Blogging and discussion board activities are very similar but not exactly the same. Blog posting allows for more creativity in design with the ability to create and personalize individual blog space. The fact that the blog is hosted internet wide also provides a different feeling to the discussions; it has a more open, unhindered feeling. It is too early for me to tell if there will be a practical difference between the two forums. Professor Santos summarizes the situation when he says “Utilization of blogsites as a supplement to the traditional method of teaching is a welcome innovation for most students”.
The open internet blog has several advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include the ability to link readers who are outside of the traditional classroom setting to a practical and useful format. Blogging is also already familiar to some students, there are clearly a number of participants in this course who are veteran bloggers. Utilization of a blog vice a discussion board also allows for carryover of skills from the classroom to practical application.
One of the most significant disadvantages is the fact that all of the posts are open to the world. This is not an issue for many learners, especially ones that are already accustomed to blogging. Personally, I do not blog and have never even opened a Facebook account. I remain concerned with the levels of privacy provided by online social media.
Overall, integrating blogs into the course provides an excellent opportunity for learners to develop and integrate new skills.
I am definitely with you on the idea of internet security. I don't have a face book account myself either. There is something about the social media that gives me an unsafe feeling. This is one of my big drawbacks of using a technology like a blog. I'm not saying they don't have a place in the classroom but as a teacher you will have to be careful of the types of discussion topics or assignments you ask. A blog that is totally open to the public can be read and followed by anyone outside of the classroom. Any personal information that you may include in what you write can be taken and used by someone that has ill intentions. There just has to be an awareness I guess.
ReplyDeleteI find this an interesting discussion about security of information and privacy. I too resisted Facebook for a while because of the same concern; however, I have come around and embraced social media. I think it is incredible how I can get and stay connected to people who are located all over the world. I believe it has expanded my sphere of reach and allowed me to build professional relationships I could not have done if I was not active in social media.
ReplyDeleteAs for posting information for the entire world to see; I believe it helps me think through what it is I am trying to say before I actually say it. It has forced me to be more informed in my writing because I know facts can be easily verified or disputed. Santos (2011) stated that students who use blogging as a learning tool know they have a wider audience than the teacher, which causes them to be more accurate and careful with the information they post. Their credibility is at stake, so they take more time to build informed arguments. I find this to be true with my own postings. I certainly don't want to sound ignorant or ill-informed if I am going to engage in a discussion for all the world to read.
Reference:
Santos, A.N.E. (2011). Blogs As A Learning Space: Creating Text Of Talks. Contemporary Issues in
Education Research 4(6), Research Library pp. 15-19.
You make some very valid points about security, it is amazing how technology has allowed us to become a culture of sharing. It has also forced us to be much more particular about what we share because the whole world can see it! I have started several blogs, and when we started this course, I found them all on blogger, my issues is that I don't really know that I have anything profound to share with anyone. It could also be that I prefer to deal with my thoughts internally before sharing them with the world.
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