We are enjoying the discussion! Have a look at the second question and add your thoughts. Let's get some great discussion going!
Remember, just click on the comments at the bottom of this post to add your thoughts. You will have to choose the 'comment as' option and click on the one applicable to you.
What do you see as the ‘barriers’ to implementing the use of blogs in your teaching and learning environment?
I guess one of the issues I see - and hear about often - is the issue privacy and safety. If you are using open blogs then is it dangerous - you don't know who is posting etc, and what happens to any photos etc? If you are restricting entry, then are you defeating the purpose of the blog? What do others think?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at your myross blog page and can see that it can definitely be used at a very junior level – still mainly teacher input, but I can see the benefits of having our Year 6 buddies helping us with a class blog. This would be good use of some of our weekly buddy time. I will definitely set up a class blog and include it as part of my writing programme when I head back to the classroom later this year. In the meantime I have noted down some of the useful blog resources that some of the class blogs in your links use (sorry very wordy!), and will explore these. Thanks blog team you have made me realise that it doesn't need to be an arduous task to set up and maintain a class blog.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd turn this around . . .given that 423 is my teaching and learning environment - are there barriers from your points of view, as the students involved, from my implementing blogs?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Ange. It's great to read that blogs don't have to be a time-consuming tool. They're a great way of building reflection into teaching and learning at any age.
ReplyDeleteHi Keryn - I loved this one!! For one of my papers I have to write a perspective-taking essay going in to bat for something that I don't necessarily agree with, so reading this was fantastic - good practise for me.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the main barriers is, for some, that it is a 'new' environment with a different range of social expectations. You need to have a high level of trust, as you are not always sure who is reading your blog.
Time required to maintain the blog can be an issue also. If you want quality feedback and involvement from others, then you need to be prepared to put the effort into considering what you are posting, rather than just adding a whole lot of 'ramblings'.
Pedagogy can also be an issue. You would need to be able to see and articulate the benefits of blogging as a reflective-reflexive tool and not always expect to receive feedback / comments. If you see the main objective of the blog as a tool for reflection, then this would not be an issue. I've had discussions with many teachers whom I view as reflective practitioners, who are far from convinced about the benefits of blogging.
Another barrier could be the type of blog - is it an individual reflective blog or a group blog showing reflection and learning. A barrier could then be the contributions and maintenance of the blog.
I would love more questions like this to help me practice perspective-taking - I enjoy it but find it a huge challenge, particularly as I'm obsessed with eLearning and ICT - have managed to bring it into every paper I'm taking so far! ;-)
Keryn asks given that 423 is my teaching and learning environment - are there barriers from your points of view, as the students involved, from my implementing blogs?
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I tend to think there might be. Students (especially if they are new to postgrad online learning) may be reluctant to post comments knowing that'anyone anywhere' can read them. I know I would have been in my first paper. Maybe as a lecturer you might feel you would get more out of your students in a closed forum such as Moodle? This could change over time though, as students grow up using blogs?