BP1_2009111_EDU-uses-for-blogs

Research online turned up many suggested uses for blogs in education. I'm listing the broad categories here, collated from many observations.

There are very different intents for blogging by STUDENTS vs. TEACHERS, as to what their purpose and who their audience will be. For example, while the entire web viewing audience may be allowed to view any blog, a Student audience target could be their instructors or their peers, while a target audience for Teachers may include students, parents, administrators, and other instructors.

Many of the blog intents could also be divided by either PERSONAL or PUBLIC; intended as a journal to track individual progress and insights, or used as a portfolio to display skills and experiences for others to view.

Practicing READING and developing WRITING skills are often mentioned as educational benefits of blogs. Because these aspects are inherent in the text-based format, this applies to written blogs but not video or audio formats.

In the context of learning, it is key to notice whether INFORMATION or OPINIONS are being posted. They may not be clearly labeled in the content. For example, this blog contains my personal observations and opinions, without structured data to back up the premises posted here. Both Information and Opinions are usable in educational settings, but verifying the validity is critical.

And of course COLLABORATION and SHARING are the buzzword features of blogs. Enabling comments so that a dialog between the author and readers can be established creates a two-way information transfer. Having the viewers participate makes them be contributing authors to the blog stream.