Blogs & EducationJari Laru, University teacher

Department of Educational Sciences,University of Oulu

What’s blog: Wikipedia“Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. “

Type 1a:Personal blog

The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality (wikipedia, 2011)

Type 1b: Microblog

One type of personal blog, referred to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time. Some sites, such as Twitter, allow bloggers to share thoughts and feelings instantaneously with friends and family, and are much faster than emailing or writing. (Wikipedia, 2011)

Type 2: Corporate and organizational blogs

A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. (Wikipedia, 2011)

Type 3: Blogs by genre: politics

Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs (also known as travelogs), house blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, quizzing blogs and legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or dreamlogs. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and music blogs. (Wikipedia, 2011)

Type 3: Blogs by mediatype: photoblog

A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. Blogs that are written on typewriters and then scanned are called typecast or typecast blogs; see typecasting (blogging). (wikipedia, 2011)

Type 3: Blogs by device: moblog

Blogs can also be defined by which type of device is used to compose it. A blog written by a mobile device like a mobile phone or PDA could be called a moblog. (wikipedia, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrL6jTPaaLM

What’s blog?: learning scientists

Weblogs are popular journaling tools that offer students a means of externalising their reasoning and reflecting on their experiences (Xie et al., 2008).

Hence, Weblogs can be used as ‘learning logs’ that capture the cumulative history of a learning project in action and record personally meaningful material that can foster and facilitate reflective practices such as conversations with oneself and others (Halic et al., 2010; Sharma & Fiedler, 2007; Xie et al., 2008).

The main idea of blogging is similar to that of network discussions: The students make their thinking visible and externalize their thinking by periodically posting journal entries to their personal or collaborative blogs, allowing other learners to comment on their learning blogs (Xie et al., 2008).

Do it by yourselfStart your own wordpress blog

Embedding content

http://learn.wordpress.com/

References

Halic, O., Lee, D., Paulus, T., & Spence, M. (2010). To blog or not to blog: Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in a college-level course. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(4), 206-213. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.04.001

Sharma, P., & Fiedler, S. (2007). Supporting self-organized learning with personal web publishing technologies and practices. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 18(2), 3-24. doi:10.1007/BF03033411

Xie, Y., Ke, F., & Sharma, P. (2008). The effect of peer feedback for blogging on college students’ reflective learning processes. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(1), 18-25. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2007.11.001