The
advancement of technologies creates new opportunities for learning and teaching. Here, web logs (blogs) were used to promote tutor-student and
student-student communication on an undergraduate course on computer
applications. Results from a questionnaire survey show that students consider
the act of writing a journal helped them to consolidate class instruction. Blogs
served well as a tool for communication with the tutor, and there were frequent
peer-peer communications. However, analysis of patterns of interaction showed
that blogs were not well used as a communication tool for interactions with
student peers. Students were also uncomfortable expressing their feelings, or
their opinions about the course, in such a public forum as a blog. Better
strategies are needed to encourage
students to engage in a collaborative culture.
A blog is a publication mechanism, like a journal or
bulletin. Blogs can promote open dialogue and encourage community
building in which both the bloggers and commenter exchange opinions,
ideas, and attitudes. Teachers can use a blog to publish instructional
materials that the students can access to and where the students can
make comments. Teachers can also let students set up their own blogs for
a particular subject or for several subjects and then assign tasks to
students. The tasks should be done using blogs . While the students
develop their own blogs, teachers can observe and monitor the students'
progress, and identify the learning needs that have not been considered. As the information on students' blogs are growing, teachers need
to classify, summarize and evaluate different students' blogs and then
publish the teachers' opinions, directions, and feedback on their own
blogs or on class blogs. By doing this, teachers are actually putting
students to the right tracks, because if you just let students publish
what ever they like, the use of blog could be out of control, and the
relevance between the blog and the content being taught and learning
will be reduced.
In education communication is a vital skill. Communication is key with
the students but with the parents as well. Through creating a blog for
yourself and your students you open a new way for your students to
communicate with other students. It creates a social interaction between
you and your students which helps the students to become comfortable in
their learning environment, leading to student success. Studies show
that students perform better when they are being student taught. When
students use blogs for their writing assignments other students are
their audience, this helps students create better writing skills and
encourages students to collaborate about these topics. You as the
teacher can post websites that are beneficial to their learning or even
post games for them to practice certain skills. If a student or parent
has a question about the homework they can post it. I you do not respond
right away, another parent or another student may be able to answer it
for them. It is a great way to communicate with parents and keep them
involved in what is going on in the classroom with their child, even if
they cannot physically be there. Blogs are search engine friendly and
they are easy to maintain.
