About a month ago I came across a feature in Campus Technology entitled "Can Blogging Make a Difference?" A doctoral student studied the use of blogs in the classroom and students' perceptions of the value of blogging as an instructional activity. The doctoral student chose blogging because it "combines solitary thought and social interaction to engage students and reinforce learning."
A couple of interesting ideas stood out for me. First, the blog template used for that course mirrored my own :) Okay, not so important. More importantly were the findings that on the one hand indicated positive benefits such as "providing an outlet for thinking about things we talked about in class" and on the other hand, stated, "[students] would have liked a more explicit connection between course content and the activity of blogging." In addition, the challenge to keep students engaged in the activity was present. As the researcher indicated, certain implementation strategies for the activity need to be in place.
5th semster ITSers might be wondering the same thing. As we near the 1/2 point of the semester, you might ask yourself: Why are we blogging---again? Is it just a requirement for you? What benefits have you experienced and what challenges have you faced? Is blogging different for you this time around than it was in semester 1 and 2, and if so, how is it different?
3 comments:
I do think it's different this time around. The fact that our blogs are open to the public really does make a difference to me. I know that my friends might read it, so I want to be sure that my voice in genuine and my ideas are thoughtful. :)
This time around I am more confident as a blogger and feel the difference it can make among educators and students alike. This program is reshaping my perception of technology and collaboration in the world of education. Blogging can be a powerful tool, which is evident as we comment on each other's pages and learn from one another. It also gives a personal look into the blogger as opinions and experiences shine through each post.
Blogging is totally different this time around.
This time around we are blogging to learn and reflect upon ourselves and others.
It's not just a graded assignment where we have to "blog once" and get a quick response from the teacher.
It's neat that our blogs can showcase our thinking and that other ITsers can collaborate with us and give us ideas we hadn't thought of before.
Also the amount of positive reinforcement we give to our peers through the blog comments is helping me feel good about my efforts integrating tech. this year. I think reading these makes us all want to do even MORE!
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