Reflections about weblogging:-
What is weblogging to me?
Prior to the lecture on Monday, I have never thought of using blogs as one of the tools for teaching and learning. To me, blogs are online diaries of friends whom I do not get to meet on a regular basis. Through their blogs, I know the latest happenings in their lives and in a way, to keep us connected. Through my blog, my friends are also able to share my joys and happiness.
SgSpree!
Recently, some innovative Singaporeans used weblogging as a way to connect shoppers. The above blog allows people who wish to shop from a particular online store to consolidate their purchases to save up on the shipping costs. Hence, weblogging opens up opportunities for strangers to collaborate towards a common benefit.
Featherhailtree
Many small-time online entreprenurs also sell their ware through blogs. A couple of my friends have done so. This is a low cost way of surveying the market before sinking thousands of dollars on the business.
The baker who cooks
Weblogging is also able to bring people of particular interests together and share their experiences despite of the distance that maybe between them. This blogger has successfully reflected on her cooking and baking experiences through the blog. The blogger invited overseas readers to contribute their baking tips and experiences. Readers are also able to give advices to the blogger to help improve recipes or just comment on anything through the Comments function.
Hence, weblogging is a great way to keep in contact with friends without having to travel the distance (though it's somewhat impersonal), useful platform to connect with people of the same interests and even as a economically savvy shopfront for entrepreurs with not much outfront capital.
How to use webblogging for learning and teaching?
Apparently, there are many educators who saw the potential of using blog as one of the useful tools for teaching and learning. Most blog sites provides blogging services for free or a small fee. Educators see the usage of a blog as a cheap and savvy way of connecting and sharing resources with their students.
Edbloggers is a collage of blogs by educators to share their blog resources and experiences (and of course, the pains and joy as a teacher).
Teresa from Portugal uses her edublog to connect with her students even through their summer holidays by requesting for them to contribute their holiday stories through the blog. It keeps the class spirits and at the same time, students get to practise their language skills. Teresa blogs to motivate and encourage her students and even to instruct them on activities. Through blogging, students learn collaboratively and indirectly develop sensitivity towards individual differences.
Teachers can also upload full length videos in their blogs to consolidate the day's learning and students can feedback in annoymus. Videos and pictures can also be included in the enteries. This allow students to view at their own learning pace. If done consistently, the blog enteries are also a guide that students can utilise in their revision.
So successful is it of using weblog as a teaching platform, the edublogs are also recognised at The Weblog Awards .
These are the learning points that I have thus far. Perhaps, more to come as I myself experiment with using blogs in my teaching. Weblogging needs consistent and collaborative effort from both the teacher and the learners.
The 3 blogs suggested for our view in today's assignment introduces weblogging as a possible mean in education and the writers share their experiences and latest advances in using blog in education. Seemingly, the edu-weblogging world can only get more interesting!
