Blogs In Education Project

After searching for “Educational Blogs,” on google, yahoo, and msn.com, I found that my results were fairly similar. The first several sites appeared to be exactly the same on each of the search engines. This is most likely due to either the high amounts of “hits” the first several websites received, or because those specific sites had spent large sums of money to have their site show up first, in order to catch the searcher’s eye.
1. Today, blogs are being utilized in education in several different ways. As I began searching these educational blogs, I found interesting information on www.weblogg-ed.com. This was a blog that was an interactive site for teachers. The teachers were utilizing this blog to discuss a current issue that was frustrating to them. By blogging, they were allowed the opportunity to discuss their frustration, and share their thoughts with other teachers. Another way that educational blogs are being utilized is what I found when searching budtheteacher.typepad.com. This site was filled with blogs from multiple days that displayed links to technology that the teacher had utilized recently in his classroom. The purpose was to provide other teachers with current information that he was using, that they could later use in their classroom. Lastly, I visited educational.blogs.com/edbloggerpraxis/. This was a site displayed by a teacher named Tom Barrett from England, who created a page to have teachers subscribe to an integrated ICT, similar to what we have in this class, the teacher WebQuest. But Barrett offers more than what is offered in our WebQuest, for you can create tests and grade books, but then have people go in and change or refine your work.
2. While searching RSS readers and aggregators, I found that both are rather similar in that they both provide information concerning recent topics or issues in a collaborative manner. The difference between a RSS reader and an aggregator is that an aggregator may provide more links or information from a variety of sources. It is more of a collection of all sorts of information. I think I would rather use an aggregator because it provides more of a variety of sites and sources that I can utilize. I may use both of these in a classroom setting in order to gain knowledge. Using a RSS reader or an aggregator, I can gain knowledge from a variety of sources while just going to one site. This will be helpful to me as a teacher because I need to continuously be informed and have a clear understanding of what is important in the world of education.
3. I think it is really important for students to have to opportunity to share their ideas, and be exposed to the ideas of others. Blogging is a great opportunity to do this. Blogging allows students the opportunity to write their thoughts and ideas similar to a journal entry, but it also allows the opportunity for others to comment, agree, or disagree with their writing. It also allows the student to comment on other’s blogs. This idea of sharing and comparing thoughts and ideas is extremely beneficial to the developing mind of students. Also, using a RSS reader can be beneficial for students to allow them exposure to current information. Here, the students can go to one page to locate current information for a project of topic.
4. There are both pros and cons to using blogs and RSS readers in the classroom. I would consider two pros to be that using blogs and RSS readers may enhance the student’s understanding of a variety of opinions, ideas, or topics. Another pro could be that allowing students the opportunity to blog, is a way to allow them to express their opinions through writing, therefore, enhancing their writing skills. Two cons could be that blogging could be dangerous, as it is utilizing integrated technology. This could be unsafe because today, everyone is on the web, which could be risky when discussing the safety of your students, and exactly who is talking with your students. Also, when using a RSS reader, the validly of the information presented could be an issue. The accessibility of the internet allows anyone to post anything on the web, and therefore, the information presented may not always be accurate and beneficial for a student.