I've heard of blogs before. They are websites for people with a lot of time on their hands and have a lot opinions. That was what I used to think. Blogging is difficult. Having something of value to share with a community of say, 1 billion people. That is a lot of pressure. I now look at blogging like a party. There are a lot of people with a lot of expertise from a lot of different places. The interesting part of this party is that we are faceless and nameless if we so choose. I might say things here that would never be said to a person's face nor to a large audience. Having said all that, what is the benefit to teachers and students using blogs in a classroom?
First, students engaging in the blogosphere should be motivated to think and write well. You cant show up to a party poorly dressed. Therefore, the choices of words, clarity of points and research must be done with excellence. The benefit to the student is that they can not hide on a blog. For example, if a student bombs a test, the only people in the room who know are the teacher and the student. If a student does a poor job answering a question on a blog, we can reasonably say that most people in the class will know. I believe that this will motivate the student to put forth effort in bringing ideas together in a clear and meaningful way. Now, you could argue that this could embarrass a student. Imagine the same student failing a test and the teacher announcing it to the class. A poor performance on something so public as a blog could provide the same results as a failing grade being announced. But, for all you behaviorists out there, negative reinforcement should motivate a student toward a desirable result. Think and write well.
Next, blogs are a highly social learning environments that remove social barriers. When a teacher breaks students up into groups there are many factors that can shape the group dynamic. Theres usually the talker, the shy one, the doer and the kid who doesn't do anything and waits on the "smart" kids to do the work for them. Low self-esteem, popularity, crushes (depending on the age group) and kids just not liking each other prevent learning and genuine dialogue on a given topic. The blogs limit those barriers. Students can feel free to read and respond without too much worry about the aforementioned barriers. If your like me, after being in a serious discussion with someone or a group, reflected upon the discussion and thought of a really good point but missed your chance. If you know what I mean, than blogs provide the opportunity for discussion to take place over a longer period that allow points and disagreements to be fleshed out entirely. Blogs are very social vehicles for learning that limit social barriers and promote learning.
Finally, blogs benefit teachers by freeing them from being lecturers and acting more like facilitators. Lecturing is a one way conversation. By lecturing and then asking students to blog about the lecture furthers the points made in a lecture but now in a class of say 20 students there are potentially hundreds of conversations going on. Peer to peer learning is taking place and all this is happening under the facilitators eye. Bringing back my initial point, students should be motivated think and write well should at the very least regurgitate what they have heard. But, if you have ever played telephone, you know that everyone hears things differently. This is a further benefit to the teacher. If all the blog posts by students miss the key elements of a lecture, what better way for the teacher to know and correct misinformation? This is a great way for teachers to get feedback without actually asking for it.
Blogs are great tools for students and teachers alike. They are by no means only for the opinionated adults with free time. They are serious avenues of learning. They demand well thought out points, sharpen writing skills, limit social barriers and help teachers guide rather than lecture.
