BP3...docx

PB3-20091213-uses of blog in education
This article looks briefly at blogs from four different perspectives: the nature of blogs, their characteristics, their uses in education and guidelines for their use. Alternatively blogs could be; looked at broadly from two different ways: as a group activity where members can converge for town hall meeting or a market place of ideas for a group or as an individual activity where individuals have a places to show case their products and ideas.
By nature blogs are a form of writing for the public where individuals are encouraged to more clearly express themselves. And they are available anytime, anywhere and to anyone who has an Internet connection. Blogs by nature invite comments from readers and that is a specialty in the nature of blogs.
Characteristically blogs are casual in nature, a ‘hybrid of oral and written discourse.’ They could be called extended monologues and what some refer to as thinking aloud.
As Nguyen, T (2006) has observed, bogs have four main uses in education as of today: classroom management, collaboration, discussions and for posting of student portfolios.
Blogs are now used to replace standard web page where instructors post class assignments and times of completion and postings, suggested readings and exercises as we have seen it here at FSO. Students collaborate with others by use of blogs. Instructors also link specific essays and information that relate to their courses to students through blogs. In class discussions can now hold through blogs and students could have access to such information at their own time. Information and knowledge from other students are shared widely such that both the timid and loudly out-spoken students have a place to feel comfortable in such things without being intimidated by others.. Students also write and share their own blogs, express their opinions about any topic being studied in class, like we do now at FSO and for many courses we have taken so far.
For teachers and students alike the guiding question is: ‘Why do I want to use this blog and for what?’ not ‘ How do I use it?” such a guiding question will allow for purposeful writing in all our blog discourses






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