A Reflection on the Use of Blogs in the Teaching & Learning Process

Nowadays, blogs (or weblogs) are widely used for various purposes. They are mainly written in an informal style to share personal experiences and opinion related to a profession, to real life issues or to any subject matter. Many businesses also use blogging as a platform to fulfill their business goals.

In the same way, blogs play an important role in the education sector and in many schools around the world. But how far does blogging contribute in the teaching and learning process? The following are the pros and cons of using blogs as an educational tool.

BENEFITS OF BLOGGING IN TEACHING & LEARNING

1. 24/7 Access to Technology & Internet – Nowadays, most students, if not all, have at least a smartphone, a laptop or a tablet. They also may have access to the internet at any time and this benefits them a lot as far as their learning is concerned; they can blog at home, at school or anywhere else.

2. Students Create their Own Content & Make Their Professional Brand – Through the use of their own blogs or educational blogs, the young adolescents can share their learning experiences.

Moreover, the students may share the knowledge they gain at every step of their learning phase. In this way, they make a professional brand of their own, which comes in handy for their future and career.

3. Collaborative Learning – Students may discuss various issues and questions among themselves via blogging.

They provide different methods of tackling a mathematical problem and get to learn from each other. At the same time, young people understand the essence of teamwork, which forms an integral part of the 21st Century skills that the people of tomorrow need to acquire.

4. Improving on Writing Skills – While blogging and engaging in conversations with others, students tend to be exposed to various styles of writing. Eventually, with practice and with time, they keep on improving on their writing skills.

5. Engaging in Class Activities – Many young people find easier nowadays to communicate with the use of technology. Thus, blogging proves to be a great tool for everyone to engage in class activities, share opinion/ideas and learn together. The student-centered approach is favored in the process.

6. Privacy & Security – Students get the option of commenting anonymously in various posts in educational blogs. While safeguarding their privacy, they do not have the fear of committing mistakes or being corrected by others. Hence, they participate more frequently in class activities.

DRAWBACKS OF BLOGGING IN TEACHING & LEARNING

1. Difficult to Use Mathematical Notations and Equations – Blogging sites limits the use of diagrams, mathematical notations and equations, and this becomes disadvantageous for mathematics students. Every mathematical symbol, operation, equation or any calculation need to be written in proper English so that others can relate. So, discussing mathematics problems using blogs can be time consuming.

2. Blogging: A Monotonous Activity – Many students find it difficult to interact via blogging as they find it boring. The teenagers find it better to socialize in person (face-to-face) rather than online. Furthermore, they find it easier to talk to the teacher and their peers when answering or working out a question.

3. Difficult for New Bloggers – Some students complain that it is quite a challenge to use blogs at start. They don’t find it user-friendly enough.

Finally, I would just say that the use of blogs in teaching and learning can be most of the time very useful for all students. The latter get to develop a sense of initiative and responsibility as well as improve on their IT skills which is an important component of the 21st Century skills. However as teachers, we should know about creating the right balance for teenagers to keep on developing their socialization skills and communication skills as the main aim always remains to encourage a holistic development of the younger generation.