Over the past two decades, the Internet has revolutionized our way of life vis-a-vi production and consumption of information. Higher education teachers have incorporated a number of Web 2.0-based programs into the classroom to enhance college students’ learning experiences. One such program is the easy-to-use web log popularly known as the blog. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the prospects and challenges of incorporating the blog into the classroom to enhance both teaching and learning.
The term blog is short for web log. It began as a glorified online diary in the early
1990s and has now grown into a tool that is used by millions of people including college students and teachers. The blog functions more or less like a journal, and allows users to keep a log of their daily activities. It can serve as a forum for personal statements and reflections on a particular topic. In higher education, professors are incorporating blogs into the classroom as a tool to enable students to share and discuss ideas related to the class work.
Why incorporating a blog into the classroom? The blog provides a number of advantages to the learning process. It enables college students to peer review their colleagues’ work posted on the blog. By peer reviewing their colleagues’ work, students are able to edit and make comments that may improve the overall quality of their colleagues’ work. Thus, a blog allows students to post their rough drafts and get feedback form their teachers and peers.
McKeache (2005) argues that one of the role teachers are suppose to do regardless of subject matter is to encourage students to improve their writing skills. Embracing the blog into the classroom will enable students to develop their writing skills as they post daily or weekly blogs. With a blog, students will have the opportunity to critic each other’s work and engage in discussion on various subject matters. With a blog students can see a piece of writing begin with rough ideas and brainstorming, take the form of an outline, and then go through multiple drafts.
A blog empowers students by giving them space and voice to participate in class discussions. There are students who are not as eager to speak up or ask questions in class as others. With a blog, the students have the chance to expand their thoughts, edit their writing, and then share it with the class. The advantage is that, unlike an online discussion page, each student maintains his/her own space, and he/she has a greater opportunity to speak out.
While blogs provide opportunities for students, there are challenges associated with this tool. It might be difficult to convince students to read their classmates’ blogs especially if the class is big. The other challenge is that students and educators will need to learn the blogging interface and it might be difficult for digital immigrants.
Reference
McKeache, Wilbert, (2005). Teaching Tips: Strategies, research and theory for college and university teachers. Houghton Mifflin: NY
