Reflections of a philosophical educationalist
The potential of blogs
Ahh, blogging. As a person who has been thrust into blogging, simply as it was a course requirement, I have taken to it rather well. Expressing my views has caused me to re-examine my outlook on ITC and on how it can be applied to education.
Translating this knowledge to teaching in secondary English, especially within a blogging context, students have the ability to improve their concepts of English and the place English has within society and technology. Having an authentic space, enables students to cultivate and develop their imagination and creativity. Students have the ability to interpret and construct English text and to edit and rework content before posting. An understanding of genres, archetypes, cultures and events, and the implications and impacts these have, can all be contributed to and assessed via blogging.
The following table is an analysis of the effects of blogging within education.
Swot analysis
Strength | Weakness | Opportunity | Threat |
Puts you on a personal level with teacher/student | Possibility of complacency in teaching | Allows for authentic teaching and learning and respect for the student/teacher relationship | Explicitly show favouritism to particular students |
Watch progression of student work | Watch regression of student work | Has potential to profile learning styles and theories | Potential for students to feel uncomfortable about work or presenting work |
Interactive | Pool of imagination has dried as students all use same idea | Potential to use blog as an authentic space to people | Copyright and plagiarism threat |
Ability to comment on others work | Open criticism | Learn from others comment | There is an at risk chance where you can be bullied or harassed via the blog |
Multimodal | School blocking access to blogging | Interaction with various technologies | Potential to corrupt site due to uploading virus |
Develops writing skills | Student may not want to share thoughts or creative | Allows for creative work to be authentically displayed and have opportunity to edit and rewrite work. Allows for development of professionalism | Copyright threat |
Individual view | Student may not want to express how they are feeling or their work | Student can express themselves | Open for attack by voicing your opinion |
Wiki Mania
A Wiki is a website that allows users to collaboratively create and edit web pages. Within a secondary English context, students can discuss projects and group work, plan approaches and methods and have a forum in which to deconstruct, analyse and create a new meaning or structure. Applied to language elements like punctuation and grammar, students can discuss their individual understanding, and correct or modify inaccurate understandings of others.
Positives | Negatives |
· Collaborative, contribution by whole group · Allows for other technologies through videos, podcasts and the like · Promote higher order thinking, students analyse, evaluate others work then contribute creatively through their own content · Guide teachers in user participation · Reduce project timeframes through the effectiveness of communication within a group · As a social network, wikis connect and facilitate group organisation | · Feeling disconnected to students · Potential to delete work of others · Public wikis are susceptible to vandalism · Differing abilities in technology |
Web Site
Web sites are unique in that they display individual expression without interaction by outside viewers. In other forms of technology, blogs and wiki’s specifically, viewers can comment or contribute to the posting. What this means is that blogs and wiki’s have the potential to be used as evaluative tools whereas the web site is purely expressionist. By this I mean it provides a space in which to be heard.
This can be utilised by teachers as they can post class activities and goings on for parents and other interested groups to connect with. And in some ways, it also teaches students discipline and etiquettes. Not the elbows off the table kind but the rules of internet engagement, like no swearing or posting something in all capitals, that sort of thing.
This said, web sites have a place within education but I personally believe it is better suited to the world of business and commerce.
Plus | Minus | Interesting |
· Work and applications cannot be edited or contributed to by others · Can be used as a collaborative tool with wiki and blog · Course work can viewed through web · Web sites has a potential to integrate technologies like virtual spaces, pod casts etc. · Allows for students and teacher to show what class is doing · Can be used as a promotional tool | · Application more suited to business, advertising · Referentially, without a specific domain finding a web address or site could be difficult | · Has the potential to be self-promotional, students can display their creative writing or have a photography portfolio · Is reflective of individual and can be visually, aurally and actively representational · Visually, has the potential to be highly creative and artistic |
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