Blogging allows class participants to better know and understand one another. Also, blogging allows for more of the personal experience of each student to become part of the class knowledge; there is rarely enough time for all personal reflections to be addressed in a traditional class time. Blogging expands the space and time available for class participants to share their experiences
The following is from Shiang-Kwei Wang and Hui-Yin Hsua. “Reflections on Using Blogs to Expand In-class Discussion.” TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning. 52.3 (May 2008): 81-85
The authors studied a blogging project that was used in pre-service teacher training. What they found was that students generally liked the blogging, because it "enabled them to share knowledge and experiences as well as to express their feelings and thoughts outside the classroom discussion" (83). Those results are common and even to be expected. But there was another result that is interesting:
“From the in depth stories or postings contributed by their classmates, [students who blogged] became aware of their peers’ opinions and were able to confront perspectives on reading and diversity issues better than in the face-to-face environment.” (Wang and Hsua 83)
In this study, the authors found that the blog helped students to grapple with ideas and concepts that were not best served in the classroom. The blog, then, does not merely augment what goes on in the classroom; in some instances, it can create an entirely new opportunity for communication, understanding and growth. Students themselves were providing the "texts" from which learning occurred, not books, not a teacher's lecture, not published or peer reviwed articles. That is an incredible statement of voice and authority.
Purpose
Research Question:
How can the College's Graduate/Professional Studies programs be enhanced or reconfigured in order to meet the changing needs in Northeast Ohio?
This is an attempt to capture my research process and to share my research findings with as many people as possible. My project goal is to research workforce needs and economic development projections in Northeast Ohio in order to provide recommendations for program enhancement, particularly in Graduate and Professional Studies.
I chose to conduct my project in this public manner in order to explore one aspect of the type of technologically integrated learning for which I am advocating. I have not blogged before, so bear with me.
Early posts merely reflect information gathered. As I progress, my later posts will be more analytical and synthetic. I invite any and all comments, thoughts, musings, questions, and connections. The more personal input I receive, the more meaningful my recommendations will become.
If I have learned anything in the past few weeks, it is certainly that there are many important things that I just don't know, so help me out if you see the need.
Please click on the links that are in (almost) every post to get detailed information from the source itself.
How can the College's Graduate/Professional Studies programs be enhanced or reconfigured in order to meet the changing needs in Northeast Ohio?
This is an attempt to capture my research process and to share my research findings with as many people as possible. My project goal is to research workforce needs and economic development projections in Northeast Ohio in order to provide recommendations for program enhancement, particularly in Graduate and Professional Studies.
I chose to conduct my project in this public manner in order to explore one aspect of the type of technologically integrated learning for which I am advocating. I have not blogged before, so bear with me.
Early posts merely reflect information gathered. As I progress, my later posts will be more analytical and synthetic. I invite any and all comments, thoughts, musings, questions, and connections. The more personal input I receive, the more meaningful my recommendations will become.
If I have learned anything in the past few weeks, it is certainly that there are many important things that I just don't know, so help me out if you see the need.
Please click on the links that are in (almost) every post to get detailed information from the source itself.
Labels
- 21st Century Skills (18)
- technology (18)
- professional development (8)
- Web 2.0 (7)
- personal development and technology (6)
- Liberal Arts (4)
- STEM in NEO (4)
- workforce needs in NEO (4)
- business and technology (3)
- Global awareness (2)
- healthcare (2)
- planning (2)
- regionalism (2)
- Public-Private collaboration in Higher ed (1)
- Regional education (1)
- economic development (1)
- revitalization of NEO (1)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment