Blogs are being used for a multitude of reasons in education. One of the main reasons students will benefit from using blogs is that they allow students to continue to be immersed in the classroom content beyond the classroom.
Stephen Downes suggested that the use of blogs fosters the development of a learning community. Students can share opinions or ask and answer questions about the content learned that day. Students will be more motivated because they are writing to a worldwide audience. This use of blogs will allow in improvement not only of their understanding of the class curriculum, but it will also improve their writing and research skills.
Besides enhancing education by having the student use blogs, teachers can benefit from the use of a blog.
Bill Ferriter discussed the use of blogs as an important tool in professional development. He pointed out the prominent viewpoint that professional development as instituted through the district or school is often seen as a complete waste of time. The use of blogs, however, enables teachers to have access to a large variety of information, which can then be used to improve their own teaching technique. In addition, I think blogs would be a fantastic tool for a group of teachers at a school site to share their reflections on a particular lesson. Often times, I never get a chance to sit down and discuss the pitfalls or positive outcomes of a lesson with my peers. Posting and sharing a blog with teachers in my department would allow for this type of collaboration.
Downes, S. (2009, April). Half an hour. [Web log post]. Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2009/04/blogs-in-education.html
Ferriter, B. (2009). Learning with Blogs and Wikis. Educational Leadership, 66(5), 34-38. Retrieved from ERIC database.
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