1.) What is it?
– The word Blog means “Web log,” meaning an online chronological collection of personal commentary and links.
– Blogging has come a long way from online diaries to well respected reviews on specific topics.
2.) Who is doing it?
– Anyone can create a blog.
– There are group blogs, family blogs, community blogs, corporate blogs. A few examples given by educause.com are: WarBlogs (blogs about the Iraq war), LibLogs (Library blogs), and EduBlogs (targeting education).
– “In educational settings instructors are using blogs as a teaching tool, and students are increasingly using them for personal use and class requirements.”
3.) How does it work?
– It is as simple as using any online program.
– The author writes posts,consisting of anything they wish, and it is uploaded to their blog. Once the post is up, subscribers to the blog will be notified.
– Post entries can include anything from text, photos, power point slide shows, hyperlinks, tags, music, video, and much more.
– Readers can submit feedback through comments on the post, or they can comment on their own blog linking back to the blog they are commenting on. This feature is known as trackback. Bloggers are notified if their work is referenced to in another blog.
4.) Why is it significant?
– Informative
– Expression
– Connection
– Media outlet
– Blogs allow for immediate readership and reactions which lead to feedback.
– Blogs stimulate the growth of online communities.
5.) What are the downsides?
– Bias
– Inaccurate
– Unmediated
– Highly volatile
6.) Where is it going?
– Blogs are growing exponentially
– An estimated 50 million people are blogging
– Blogs are public and long-lived
– Educators are learning how to maximize the benefits of blogs in and out of the classroom
7.) What are the implications for teaching and learning?
– As said by educause.com, “Blogs can be used as reflection about classes, careers, or current events;they can also capture and disseminate student and faculty-generated content.”
http://tinyurl.com/6bbg5q
For more information about blogs visit:
Thomas, (2005, Aug.). Retrieved Nov. 04, 2008, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7006.pdf
i didn’t know how many people had blogs! interesting…nice article!