THE USE OF BLOGS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

THE USE OF BLOGS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

Assist. prof. sanjay  shedmake

PVDT college of education for women

Mumbai 20

Email:ucofed2@gmail.com

Introduction-

The teacher's role in today's society should promote, among other tasks, digital competence of students in order to be able to use ICT in our information society and for this we must facilitate the integration of activities across the curriculum through various tools.
Responsibility as teachers to implement technology in classroom practice, involves an oriented commitment to reflective practice that allows improvement as professionals in the use of tools of the importance of Blogs. It opens up a range of possibilities from its benefits regarding motivation and participation.
The term blog is short for web log, an online public diary which lists each diary entry in reverse order so that new diary entries are placed on the top of the page ,and older entries are placed below. Each entry is called a post

Anyone one can create a blog , if they have a basic understanding of the way the software works. they are privately owned blogs on individual WebPages ,which require a little knowledge about creating webpage , but there are also blog creation services which allow you to quickly and easily set your own blog.You can add as often you like, and can say almost anything that you want. blogs are created for a lot of different reasons and many different people.

There are many that a blog may contain depending on who is updating it and why  . Many blog provide news or comments in response to a particular subject  , like local news , politics or even hobbies . Food blogs are popular for people who want to share recipes , and many political activist and writers have blogs which  are used to respond to hot political topics .many also function like personal diaries.

A blog  is usually textual , based on news and commentary , although there are other types of blogs which are gaining popularity. Art logs are blogs which focus on art , photo blogs focus on photography ,sketch-blogs focus on sketching and so on . there are also few specialized types of blogs , including vlogging which is video blogging and pod casting which is audio blogging.

Use of  blogs

Blogs are like mini websites. They are free, easy to use, update automatically and can be shared with others by simply providing the blog address.
The majority of Blog sites offer a variety of page styles to fit almost any user theme . All you need to start a blog is an verifiable email address.
You can read the information posted and learn things you didn't  know . Blogs or "weblogs" are online journals that allow other people to read your thoughts and reply to them. Because blogs are not private, they are not a place to put personal private thoughts but a place to talk about ideas you want to share with the rest of the world.

Using blogs for educational purposes

 Web-based journals in the form of frequent, chronological publications of thoughts and ideas, typically within a specific theme or area of interest .

1.     To be heard, have a voice on issues of my choosing and disseminate ideas.

2.     To engage with the subject area as a lifelong learner.

3.     To connect with others who have similar interests, and build a network of colleagues and collaborators.

4.     To share and test ideas and perspectives that might otherwise not see the light of day .

5.     To collect and organize ideas to support my teaching

6.     To establish a reputation as a source of ideas for postsecondary and online teaching practices

7.     To encourage students to articulate their ideas and perspectives, make their thinking visible, and be brave and bold about their contributions to the greater discourse.

8.     To engage students in reflection on the subject,  requiring them to critically analyze ideas. Because student blogs are linking together in our course community, there is a social context that supports a unique caliber of thoughtfulness, very different than the private reflective journals

9.     To encourage students to see themselves as participating and contributing members of a professional community of practice, using their blogs as (1) avenues for garnering feedback on ideas from course and community colleagues and (2) opportunities for collaboration with colleagues.

10. To help students express themselves and share their ideas and perspectives in an articulate way; to write, organize their writing, and develop a habit of writing.

11. To have students use Web 2.0 tools as vehicles for self-expression, inquiry, construction, and collaboration; and to learn to use these tools to support their lifelong learning endeavors.

Benefits of blogs in the classroom.

There are numerous educational benefits of blogs.
• Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
• Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• Powerful tools to enable  mentoring to occur.

Uses of  blogs in education.

Blogs can serve at least three basic functions.

1. Collaboration

Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop  skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.

2. Discussions

A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.

3. Student Portfolios

Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.

From the above we come to  conclusion that

Blogs are very useful to be heard, have a voice on issues of choosing and disseminate ideas and connect with others who have similar interests, and build a network of colleagues and collaborators.

It is also useful to collect and organize ideas to support teaching and to establish a reputation as a source of ideas for postsecondary and online teaching practices

There are numerous educational benefits of blogs for example

they are  highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms. blogs   give excellent opportunities for students to read and write.


therefore, teachers should use blogs for effective teaching-learning process