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Blogs vs. Wikis - 2010
Blogs in Education
A
blog
(also know as web-log) is an online diary or journal about a topic where the mostrecent post (or reflection) appears at the top and older posts are constantly archived below it. Blogsexist on all topics from politics to cats, from educational technology to pottery. Sadly, many peoplehave negative opinions about blogs due to some of the louder, more inane blogs. There are as many positive and constructive blogs as obscene and inappropriate blogs (in the same way, there areOscar nominated movies and just plain stupid movies).The most popular places to create a blog are:
Blogger
) and
WordPress
Typepad (
www.typepad.com
)
. Students can also blog privately within a
Moodle
course.Getting started with a blog is a relatively simple process. You must create an account andyou can start posting (writing) immediately. Customizing the themes and content is a matter of learning the software’s relatively user-friendly interface.
Why blogs are beneficial for student achievement and learning?
Blogs provide an informal way for students to think about a topic or subject and expresstheir opinion (like a free-write or a journal entry). It allows students to comment about topicscasually without worrying about perfect syntax or grammar. This type of reflection is helpful anduseful for later composition of an essay.As a teacher, you can see the development of students’ thinking about a topic over time andmake accommodations to your lesson plans to address areas of misunderstanding and confusion.Blogs also allow students to associate links, images and visuals with their writing with a simpleclick (a limitation of a normal journal). All posts are archived for a running record of student progress in writing and critical thinking.
Possible Applications for the Classroom:
*
Students can blog about class topics or books they are reading in class and teachers can assesscomprehension and create a dialog.
*
Students can follow a current event topic over number of weeks and blog about it on a weekly basis and link their response to news articles. At the end of the period, students would have anongoing discussion of the content and a list of sources for generating a larger research paper.* Teachers can blog about learning experiences in the classroom or topics of interest related toeducation
Many blogs can help our instruction as well…
Many blogs are useful for educators to keep aware of subjects of interest to their profession.
Free Technology for Teachers
)
Teachers Love Smartboards
History Teacher’s Attic
)
Want to learn more about using blogs or wikis with your students or your class,contact Mr. Skramstad in Room 209 or email: mskramst@lausd.net to discuss
possibilities.
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