EDTECH 537: Week Two Entry

The concept of blogging is not exactly new to me as I have been using the internet since the days of dial up. I cannot tell you when I actually first heard the term but I do know it has been a popular format for a while now. I have never been a blogger nor a participant on other blogs. I do admit from time to time I have visited others blogs but mostly if it was related to a Google search or something similar.

I started my first blog this year in hopes of understanding how it can be a powerful tool to implement into education. So far I have found it to be very resourceful in today’s digital world. The accessibility of blogs makes it a convenient format to share to others but this is common knowledge. Dig into how it can really enhance education you can find it helps in many other ways. For example, by having students use digital technologies for assignments it also helps to teach them how to utilize digital tools. These are necessary skills in today’s world. Using blogs can also encourage collaborative learning experiences with their classmates but also opens the door to external influences to build upon their knowledge. Using technology to improve older lesson plans can also help to motivate students to participate. By taking constructivist approaches that gives them creative control on how they present their assignments while using technologies that they want to use or learn how to use, may help to improve learning success.

Shoffner, M. (2007). Preservice English teachers and technology: A consideration of weblogs for the English classroom. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(4), 245-255.