Web Explorer

Prompted from reading an article for my tech class at Lourdes College, it started a whole new thinking;Why blog? What started out as reading an article titled, “Why Blog” by Frank Catalano, has now snowballed into finding several articles on this same topic. Why should anyone blog and why should we, as educators, have our students blog? This type of technology, along with Wikis and podcasting, is allowing anyone with access to a computer and the internet, as well as the ability to type, become a published author – well, sort of. The term “blog” as defined by Webster’s dictionary means “to author an online diary or chronology of thoughts”. The ‘Big Idea’ here is to ask yourself, “Will my blog add to the world of knowledge and learning or is it just for fun?”  Blogs are being used in schools across the US in various ways such as keeping parents informed about activities on a daily basis. In my classroom, although very simplistic in nature, my students type up short articles on classroom happenings. Due to the bad rap that web blog pages such as MySpace and Xanga have gotten recently, the higher powers of being are still debating on the purpose of using blogs in the classroom.

Using blogs and other web tools such as Wikis or even podcasting, require the student to build their writing skills. They are no longer writing for their teacher but to a much wider audience~the world! When you frame it like that for students, I have found that they begin to pay closer attention to their word choice and grammar. They are learning the power of  having an audience and a world-wide one at that!

Joel Arquillos,California Social Studies teacher, stated, “I wanted to make my classroom available beyond the classroom doors. I like the fact that it is a living document”. I think I have to agree with Joel.

There are some barriers to blogging. Security is a big barrier. Care must be taken to keep our students safe by not allowing them to divulge private information such as their full name or where they live. Also, making sure that blog posts are appropriately written is a concern for many. Most blogs have tools that can be activated such as password and member protection. This would allow only those people who have been issued the password could access the blog site.

I feel that as with any technology tool, students must learn the correct way to use blogs. An Acceptable Use policy is most likely in place for most schools. This policy spells out the acceptable guidlines to follow when using computers and accessing the internet. I hope that blogging, as well Wikis and podcasting, open a new world for my students. We are on the brink of something big, after all this has become the Read/Write Web.