THE USE OF WEBLOGS IN HIGHER EDUCATION:
BENEFITS AND BARRIERS
By using the weblogs we transfer the usual classroom activities to the
cyberspace.
WEBLOGS is a webpage where a weblogger 'logs' all the other webpages she finds interesting. The format is normally to add the newest entry at the top of the page, so that repeat visitors can catch up by simply reading down the page until they reach a link they saw on their last visit.
Types of Weblogs.
Personal topics, political/social/economic commentaries, information technology, etc.
2-Student weblog: Weblogs written by students are basically learning weblogs or project weblogs. A learning weblog [21] is “a learning diary, created concurrently with the learning experience, and reporting on the learning content as wells as the process (including time taken, sources used, and so forth)”.
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1-Instructor weblog: Weblogs written by instructors are mainly used as an additional communication channel to share information with students. Instructor weblogs usually contain course content, course management information.
Uses:
-There are many uses for weblogs in many fields. You can provide commentary and opinions; expressing deeply felt emotions; articulating ideas through writing; and forming and maintaining community forums.
-In the education field, weblogs are being used to satisfy a variety of communication needs to favour e-learning practices.
Advantages:
-Weblogs are easy to setup and administrate in contrast to other technologies.
-Weblogs make it easier to publish all types of resources (text, images, video, etc.) to the Web when compared to traditional web publishing.
-Weblogs can be updated easily, from anywhere without having to worry about FTP connections, web authoring software, etc.
-24/7 (anytime, anywhere) access to the information posted in weblogs.
-The instructor does not need to periodically request the learning logs to the students.
-Other technologies can be applied jointly. For instance, using of Wikis as enablers for group
writing and knowledge sharing. For example, building glossaries.
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-Five ways of using weblogs in the classroom each with their own pros and cons:
1-professor-written weblogs which cover
interesting developments that relate to the theme of the course
2-organization of in-class discussion
3-organization of intensive seminars where students have to provide weekly summaries of the readings
4-requiring students to write their own weblogs as part of their grade
BENEFITS
BARRIERS
-The use of technology- based tools may be another barrier. It can be of a structural nature, for instance lack of computers, or difficult access to the Internet (as happens in Spain where the Internet connection is quite expensive and slow).
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-Weblogs help create connections between students with diverse opinions and interests. This encourages critical thinking and teaches the value of respect towards other students’ points of view.
-Weblogs’ features (linking, replying, and tracking) make easier sharing knowledge and information.
-The first and foremost benefit of weblogs in HEIs is their use as e-learning tools. This way, the teaching-learning process can continue outside the classroom.
-Discussions in weblogs promote higher levels of thinking, because people can think before answering back.
- Collaborative weblogs support team work and group learning.
-The use of weblogs (new technologies) prepares students better for the current labour market.
-Different instructors and students from different parts can share a weblog and teach and learn together.
-System administrators tend to be restrictive in installing new software.
-Instructors may have difficulty in assessing student participation in the weblog. There are several indicators to take into account: group grading, individual posting, quality of posts, etc., as well as subjectivity vs. qualitative appreciations.
-If the weblog is public, it may suffer troll infestations, people that intentionally try to cause disruption by posting messages that are inflammatory, insulting, incorrect, inaccurate, or offtopic, with the intent of provoking a reaction from others.