For me, the use of videos (if they are done properly and use simple language) are invaluable for teaching our students. Looking at the Dale's Cone of effective learning, I found the combination of visual and verbal instruction as well as being able to create and use my own blog with purpose (and design as I like) fits at the bottom of the pyramid (direct, purposeful experience)(Active Learning Online Team, 2000). As a result, I feel as time goes on, I am getting a better understanding of blogs and feeling more comfortable navigating my way around them. This might also say something about how my learning style (as described by Felder and Soloman (n.d.)). In doing this activity, it could suggest that I learn best when actively engaged in an activity (and in this case, that probably is true as I would have found it more difficult doing it in other ways), however, when I completed the learning styles questionnaire, I came out with a strong reflective preference. This suggests to me, that even though students may have particular learning styles (just as I do) that doesn't mean that they won't learn anything if your teaching strategies aren't directly aligned to their preference. Felder and Brent (2005, p. 62) stated that:
"The optimal teaching style is a balanced one that sometimes matches students' preferences, so their discomfort level is not too great for them to learn effectively, and sometimes goes against their preferences, forcing them to stretch and grow in directions they might be inclined to avoid if given the option."Therefore, our job as teachers is to design a balanced teaching approach that addresses the learning needs of all our students (Felder & Brent, 2005).
Another thing I found with using blogs, is that it could be useful for students with all types of personalities as described by Carl Jung. As it tends to be relatively non-threatening (and there is such a thing a netiquette which effectively defines the rules of engagement in cyberspace), students who are reserved or introverted, may feel more comfortable posting comments through a screen than contributing in class. Similarly, an extrovert wil also able to get their views across and might enjoy jumping from site to site, spreading their thoughts and ideas. It also allows students to connect with each other in a non-threatening way, posting comments and receiving feedback, that probably doesn't happen in a regular classroom.
This leads me to RSS feeds. I didn't even know what they were or how they worked prior to this course. While I am still a little fuzzy about setting one up, I think they are a great idea for channelling lots information efficiently. Using one of these in my Blog activity would be great (I should go back and add it in), so that students can follow each other's blogs without having to go and look for it.
Another application is a news feed. If students are engaged in current affairs issues, they could follow the news links via their Google Reader and post comments to their blog (or a class blog) about issues affecting the local, national, international communities (such as the War in Iraq, the cyclone that hit Fiji, who won the World Cup). Comments can be further discussed in class.
Another fantastic idea would be making connections to several other class blogs from different countries all over the world, where they could share information (about their country, culture, lifestyle, cuisine etc), ideas, and experiences. This would be a great and fun way of exploring diversity. I really like this one.
I just had another idea for blogs - for students to make it their own (that is they can put whatever they want on it that they are comfortable sharing with others) and then sharing it with their peers. It would be a great 'getting to know you' activity that can continue throughout the year. The trick would be to get students to visit all sites, not just their friends.
Finally, it has been great viewing other students' blogs. Everyone brings a unique perspective which makes it interesting and because we all share a common bond (that is, participating in the GDLT), the information we contribute to our blogs can be relevant and helpful to a number of other people. By reading other people's blogs, you can generate further ideas of your own, share your ideas with others, get support and feedback, and tap into resources that you otherwise may not have found. In essence, it is an effective way of disseminating information. I believe this could be reflected in the use of blogs in the classroom.
All in all, I like the idea of blogs in the classroom. I can see many applications that will be engaging for students and I can't wait to give it whirl one day.
References:
1. Active Learning Online Team. (2000). Active learning online. Retrieved from http://acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
2. Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2005). Understanding student differences. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 57-72.
3. Felder, R. M., & Soloman, B. A. (n.d.). Learning styles and strategies. Retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
4. Humanmetrics. (1998-2000). Humanmetrics jung typology test. Retrieved from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jungtype.htm
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