Blogging

http://lttf.ieee.org/learn_tech/issues/october2006/index.html


The article covers many aspects of learning through blogging, and the wide verity of students that can benefit from the blogging. Students use blogging technology to expand knowledge by means of collaborating with others. This communication and connection is not limited to the immediate classroom, but rather a whole world of participants on all levels of intelligents and creativity. From a teacher’s point of view communication with others is key to the constructivist theory in education. The Constructivist theory states that we create and apply new knowledge through connection and interaction with others. Blogging technology allows students to gather new information while expanding on existing knowledge by sharing their own thoughts and data with other users.
In my opinion blogging could help many students of all ages, it can also bring together students of all grades and skill levels. For example, an assignment for a seventh grade class could be to explain in their own words how to perform a long division problem and post it on their blog. A fifth grade class would then be able to read the seventh grader’s blogs’ and solve a long division problem. This will assist the younger children in finding out their learning style by finding the seventh grade student that could help them the best. In reading the work of students that are on a slightly higher level than them the younger children will be able to benefit immensely knowing that the seventh graders are just students like them. On the other hand, the seventh grade students improve their writing and operation skills needed for their further education, plus they will benefit from elder classes above them as they helped their younger peers. It is a big cycle of peer education.
Further information about blogging would probably not be too beneficial because it is a very simple concept, although I would like to see further research on the success rates of teachers that have utilized these futuristic tools.