Blog Usage
As an online instructor, how do you see yourself using blogs as part of your online course?
I can see a blog being useful in many ways. Additional articles, videos and research materials could be included, or linked. Thoughts or comments on course principles could be presented, along with personal experiences that would illustrate how the principles apply to the workplace. Current events or news items that are relevant to course principles could be presented and discussed. Students could be asked to research and present their own ideas and perceptions on course concepts. Each of these content areas could be developed into discussion forums for feedback and assessment as well.
I intend to use Blogs in the following activities:
• Thought appraisers: single thought in answering a question,
• Requesting an opinion on a written task,
• Presenting questions about a lesson
I think I will use blogs to talk about assignments and upcoming events. I will also use it in relation to videos and other media.
Some hot topics in environmental science and other areas. Blogging to get some critical thinking quesitions going
My course is a bit unique because I monitor students on their externships remotely. I would implement blogging as a way that the students could journal about their various externship experiences at pharmacies around the country. I think it would be really neat to track the progression of students' experiences and growth from day one to completion via their blogs.
Joseph,
You make an excellent point. Now, the blogs can be much more multimedia and interactive and that can be an important tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Arthur,
I really like the way that you word your activities. I really like the idea of a "thought appraiser" that is such an interesting and engaging term.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Aisling,
environmental science would be an interesting field to use Blogging. I would also look at terms students used to incorporate specific vocabulary.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stacie,
There is so much power in the journaling function particularly if a student feels somewhat isolated.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think blogs could be a good tool uesed to address students. When you need to make a statement or add comments it can be done quickly with a blog.
krystal,
That is true. How could students use it?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kelly
I see them as a very flexible and dynamic way to get students involved in ongoing current events that directly relate to a course concepts and topics.
Cheers, Dennis
Dennis,
How would you grade them and make students responsible for the content?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello Dr. Kelly,
I would love to share my classroom with people outside of my school. I want my students to show what they are doing to anyone around the world. I would include a variety of topics, multimedia, and have my students follow other classroom blogs as well.
DIANA ,
Not everyone feels that way. I think it is interesting to invite others to participate in your class.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Wilkinson,
I might consider blogging. It would be great if maybe an in-service could cover the basics of blogging to help out beginners.
I wonder if anyone taking your course would be comfortable with sharing their blogs with us. I would love to see some examples!
denise,
Ok,I may try it in my next course. Stay tune. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I do not know that I would use blogging myself. I can see the benefits of using Twitter to provide a space for students to connect to other experts in the field, to share ideas with one another, and for me to provide them with updates and announcements. However, I do not think I would be able to keep up with a blog in a way that made it engaging and interesting over a long period of time.
I would like to see examples of blogs at work in online courses. Perhaps if I were to see those examples, I could see how they might work for me.
Greetings,
I teach for a few universities where they require a specific number of posts by instructors in courses. Rather than rebuild content each time, I have learned to use my own blog/content sites to post my own original works. Then, in classrooms, I'm able to point students to these articles and resources. They are able to use the formal discussion boards, but then in my content sites - they can see what non-students have said or shared too.
Thanks for asking!
Rick
Rebecca,
You make a great point about management of a blog. You would have to set your own perimeters regarding the blog. I have had several colleagues use twitter and they find it very powerful.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
