BP3_2009111_Educational Use of Blogs

Why are blogs so important to education?

As blogs become more and more popular, they can be used for educational purposes.  There are so many uses for blogs in education; creating a resume, personal weblog, newsletters, and collaboration project logs.  It is a great idea for educators to become familiar with blogs.  Personally, I never thought I would be a blogger.  I guess I never thought I had anything important to say.  The more I research blogs, the more I can see the importance of them.

 After watching the Networked Student I discovered the importance of Connectivism.  It makes so much sense to dump the textbooks and take control of your own learning.  Using blogs can help you reach that goal.  Blogs are a collaborative piece of work pertaining to a specific topic.  It actually allows you to gain more knowledge in a smaller amount of time.  When you begin your research, you are not starting from square 1.  It is almost like you have a heads up.   People who are interested in the same topic and who have completed some research are making it easier for you. 

As all educators know, if you can own your learning, you will learn clearly learn more and retain the information.  This is where the importance of blogs comes into play.  Imagine giving a middle school student an assignment on an inventor.  That student could do a number of things to start this project.  They could begin their own blog, and watch for comments on the research they find, or they could look for other blogs posted by other people.  Maybe these blog posts would be from college professors, college students, or anyone who has extensive knowledge in this subject area.  That student is learning so much more then reading a few textbooks or encyclopedias.  In conclusion, it is only a matter of time before blogs hit the education circuit.  Once they do, educators should be prepared and have prior knowledge to coach students on the correct way to use blogs!