Blogs in Education

1. I used Google, Yahoo, and Ask Jeeves as my three search engines. I found almost identical results from Google and Yahoo. Both search engines gave links to specific blogs. All the search engines provided links to blog sites where you can create your own blog. Ask Jeeves provided links to websites that gave information about technology in education and how to create a blog. Google was the search engine that provided the most variety of links from how to create a blog, specific blogs, blogs in education, and the most popular blogs on the web. Ask Jeeves had a few links to websites that provided information about technology in education.

2. One innovative way blogs are being used in K-12 classrooms is by having online conferences between classes. Allows classes in different states or countries can get together and share research or current events happening at their schools or nearby communities. This was done on the weblogg-ed website. Schools can use educational blogs to post announcements, class notes and material, and community events and opportunities. This was done on the Meriwether Lewis Elementary website. You could have students create blog accounts where they can keep a daily journal or even post pictures and other work done in the class. This can be done at the edublogs website.

3. I discovered that an RSS reader is a web feed that is used to frequently update blogs, podcasts, and news headlines. An aggregator is just the web application or software that takes content from the web, such as news, podcasts, and blogs, and puts them in a single location for easier viewing. From what it sounds like to me, the RSS reader is the part that updates the blogs and the aggregator is a web application needed to view everything on a single computer. I am not sure which one I would use. I am leaning more towards the aggregator because it goes out and checks for updates and then sends them back to the feed for viewing. You could use this in the classroom by having a blog site just pertaining to the class. You could put podcasts of lectures on there, allowing students to download to their iPods or computer. That would be a good way for students to get information they missed in class if they were gone. You could also use this as an update source for current events and how they apply to the content of the class.

4. Technology in general is becoming a prominent part of education more than ever. Blogging can really enhance the learning of the students. It can provide them with information they didn’t know was out there. Like mentioned earlier, the ability to have online conferences with other classes and students from different countries and states can really benefit student learning. If the conference pertains directly to the content of the class the students can get a feel first hand of what is happening in other parts of the world from a very real perspective. I feel the same way about aggregators because the students need to have information and the resources to current issues happening in the world. The best way to relay content and make relevant to the students lives is to relate it to real world current issues.

5. One pro of using blogs is that they can bring the outside world into the classroom. Another pro is that it is a different way to teach content. It’s not the conventional lecture or teacher centered learning. One con of using blogs and aggregators is that not everyone has a computer. Students can go to places like the library to get access, but some real world situations and issues may not allow that. Another con is that if used too much the blogs and other technological engines might be a new form of lecture. Students need to have a variety in learning and need to get out of the classroom at times. Being a PE major, I think technology in the classroom is key because there are many things on the web that can enhance students learning. Especially in health because you can find images and 3-D models that can be incorporated into anatomical and physiological units.