BP1_2009101_BlogResearch

From just a brief scan of sources on the usefulness of blogs in education, it is very clear that blogs serve many purposes in the instructional environment. A majority of these sites and sources discuss the transformational nature of blogs. It seems that blogs, because they are based on using technology in a way that is different than in the past, are forcing us to rethink the ideas of of how information is sent and received. Moreover, blogs allow us to use information in ways that have not yet been explored.

For example, in the world of education, the concept of blogs could mean that students can have more control of what the learn and how they apply that in their daily lives. As an educator, I find that one of the toughest challenges in making the classroom an exciting environment is having to confront the questions students always ask "when am I ever going to use this information?" Blogs could bring an end to that question. According to Solomon and Schrum in the book Web 2.0, New schools, New Tools blogs are "natural tools for writing instruction" so, as an example, a lesson in-class on grammar, could come to life with a homework assignment involving a blog using that lesson's grammar rules.

In the article Panelists: Blogs are changing eduction (http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=36898&CFID=13543917&CFTOKEN=47085391)

, Pierce discusses how blogs involve creativity, sharing ideas, excitement, and more inclusion of those students who are tech-savvy. Students can begin to feel more involved in the process of learning as opposed to just receiving information and regurgitating it onto quizzes and tests.

As a foreign language teacher, I have also begun to look for examples of how blogs can help to build students' communication in the target language. In the presentation The efficacy of technology in the classroom (http://www.slideshare.net/maheyman/technology-in-foreign-language-education-blogs) it is clear the use of blogs as a way to encourage "ownership and responsibility on the part of the students" is an important part of the foreign language classroom. This implies that teachers could raise the excellence of student work though putting them in charge of the own work. As a result, written communication in the target language would improve as students write, read, and comment on each other's work through blogging.

With the interesting prospects that this preliminary researched has highlighted, I look forward to beginning to delve more deeply into research and gain more practice with blogs in relation to education and instruction.