FGCU Group 5 -- Blogging 101

Using blogs as a learning tool benefit students, teachers, and parents. Students possess a natural interest in posting blogs. They have a boundless supply of topics about which to write and a large audience who can read them. Teachers facilitate student learning by incorporating blogs as a vehicle for good writing skills and as an outlet for student’s to express their ideas. Parents can be reassured their children are acquiring the benefits of learning through technology while being kept safe from inappropriate material through the use of protective software.

In the article, Blogging 101—Web logs go to school by Alorie Gilbert (November 7, 2005), the author reports that seventh- and eighth-grade students post blogs on a variety of subjects. Some topics are controversial like racism and abortion, and others are educational topics like AP calculus, music theory, and Mandarin. One 8th grader wrote this cute blog:

"When I Grow Up"
From "i am canadian," by G.W.
http://www.classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=7729

When I grow up, I'd like to be in the National Hockey League. You can make a lot of money playing in the NHL. Millions and millions of dollars. If I never become good enough to go in the NHL, I would like to be a lawyer because you can also make a lot of money doing that too, but if worse comes to worst, I'm going to be a bartender.

Gilbert’s article points out the impact on students of realizing they have the entire world as an audience for their blogs. Students from small schools and small towns recognize that their “little” voice actually turns out to be a “big” voice because of the vast number of possible readers. A fifth-grade teacher named Hillary Meeler finds that her students at J.H. Elementary School in Conyers, Georgia put forth greater effort in writing creative, grammatically correct blogs in hopes of encouraging repeat visitors to their site.

Teachers play a critical role in using blogs in the classroom. Will Richardson says blogs are “learning tools.” He is the “Learner in Chief” of Connective Learning and he has authored a book about using educational technology like weblogs, wikis, RSS, audiocasts, etc. in the classroom. He also gives presentations and training sessions to educators. Gilbert’s article explains how some teachers allow their student’s blogs to be read by anyone. Others carefully read each student’s blog and decide whether or not to post it.

Concerned parents want to know their children are safe. Blogging provides wonderful and exciting learning opportunities, but allowing open access has the potential to cause damage and be negative. Software is available to help protect children. MSN Filter and ePals Classroom Exchange are designed to block inappropriate material.

Pew Internet and American Life Project did a study and found there are about 8 million people who have created blogs since 2004. Technorati did their own study and estimated that every five months the number of blogs doubles.

In conclusion, students can use blogs to further their learning and expand their horizons way beyond the confines of their own classrooms. Teachers and parents should direct and monitor the student’s use of blogs to provide them maximum benefit and safety.