Please answer the question (don't forget to research!): How can teachers use weblogs on their classes of English and literature? What project(s) could one carry out using weblogs?
Nowadays nobody can imagine his/her life without computer, especially without internet. It is logical that teachers use IT in order not to stand on one place. Weblog is a very interesting way to make students get involved in study process. For example a student has to write some essay, irst of all you economize on paper :),second you can use some design in your blog to express yourself. Let's imagine that a student is ill and s/he has to write composition, s/he can do it in blog. You also can comment on others blogs or get comments on your own one. It is good because you can make conclusions concerning your work. One more thing - blogs are not limited, I mean that you can make friends not from Ukraine but other countries as well(to practice english and other languages).
It's so easy to create and update a blog - it requires only basic access to the Internet, and a minimum of technical know-how. Because of this, it is one of the easiest ways to publish student writing on the WWW. It's almost as easy as sending an email. There are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. One of the best reasons is to provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet.
Here are some other reasons for using blogs:
To provide extra reading practice for students. This reading can be produced by the teacher, other students in the same class, or, in the case of comments posted to a blog, by people from all over the world. As online student learner journals that can be read by their peers. The value of using learner journals has been well documented. Usually they are private channels between teacher and student. Using a blog as a learner journal can increase the audience. To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level. The Internet has a bewildering array of resources that are potentially useful for your students. The problem is finding and directing your learners to them. For this reason, you can use your tutor blog as a portal for your learners. To increase the sense of community in a class. A class blog can help foster a feeling of community between the members of a class, especially if learners are sharing information about themselves and their interests, and are responding to what other students are writing. To encourage shy students to participate. There is evidence to suggest that students who are quiet in class can find their voice when given the opportunity to express themselves in a blog. To stimulate out-of-class discussion. A blog can be an ideal space for pre-class or post-class discussion. And what students write about in the blog can also be used to promote discussion in class. To encourage a process-writing approach. Because students are writing for publication, they are usually more concerned about getting things right, and usually understand the value of rewriting more than if the only audience for their written work is the teacher. As an online portfolio of student written work. There is much to be gained from students keeping a portfolio of their work. One example is the ease at which learners can return to previous written work and evaluate the progress they have made during a course. To help build a closer relationship between students in large classes. Sometimes students in large classes can spend all year studying with the same people without getting to know them well. A blog is another tool that can help bring students together. There are some projects which can be carried out using a weblog: Mystery guest. Invite another teacher or someone from another school or country as a mystery guest to your blog. Ask the students to engage him or her in dialogue and guess their identity. Project work. A blog is an ideal space for developing a project, especially if the project is a shared one between several classes or even classes in different countries. International link-ups. Contact another educational establishment to see if they are interested in a joint blogging project. Students can write about their lives, culture, interests, etc, and be encouraged to read about the other class and respond by writing comments. Nadia Raspopova group 544m
So, why should we blog at the lessons of English? There are many reasons why we may choose to use it. One of the best reasons is to provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Here are some other reasons for using blogs: -To provide extra reading practice for students. -To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level. -To increase the sense of community in a class. -To encourage shy students to participate. -To stimulate out-of-class discussion -To find more friends not only from Ukraine but also from abroad etc. Olena Tyslenko 544-m
We live in the XXI century. The world develops every day and every hour. Just remember, for example, 15 years ago people had such mobile phones with help of which it was possible to protect themselves from robbers! :) How? So, the phone was so heavy that it was possible to kill somebody with it! :) Nowadays we have modern cell phones, which are very different, small and comfortable in use. The same thing is with computers. The science develops and computers become our indispensable friends and the most necessary things in our life. It is really hard to imagine today’s educational system without informational technologies. Schoolchildren and students search in the world network all necessary information concerning their studies. Online libraries are mostly visited than city libraries. And it’s the veritable solemn truth. :) Of course with such jump of science, teachers mustn’t stay in one place. In order to make a lesson and educational process more interesting, one may think about using informational technologies in education. To my mind, blogs are really good thing and they can really help improving the process of mastering a subject. Being both a student and a teacher I can say that nowadays blogs can be used in teaching English and they will make this process more effective. The activity in the group will surely be better. It would be possible to see hidden talents of students. The excessive opportunities of webblogs can help them feeling themselves like a part of a world. The different works of students (essays, poems, compositions, various works etc.) can be read all over the world. So, don’t miss the chance to be like “a spider in the world’s net”! :) Join the blogs and have fun!
Blog is all about your personality. It's like your diary. It gives you an opportunity to express yourself freely. You don't have to write dull compositions on topics you're not interested in. You can write and add whatever you want to your blog with just one reservation - it should be in English. That's a great way to get students involved, exciting and natural practice. As it was said above, blogs also provide students with real audience. So their writings won't just hang idle, but will be read and discussed.
What I like in blogs is that one can freely express his/her ideas without any "pressure" from the outside. Blogs favour communication in the way that one can leave comments and take part in discussions. Of course one of the main advantages of blogs is that they can be effectively used in teaching process, especially in situations where distant learning is needed (e. g. either a student or a teacher can't attend classes for any reason). Just remember our previous winter, when a lot of educational establishments were closed because of quaranteen. Some teachers resorted to the help of the World Web in order to continue educational process. And of course blogs come in useful when one wants to make some kind of social or any other research (different questionaires, tests). However, blogs exclude direct contact with a person, that's why the process of communication (or teaching) becomes..."raw" and mechanical. That's why I regard blogs only as additional supplement to the educational process. Despite it's merits, blog can't replace lively talk.
