Blogs, Their Usefulness and Aggra"what"?

Yes, this is the first Blog I have ever set up.
Yes, it took me a very long time to figure out how to get it started.
Yes, it took me even longer to work out how to utilise Google reader and RSS feeds.
Yes, I am a "Digital immigrant" (Prensky, 2001).
Yes, I wish I had discovered blogs and aggregators sooner!

Through these new experiences I’ve discovered just how useful blogs are in communicating with thousands of people and how easy it is to follow blogs through RSS. Viewing tonnes of blogs and websites through one simple reader is truly magnificent. Only one month ago I was scared of the term ‘RSS’ and thought I could ignore this tool because I would ‘never need it’. Now I can’t cope without it as it saves me hours of visiting numerous websites of interest just to see if something new has been posted.

Blogs are also a tool with endless possibilities for learning and teaching. Primarily they are used for reflection and journaling, and provide an excellent way to share and present thoughts. Oliver (2001) theorises that an effective learning environment incorporates learning tasks, learning resources and learning supports. With a meaningful task assigned, students can use blogs to reflect on set topics in addition to collating learning resources and presenting researched material. Blogs can also allow reader's comments, which facilitate effective collaboration with other students and learning supports such as lecturers or experts in the area being studied. In addition, blogs can be used to gather original (primary) research through the use of tools such as quizzes and polls.

I’ve found this website written by Annette Vee very interesting as it discusses just how to use blogs in education.


Reference

Oliver, R. (2001). Seeking best practice in online learning: Flexible Learning Toolboxes in the Australian VET sector. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 17(2), 204-222. Retrieved August 10, 2009, from html://www.proquest.com/

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Retrieved July 22, from http://www.marcprensky.com.html

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