The uses of Blogs in education.

There are many applications for using blogs in education at all levels. Their basic function is to share information and this is almost the same as the school system. We know that most of what is on the internet is not very accurate, but some sources in fact can be. For example wikipedia is actually fairly accurate. For example this webcast Assessing Wikipedia's Accuracy from NPR explains the relative accuracy of Wikipedia. This shows us that collaborative websites have a higher level of education content and are more trustworthy.

What this means in education is that blogs can be a large source of reliable information for everyone in the teaching environment. We can use them to get information from teacher to student, teacher to parents, parents to students, administrators to teachers, and even students to teacher.

I think that one of the best uses of blogs is to get parents involved in their children's education. By opening up the lines of communication parents can contribute their experiences, goals for their children and fears to their teachers on a daily basis. It is a powerful tool in everyones arsenal. A teacher can post assignments or homework so teachers know what is going on in the class. Parents can post related stories to make the lesson more relevant to the real world. Students can ask questions and get answers in real time, and combined with video and audio all groups can carry on real time discussions. Here is a blog that further discusses this issue. Classroom 2.0, Getting Parents Involved

Blogging can also be used for students to present papers and class work. Not everyone likes to get up in front of class and speak. Maybe through this forum children who are sometimes quiet and sitting at the back of class could break out of their shell and speak out about what is important to them. I think that anyway to get a child involved is good. It also would encourage them to do better work if they new there might be some pier review and discussion. As you see by this video, Student Blogging, children get excited about sharing their blogs with the world.

Of course there are some implication of blogging in education that are scary. Every teacher who uses blogs in their classroom need to setup rules in order help protect the children, the school and them self. But as long as it is a safe, educational and a positive environment these blogs are an excellent resource for everyone involved in education. In the Salem Keizer School District they have made a set of goals related to students and the internet under digital citizenship in The Salem Keizer School District Technology Plan.

One more use would be be the ability to share information between piers. Such as me posting this list to volunteer opportunities at South Salem High School.