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You are here: Home » Supplements » DH Education » Blogging as an academic tool in classroom

Blogging as an academic tool in classroom

CS Krishnamurthy , Jan 15, 2015, DHNS

Learn online, Easy usage, zero technicalities and ageless appeal, blogs are the new teachers on the block. CS Krishnamurthy describes the many benefits

The knowledge revolution has transformed our homes , jobs and our lives. It is therefore, apparent that it will also transform our education system. 

To keep pace with a globalised technological culture, we must rethink how to educate the next generation and the vision should go beyond the walls of the classroom to include online social networks, distance learning with anytime, anywhere access, digital schooling models and more.

Blog, a utility that solidifies the use of technology, is a great resource for the 21st century teacher and student. Blogs open up a whole new door to collaborative learning, incorporating the tools that are not only useful, but peak the interest of a new generation of learners.

With the increasing influence of internet in our lifestyle, the phenomenon of blog stands out as a fine example of the way in which the Web enables individual participation in the marketplace of ideas. This web-publishing tool helps to self publish text, art, cartoons, and also helps you to create hyperlinks.

Changing attitudes

Many students find writing to be a tedious chore. While many write just to finish an assignment, others write to gain marks. Blogging can change these attitudes. Classroom blogging not only excites students about their work, but also hones their writing, reading, comprehension, critical thinking and communication skills. 

Typically, when students write essays in school, their work is mostly read by their teachers. Students spend hours together on Shakespeare, wars and history only to find one single person evaluate the end result. Blogging will help get a greater audience for every published piece. It goes beyond academic significance, as the audience is global and any one can read and even respond. 

One of the major advantages of blog is its easy usage and the minimum need for technical knowledge. Unlike many traditional websites, blogs are flexible in design and can be experimented with easily. Most importantly, students will find them convenient and accessible via home or library computer. 

Students reticent in face-to-face learning environments may be more comfortable with blogging for expressing their creative thoughts. Sometimes, the fast-paced teaching in the classroom disconnects students from the rest. Blogs will bridge that gap and help them cope up with the current teaching. Also, personal publishing via web-blogs can be a meritorious practice because it promotes self learning in a major fashion.

Teachers can blog too

Blogs can be utilised by teachers also. They can use it to send notices, post assignments, project updates, instructional tips and even have a Q&A Board for daily classes. This serves as a perfect platform for online mentoring too. Traditional classes can take a toll on the young minds. Using blogs, educators can give an interesting twist to their teaching. This also helps to keep the curiosity alive in the classroom. 

Teachers can make use of the internet, where knowledge isn’t a lecture, but is an interactive social process and is the starting point for a healthy dialogue. The fact that many educators across boards are using social media to teach is not very surprising as there is a rise in the concept of blended learning and flipped classroom strategies.

A class or a group blog enables students to discuss topics outside the classroom, where each and every student has equal opportunities to share their views. Reading the blogs of their peers may spur the students to read, analyse and question more. Group blogging will also allow for better transfer of knowledge and enhance the vocabulary skills at a faster pace.

Blogging can unleash the hidden capabilities of aspiring writers and stimulate expression of ideas and interests in real time. Learners need real opportunities for writing and publishing the knowledge they have acquired over time. Having the chance to publish their perceptions online, students can craft and often revise their writings, thereby providing a rich and satisfying learning ambience. Thanks to their ageless appeal, blogs can be used throughout the educational spectrum, from grammar to graduate school, as well as by faculty members who wish to share their research projects.

But students have to be made aware of the risks involved in blogging. As blogs can be viewed publicly, students must be trained on issues regarding access to privacy, security and free expression. Also, since blogs have no publisher, producer or editor, students must carefully consider the content of posts to avoid defamatory or libelous content.

The philosophy of blogs in classroom teaching is to impart students with lateral skills that can be used in a number of disciplines. Educators are increasingly becoming more interested in the ability to leverage social media tools to facilitate engagement with course material and encourage the learning process, while the digital revolution has hit education with more and more classrooms plugged into the whole wired world. Blogs are one of the best ways to tap into the learning potential of today’s online generation.