Blogs in Education

Blogging is a wonderful way to collaborate online and to communicate. Additionally, having students write blogs gives authenticity to their assignments. Here are links to blogs that are educational blogs.

http://kathyschrock.net/edtechblogs.htm
http://bestonlinemastersdegrees.com/2010/top-50-education-technology-blogs/
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2010/07/web-20-classroom.html
http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/01/blogging-in-classroom-why-how-and-lots.html

I have mixed feelings about the use of social networking tools in an educational setting. I think a lot about today’s teenagers, education, and their personal lives and how the three affect each other.

Generation Z or the Net Generation, those born in the mid 1990s or later, have been raised with computers and the Internet. They use social media as a primary means of socialization unlike past generations where meeting somewhere or talking on the phone was a means of socialization. This means that our educational system is not keeping up with the out of school lives of its students.

There is no doubt that students will spend more time learning via the computer and that they will spend more time on social networks than any previous generation, but how do we educators use this as an advantage in education? We need to use social networking to enhance an educational experience instead of just using it for the sake of social networking. For example, using educationally protected blogs is an effective means of communicating online. Students are becoming more comfortable with sharing online than in a classroom setting. Blogs can address this strength. Skyping with someone from across the globe can be easily done. Imagine a class talking to students in a foreign country via Skype. What a great learning tool. The power of social networking in education lies in the hands of the teachers who design and monitor the lessons. The learning taking place is more important than the social network being used. The collaboration and reach of social networking sites can be a tremendous educational advantage.