Blogs for Communications and Education
In the recent years communication through the Internet has become the trend. It is very popular due to the wider audience and quick delivery affiliated with it. One of many online communication tools commonly used is Blogs. A blog is mostly an online journal that allows others to write feedbacks and share their reflections on the topic. In a blog, entries are listed in a chronological order by date where most recent topics or comments are listed to the top of the page (umdedtechwikispaces.com, 2010). Blogs serve many purposes and multiple audiences. They are easy to set up and simpler to keep up. This paper explores the new trends of blogs; what is their feasibility within the education system, and finally why we should be using blogs to replace traditional writing journals.
Blogs are powerful communication tool that create collaborative communities of learners. They are personal journals written as a reversed chronological chain of text, images or multimedia, which can be viewed in a web page and are made publicly- accessible on the web (Huffaker, 2005). There are various forms of blogs, yet the most distinctive feature is the ability to comment and reply to others. Blogs provide opportunities for individuals to manage and share content and communication (Huffaker, 2005). With all the featured benefits of blogs there are critics and concerned citizens who still cannot foresee their positive effects.
Integrating technology into education and the school systems has faced many challenges. The digital divide that coexists with the effort to integrate the technology into education hinders the access to many useful tools. In order for students to properly use online communication tools they need adequate support and fruitful experiences. A key concern for school systems and concerned parents involves student privacy. They are worried that their children will face Cyber stalking or sexual predation, which is a common problem when accessing the Internet inappropriately (Huffaker, 2005). Critics that oppose the use of blogs in an educational setting or as a teaching tool are worried about unsafe exposure to contents that is not age appropriate.
Parents and individuals that object to integrating blogs into daily teaching worry about unsafe practices and access to the Internet. Through blogs individuals are free to comment and express their feelings about topics that can create tensions and problems among members of groups. Therefore teachers and principals may worry about online bullying (Sacchetti, 2006). Not only there are worries about unsafe communication, one of the issues with young groups blogging is establishing quality writing. Critics complained that blogs were teaching improper language (Huffaker, 2005). Students and young writers may decide to comment and post replies to blogs without proper editing or spelling. It is the responsibility of the blog administrators to filter through the replies to insure quality writing.
As a user and an administrator of a blog I have gained enough experience to give my personal opinion in terms of safety and filtering of blogs. As educators we have options in filtering and monitoring blogs. Educational purposes blogs are set up to ensure safety of students. The community within the blog is closely monitored and filtered by the administrator, in the case the teacher. For security, blog software such as MoveableType, which can be implemented on local school web servers, can remain completely in-house; i.e. no one outside of school or classroom computers would even have access to the blogs (Huffaker, 2005). I personally believe that sometimes filtering may cause limitation to opportunities. Organizations or significant figures that may want to add their expertise to the topic discussed may not be able to do so if they have no access to the blog. Huffaker (2005) pointes out that “While privacy is an important consideration for educators and school administrators, the counter-argument to keeping blogs private would be that making blogs available to the world might generate feedback that will empower bloggers and further develop communication and collaboration”.
Learning takes place through communication. Whatever the medium is, communication aided with visuals, auditory and text enhances the learning experience. Since blogs emerged as a communication tool, they have enhanced the components of a message by utilizing images, videos and even story telling. Blogs allow for personal reflections and opinions. Ideas may emerge through other’s observations and remarks. It is the collaboration of thoughts embedded within a blog that makes them a distinctive learning communication tool. Huffaker (2005) Blogs integrate three forms of literacy; visual along with the verbal and digital. If we think of these components we come to realize that blogs utilize both textual reading and writing, but also involve the use of graphics in the forms of emoticons, or graphical expressions of emotions, images and multimedia (Huffaker, 2005). He also adds to suggest that blogs also encourage digital literacy, which is grasped from navigating a graphical user interface, and using computers and the Internet in order to publish content.
Blogs are the new trend of expressing one’s thoughts, concerns, and opinions on certain topics. As online journals, many people blog to share ideas, news, and even problems. As topics, ideas, or concerns are discussed, an online community comes together to create solutions and reflect on public issues or worries. Many news stations have adopted the use of blogs to report daily and by the hour news. Reporters are getting the public feedback much quicker. Comments are easily added and shared within the world-wide-web. Even thought different than social networks blogs bring members of various beliefs to share their input on current events from around the world. I believe that this form of communication creates a bridge that links the biased to the unbiased. Everyone has a chance to share their points of view and they have witnessed. Blogs serve as a natural venue for personalized self-expressions (Huffaker, 2005).
In the education setting blogs have long made their way into the classroom. Just like in any social setting blogs have become the communication tool between teachers, parents, students and administrators. They add value to the school environment by allowing collaboration among students, parents and teachers. Some teachers utilized their blogs to involve parents in daily school and classroom events. They simply wanted to involve busy parents online (Sacchetti, 2006). Blogs can be enhanced and contextualized to provide assignments for students, and allow sections for critique and reflection (Huffaker, 2005). Teachers can empower the use of blogs to challenge students’ critical thinking or even expose them to the real world through online discussions with scientists, authors and maybe important figures. Huffaker 2005 assured that Blogs help create a community of practice among participating students. Students can collaborate with each other and build knowledge.
I have been able to use blogs to encourage students into communicating their thoughts in writing to a wider audience. Students are more attentive to their work when they know how far it maybe exposed and shared. When students realize the larger the audience and as they establish a clear purpose for their work, they tend to exert greater effort into the content of their work. When authors and other significant figures access their work, students gain a sense of empowerment and self- efficacy (Huffaker, 2005).
A Web Log or Blog is often described as an online journal where an author can share thoughts, opinions, ideas and information about a wide range of topics (umdedtechwikispaces/blogging, 2010). Since they are defined as online journals blogs should replace the traditional paper and pencil journaling. It is quicker and easier to edit, revise and change ideas written on a computer. We all know that as long as the thinking process is still being challenged and students are continuously writing about various topics then we have engaged them into an effective writing tool. I do believe that a blog is a tool to deliver quality writing to a wider audience. The key focus on journaling through blogs should be the process and writing quality. We can still teach and encourage writing through blogs. With every topic we target a different audience and in terms a different genre. Many schools have used blogs to practice reading and writing. The fact that blog posts are being read by anyone in the world has an acute effect on students (Huffaker, 2005). As mentioned earlier students tend to exert more effort when they have a larger audience beyond the walls of their classroom or school.
After all the research on blogs and online communication tools is fairly new. We have seen evidence of student success while using blogs. The filtering options that ensure students or users safety may come as disservice of the blog, since they limit the number and quality of people interacting and collaborating. Safety measures are important and careful monitoring in a school setting is crucial. Blogs do empower the students into producing better quality of work. Blogs open larger windows to the world to include expertise and authentic experiences. Even though it is a newer trend of online communication, blogging effectively invites collaborations of thoughts and ideas on various topics. In the educational setting blogs can be used in various subjects to enhance critical thinking and empower reflective discussions. The quality of writing should be carefully monitored and blogs can replace traditional journal writing. In order to maintain the safety of students, we as educators must embed the safety traditions and etiquette of online communication. Community members and parents must be aware of the benefits of online communications and their positive effects on learning.
References:
Blogging overview. UM-Dearborn Ed Tech Wiki. Retrieved July 5, 2010from
Huffaker, D. (2005). Let them blog: Using weblogs to advance literacy in the K-12 classroom. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Sacchetti, M, (2006). Teachers take bulletin boards online: Blogs reaching out to
students, parents. (2006, September 7). The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 5, 2010 from