Blogging: What's it all about?

So I'm going to start my first post with a brutally honest statement:  I really didn't know anything about blogging.  I didn't know where to find blogs, how to write blogs or how to comment on blogs.  I also didn't really even know the use of blogs or why people created them.  This has all changed now. 

 https://www.google.com/search?q=blogging&biw=1440&bih=709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAp8KHl9TRAhVk4YMKHa2nApkQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=GH8pUu8ZIXj-TM%3A


I realized through looking for blogs online that they are in fact, incredibly easy to find, read and post a comment.  I also realized that blogs exist for almost every topic imaginable.  They are a great way to spread knowledge and/or gain knowledge.  They allow every person an outlet for anything they may want to talk about, raise awareness about or get advice about.  This is something that has never been possible before and could be of great use in the classrooms of K12 educators all over the world.

Although I'm just beginning my blogging journey, I already see so many uses of blogs in my future as an educator.  Blogs can be used by educators to:

• Get feedback and/or advice from other educators about techniques that work well for them
• Post ideas they have come up with, that work well in their classroom
• Spread their experience of teaching to other less experienced educators
• Expand in class discussion (Wang and Hsua, 2008)
• Enable participation by otherwise shy students
• Encourage participation and dissent in a respectful environment 

These are just to name a few.  Blogs allow educators to bring variability to their teaching practices.  This helps students to stay engaged.  It can get extremely boring to do the same type of assignments over and over again.  Blogs are one way to break the monotony present, in the students' eyes, in many classroom environments.  It has been documented by many scholars that students' appreciate and value the opportunity to have their voices heard.  This is a great way to embrace and encourage that behavior from students.  Blogging enables students to: 

• Get feedback on projects and assignments from professionals as well as classmates
• Converse with people of different cultures from all over the world
• Explore the value and the importance of diversity
• Communicate easily and frequently in class discussions and with the professor
• Feel more comfortable when dissenting with each other
• Promote honesty during discussions     

 https://www.google.com/search?q=blogging&biw=1440&bih=709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAp8KHl9TRAhVk4YMKHa2nApkQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=0lCuGD6jsGLziM%3A


Globalization is happening now and students in school today need to learn and appreciate multiculturalism in order to thrive in the employment world they will be entering.  Blogs are a great way to help accomplish this goal because they can be read and commented on by people anywhere.  Students are no longer limited by the views of their classmates.  Blogs are one of the many tools that current students have to aid them in their full education and development into adulthood, college and career.  This is an advantage that students just ten years ago didn't have.  Due to this fact, educators should learn about and exploit these tools for all they are worth.


While using blogs, educators do need to be careful and knowledgeable of what and where they are posting information.  A downside of blogging is that blogs are public (Wang and Hsua, 2008).  They can be read and commented on by anyone, anywhere.  As I stated above, this is a positive about blogging which can help expand the discussion (Wang and Hsua, 2008).  However, depending on who is reading and commenting, this can also be detrimental.  An educator must monitor what is posted by students to ensure that it is appropriate, while at the same time monitoring what is commented by individuals that are not associated with the class because they could inadvertently teaching misinformation.

I look forward to hearing other perspectives on this issue.  Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you at the next post! 

Sources:

Google Images: https://www.google.com/search?q=blogging&biw=1440&bih=709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAp8KHl9TRAhVk4YMKHa2nApkQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=GH8pUu8ZIXj-TM%3A
and
https://www.google.com/search?q=blogging&biw=1440&bih=709&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAp8KHl9TRAhVk4YMKHa2nApkQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=0lCuGD6jsGLziM%3A

Wang, Shiang-Kwei and Hsua, Hui-Yin.  2008.  Reflections on using blogs to expand in-class discussions.  TechTrends 52(3).