reflection about blogging using blogs for education or learning

      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.