BP2_2010041_EduUses4Blogs

As a Spanish teacher I have found the value of using blogs to connect with my college’s Online students through the college Web page. It is done mainly for answering questions and Spanish conversations. My Online students are familiar with blogs and also use them on a regular basis. I haven’t used this Web 2.0 tool with my high school students yet. After reading articles about the use of blogs in secondary education, I have become more enthusiastic. One on my major concerns with using blogs among high school students was their level of maturity and their ability to write and respond to blogs on a somewhat professional level. I would want them to reflect on what they are writing, continuing to write over a period of time, and engage each other in sustain conversations. Hopefully that would lead to further thinking and writing critically about topics discussed in the Spanish classroom.

According to Downes (2004) in his article “Educational Blogging,” blogs in education can be used to replace the regular class webpage by posting class time and rules, assignment notifications, suggested reading, and exercises. He also stated that teachers could post links to Internet items that relate to the course. I have found many links that are highly interesting and relative to the many cultural topics we discuss in the classroom. Third, blogs may be used to organize in class discussions. This is exactly what I plan to do to give my students a preview of an upcoming cultural or discussion topic. Fourth, some teachers also use blogs to organize class seminars and to provide summaries of readings. Finally Downes mentioned that students could be instructed to write their own blogs as part of their coursework.

When thinking about the uses of blogging for my Spanish students, the blogging environment could help them expand on classroom topics of discussion such as immigration, cultural differences, family values, etc. Hong (2008) in his article “Exploring educational use of Blogs in U.S. Education” stated that rather than as an information resource, blogging has changed the role of the reader. Readers are no longer passive recipients of the information from the Web but become creators of the content by either posting entries on the blog or making comments on the entries posted by others. Hong (2008) continued saying blogging is a powerful tool that enhances communication, foster critical thinking, and encourages collaborative learning, and has great potential in education.

Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. EDUCAUSE Review, 39 (5), 14-26.

Hong, W. (2008). Exploring educational use of blogs in U.S. education. Volume 5,

No.10 (Serial No.47) US-China Education Review, ISSN1548-6613, USA