Thursday 17 March 2016
BLOGS: A NEW GENERATION’S WEB-BASED TOOL IN EDUCATION
BLOGS:
A NEW GENERATION’S WEB-BASED TOOL IN EDUCATION
Mrs.A.Krishnarathi
Asst. Prof. of Biological Science Education,
&
T.Stella Prema (M.Ed., Scholar)
Dr.Sivanthi Aditanar College of Education,
Tiruchendur.
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Abstract
We have witnessed a rapid increase in the use of
Web-based 'collaborationware' in recent years. These Web 2.0 applications,
particularly blogs have been increasingly adopted by many online educational
services. Because of their ease of use and rapidity of deployment, they offer
the opportunity for powerful information sharing and ease of collaboration. Audio
and video files can be downloaded to portable media players that can be taken
anywhere, providing the potential for "anytime, anywhere" learning
experiences (mobile learning).Blogging can improve students’ writing skills and build
their confidence as writers. Blogs encourage experimenting and risk-taking,
seriousness and play, and they foster an increased awareness of private and
public reading and writing. In general, it is possible to improve the standard
of education through Web 2.0 particularly Blogs .
Introduction
of Blog
"Blog"
is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to
describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog (WEBLOG) is
a Web site that contains dated entries in reverse chronological order (most
recent first) about a particular topic. Functioning as an online journal, blogs
can be written by one person or a group of contributors. Entries contain
commentary and links to other Web sites, and images as well as a search
facility may also be included.
Because blogs
engage people in knowledge sharing, reflection, and debate, they often attract
a large and dedicated readership. They can also engender the drawing together
of small virtual groupings of individuals interested in co-constructing
knowledge around a common topic within a community of practice. Standard blog
features include easy posting, archives of previous posts, and a standalone Web
page for each post to the blog with a unique URL. The latter feature
facilitates linking to and organizing content within the same blog and from
external sites. Posting a clinical photo from a digital camera directly to a
blog after optimisation and adding of a blogger's comments can also be made at
the touch of a button using, for example, a free Google product called Picasa.
Moreover, the currently available 3G generation of mobile phones equipped with
2+ megapixel cameras can instantly post high resolution clinical photos to
photoblogs/moblogs (mobile blogs) to a potentially world wide audience on the
Web .
Blog
Meaning.
It is a regularly updated website or
web page, typically one run by an individual or small group that is written in
an informal or conversational style.
The term "weblog" was coined
by Jorn Barger[9] on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog", was coined by Peter Merholz
TYPES
There are many
different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content, but also
in the way that content is delivered or written.
Personal blogs
The personal blog
is an ongoing diary or commentary written by an individual.
Collaborative blogs or group blogs
A type of weblog in
which posts are written and published by more than one author. The majority of
high-profile collaborative blogs are based around a single uniting theme, such
as politics or technology. In recent years, the blogosphere has
seen the emergence and growing popularity of more collaborative efforts, often
set up by already established bloggers wishing to pool time and resources to
both reduce the pressure of maintaining a popular website and to attract a
larger readership.
Microblogging
is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content—which could be text,
pictures, links, short videos, or other media—on the Internet. Microblogging
offers a portable communication mode that feels organic and spontaneous to many
and has captured the public imagination.
Corporate
and organizational blogs
A blog can be
private, as in most cases, or it can be for business
purposes.
Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation
or
externally for marketing, branding or public
relations purposes are called corporate
blogs. Similar blogs for clubs and societies are called club blogs, group
blogs, or by similar names; typical use is to inform members and other
interested parties of club and member activities.
Aggregated blogs
Individuals or organization may aggregate selected
feeds on specific topic or product and provide combined view for its readers.
This allows readers to concentrate on reading instead of searching for quality
on-topic content and managing subscription. Many such aggregation called
planets from name of Planet (software) that perform such aggregation, hosting sites usually
have planet.
A reverse blog is
composed by its users rather than a single blogger. This system has the
characteristics of a blog, and the writing of several authors. These can be
written by several contributing authors on a topic, or opened up for anyone to
write. There is typically some limit to the number of entries to keep it from
operating like a web forum.
