Exploring the Blogsphere
I went to edit my blog for last week and realized, when I couldn't see it, that I must have not saved it! So I apologize for not posting on time.
My thoughts on Exploring the Blogsphere:
I've never blogged before this class and, while I've read other blogs while aimlessly searching the internet for things, I've never thought of the uses for blogging. Until now, I assumed blogging was for sharing your thoughts/ideas, like a diary, for millions of people to view. After reading the Blogsphere article I realize the numerous ways in which a school could use blogs. I'm not in a foreign language, nor do I teach one, but I understand the need for communication between different countries and langauges. I think back to my high school German class and wonder if I would have liked it better had I been able to communicate with students from Germany about their culture and experiences. Blogging then seems to take on a more educational role. The last week or so after reading this article, I've been trying to think of ways to incorporate blogging into my Biology classroom. I think it would be quite useful to speak with biologists about their studies or experiences without having to leave the classroom. Blogging could also be useful when researching information for projects. Of course, this is where a problem arises - the same problem that was brought up in the article. Since blogs are rather personal the content and language may not always be appropriate for high school students (or certain age groups). I'm wondering if there are "educational" blogs that eliminate this problem and are specifically designed for school age students. I suppose I'll have to do some research myself to figure this out and to find appropriate sites to guide students to on the web.