative expression. The blog provides the student (and me) with a new-found freedom to write without fear of criticism. The commentaries on their work seems to give birth to a new compulsion to write.
I saw the excitement and motivation when I introduced my ten year old son to the world of blogging (after I learn't it in EDRL 6004). He could not wait to read the comments on his writing and each day he continues to write and respond to the comments. A new unseen force seems seems to motivate him to continue writing and responding.
The increased interest and motivation of students enables blogging to be used as a 'space' where student generated comments can be discussed freely, thereby providing the teacher with previously unimaginable insights into the 'thinking' of her students.
There seems to be no end to the positive attributes which academics continue to bla bla about. However there are many gray areas which we need to clarify in our minds. I recently followed a discussion on relationships and the concern about relationships and the social media arose in my mind. I would like to find out how my peers (teachers) feel about relationships and the social media? Is it easier to communicate with people we don't know via the social media? (many of us still have have issues with voice mail ... we'd rather hang up and call back) Is the communication via social networks with people you never met a relationship? Are these so-called 'media relationships' killing the human emotions (caring, concern for humanity) in our youths? What can it lead to?
I was also excited about the additional features that can be used in blogging,the accesss to other sources of information via hyperlinks can make the content of the blog quite extensive. The possibilities of this particular tool are endless,but as with all things,as teachers we have to ensure that these activities are effectively supervised and that our students use this tool for more than just another chatting forum.
ReplyDeleteThe 'media relationships' issue can be addressed in various ways,from the aspect of the world being a 'global village' people have the opportunity to interact with just about any
e-citizen around the world. The converse argument though may be that we lose touch with the people right around us,sometimes we actually exclude them completely. Therefore,we have to be careful in the ways in which we navigate through this new or maybe not so new way of communicating and sharing ourselves with others.The key may be in striking a balance between the two.