Several blog
search engines have been used to search blog contents, such as Bloglines, BlogScope, and Technorati. Technorati was one of the more
popular blog search engines, but the website stopped indexing blogs and
assigning authority scores in May 2014.
Free
Best Blogging Sites
If you are looking
to start your own blog site then you have to choose the right sites. Below is a
list of the best blog sites to help you get started and become a blogger. Many
of the blog options below allow you to create a free blog site. The internet is
flooded with a wealth of different blogging options.
https://www.websitebuilder.com/start/blog
https://www.sitey.com
https://www.ehost.com
Steps to making a blog.
STEP 1:
Know WHY you want to start a blog.
STEP 2:
Decide WHAT your blog will focus on.
STEP 3:
Decide WHICH of the blogging platforms you'll use.
STEP 4:
Decide which web host to use.
STEP 5:
How to create a blog using eHost.
STEP 6:
Install WordPress on your hosting account.
Nowadays, blogs
are so advanced there is no need at all for any previous technical skills or
coding knowledge. Perhaps at max what is required is a mild understanding of
web processes. Most editing / designing environments are drag and drop based,
which makes website building life easier than you can imagine. Even young kids
can do it. All person need is an email and website builder.
It is very
important to fill the blogging site with content. Search Engine Optimization is
the art of making the website more attractive to primarily Google, Yahoo and
Bing. The aim of which is to appear in the coveted top spot of Google. Website
builders make it very easy to add content to the website, whether that be
through a blog or simply paragraphing on the actual pages themselves. Blogging
is a very good way of adding ‘keyword rich’ content, because just pick a topic
and ramble on heart’s content. Another way to add content to your website, as
we mentioned before, is to paragraph on the pages of your site. This is less
attractive to visitors as they may not be looking for a truck load of
information by just checking your site out - they will go to your blog if you
are interested. Keep paged content to a minimum, the more concise the
better.
Empowering
the Students
Students are used to writing and communicating in the
digital landscape whether it be Twitter, Face Book, Tumblr, or email. While
reading their fellow students’ blogs and comments, and responding online with
their own comments, students recognize the value of clarity and what makes for
strong and engaging posts. Students have the opportunity to practice writing
and analytical skills in their own blogs that will transfer into essays and
other writing endeavors. Students are
able to see their own writing as something “real” with a practical application.
Creating a blog can be a bridge for students between the familiar digital world
and what is being asked of them in academic essays, projects and other
university-based assignments. Blogging can be seen as a gateway experience for
students who will likely be using digital technologies and media in their
future endeavors regardless of their discipline
Advantages
Perhaps the two
main big advantages of blogs are their ease of use and the availability of many
Open Source/free or low-cost software and hosting options to run them. Examples
of the latter include Google Blogger (free).
Blogs also use
RSS, which means users can easily set up/subscribe to 'feeds' to automatically
receive content updates from their favorite services.
Audio and video files can be large in
size; users must have sufficient bandwidth to download them.
There
are several uses of edublogs.
Some bloggers use
their blogs as a learning journal or a knowledge log to gather relevant
information and ideas, and communicate with other people. Some teachers use
blogs to keep in contact with students' parents.[9] Some bloggers use
blogs to record their own personal life,[10]
and express emotions or feelings.[11] Some instructors
use blogs as an instructional and assessment tool, and blogs can be used as a
task management tool. Blogs are used to teach individuals about writing for an
audience as they can be made public, and blogging software makes it easier to create
content for the Web without knowing much HTML
Conclusion
The
latest generation of collaborative Web-based tool, namely blogs/photoblogs
offer many unique and powerful information sharing and collaboration features.
In this paper we have explored how these blog would prove useful on the long
run for virtual collaborative teaching and learning. Careful thinking and
research are still needed in order to find the best ways to leverage these
emerging tools to boost our teaching and learning productivity, foster better
'communities of practice', and support continuing teacher
education/professional development and student education.
Reference
1.
Andrew Sullivan, “Why I Blog,” The Atlantic, November 1, 2008
2.
Blogging 101 –An introduction to reading and writing a weblog:
3.
Gunther Kress, Gains and losses: New forms of texts, knowledge and learning,
Computers
and Composition 22 (2005) 5-22
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