Blog Applications

Blogs are an awesome way to get involved with your students, and your students involved in learning. I feel this technology method has great potential for effective learning in the science field. Especially when involving audio, photos, video and unlimited written dialogue. What could be better? Students can become actively participating using tools they know, love and enjoy, in or out of the classroom.

I see students creating learning projects and integrating them with their interests and relevant curriculum using blogging. They then can have full range of choices on how to communicate, collaborate and share in their learning. For example, groups with similar subject interests can do research, with applicable photos or video, and share their blogs with other groups who had other interests. This would help initiate motivation, ownership of having their own blogs for others to view, collaboration with students who share the same interests, and finally, learning about knowledge gained from other students. Students will also improve on writing and reading skills, formulating thoughts, as well as learning technology.

Students will also have indefinite opportunities for imputing their thoughts and ideas from class into blogs. If given the chance to throw their perspectives out there, specifically if not in class, and their points of views are acknowledged, then it is likely they will naturally become encouraged to set forth their thoughts in this form. It also eliminates problems caused by the lack of time in class.

Teachers also have another means of determining if their students are grasping the concepts. Reading student blogs can help assess what information is needed to further help the students learn. This will increase the effectiveness of the curriculum as it is adjusted to meet the learning needs.

On a larger spectrum, blogging can be extremely helpful among the educators in all communities. Various ideas, projects, solutions to drawbacks, and experiences can be explored, shared, and used in every classroom. This explosion of communication can benefit all teachers and professionals in the field of developing good learners.