Blogs are very popular nowadays. A lot of people, among them also famous politicians and celebrities, have their own blogs. What are the reasons of such popularity? Most blogs are interactive and allow visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets. Some blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject. And some blogs function as personal online diaries. So, we live in the age of modern technologies where blogs are indispensable parts of our life. Nowadays it is a means of communication. Blogs can also be means of gaining knowledge. How can we use blogs for learning English? Posting of comments on different topics is useful for our spelling. We should take into consideration grammar writing comments or messages in the blog. With the help of blogs we can exchange messages with people who live in different countries. So blogs can involve other people to discuss some important issues. Blogs can be used by children. It is easy to add graphics and videos that can be used during English classes with children. Blogs can be useful for those people who can't attend classes at the university.
Education nowadays is impossible without modern technologies. Students watch different films in English, German and Spanish with subtitles or without them, students use Internet when they want to find some information for their classes, to write essay or report. Internet technologies help students to communicate with foreigners in English and in other languages. Blogs are also a part of modern technologies, which are widely used by teachers and students. Blogs help in communication between students, they can share their opinions, they can prove some statements and argue with each other. Teachers can check the work of their students. They can see who was the most active and who was the last to send his or her home assignment. If blog is devoted to literature class, students can speak about different works of different authors. If blod is devoted to English class, students can communicate on different topics: race, gender, economical problems, etc.
We cannot imagine our life without the Internet nowadays. It is even hard to get our home assignment sometimes if you don't have the access to your group e-mail. What can we say? The Internet has changed the concepts of communication between students and professors. On the one hand, for the worse, because we're losing the visual and therefore emotional contact, but on the other hand we can create something new and interesting with the help of these blogs. We have already had such an experience of using a webblog on our English classes. It was rather instructively. But what I personally was lacking were some funny points. I expect this blog will be an entertaining occupation where we could have a good time.
Nowadays blogs are very popular among people of different age, occupation and from different countries. It's very easy to create your own blog and to use it. You can get acquainted with different people, communicate with them. Such acquaintances can be very useful. For many people blogs can be used as their own on-line diaries. Here you can create your own world. Blogs are used by many people in studying. Many teachers use them to communicate with their students and such on-line studying is useful in case of distant learning. Such blogs can be used in studying English and Literature. Teachers can create on-line conferences on different subjects, different social researches or any kind of them that you need during educational process. Also students and teachers can use Internet World in different projects. Blogs are useful for improving our English (spelling skills). Teachers can involve all students in work and evaluate their work on-line leaving their comments. Blogs help to practice and improve our English during communication with people from different countries. So, we can say that there are a lot of advantages in using blogs in the process of studying.
Using blogs nowadays is becoming popular with teachers. This method has both advantages and disadvantages. According to the aims the teachers have and the competences they want to develop, it’s possible to use various techniques and give different tasks in the blogs. Teachers can use blogs to get a feedback on the lessons from students. For example they can ask students some of the following questions:
What did you like about the previous lesson? If you were a teacher, what you would like to change? What exercise did you like most of all? What exercise helped you to learn new vocabulary/rule etc?
Thereby it will be possible for a teacher to choose the most effective exercises for the lessons, to understand what interests the students have.
Usually it’s very difficult for students, who didn’t attend lessons to study new topics, to find out what home tasks they should do in order to receive some marks. In this situation using blog is helpful both for students and teachers. If teachers write down all tasks in the blog, it will be easy for students to know what they should do. Students don’t have to search for teachers to give them essays, tests etc. They just write them in the blog and teachers evaluate their work. Teachers can also put all the necessary information for preparation for a lesson there.
Using blog, teachers can encourage students to read more, to discuss the questions they are interested in. For example when students study the topic Art, they can be given a task to study some literature concerning this subject and after that to write in the blog continuation of the phrase “I never knew….”. Students should comment on the facts written by others. Teacher can encourage them to study more literature and write only the most interesting by giving a task to vote for the fact that was the most amazing for them. The student, whose phrases got more votes than others will receive additional points/ good mark.
Teachers can benefit a lot from using blogs if they think of multifarious tasks that will make studying process of the students more enjoyable.
I think, good old Will puts it a tad too dramatically, but you wouldn’t expect anything else from the lad, would you? I believe the question of personal preference is really beside the point in this discussion, so I’ll just let it be for now. This technology is a neat way of distributing information and that is essentially all that there is to it. A lot of people have aptly pointed out that blogs enable a higher level communication between all the representatives of the certain group, as opposed to strictly teacher-student contact. It might prove to be an invaluable resource of carefully sorted out and meticulously organised information for the student (if approached properly) and it might just give a chance to a teacher to say: “You haven’t seen it – well, that’s your fault. It has been on my blog for *insert the terrifyingly large number* days already. ” With blogs you can really coordinate and keep track of different group projects as a teacher, which might prove to be a bit of a nuisance otherwise. But this model has as many drawbacks as it has advantages and I intend to blow the lids of the former (being dramatic to keep up with Will).
First, who has ever told you that reading the posts of your peers is a good language practice or at the very least a good idea (look at this mess)? If you really want to gain something from reading – go read books, I’m telling you – much better than anything else.
Second, one cannot really expect every single person in one’s class to have an easy internet access. What? It’s true. Two of the main pros of this thing are convenience and accessibility. Not being able to provide those for the audience would be kind of like shooting yourself in the foot. Not that I personally have a problem with this though.
Third, and this is my biggest concern by far, - people seem to have a trouble keeping blogs purely utilitarian in purpose. I have come across this list: http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2010/05/16/top-100-high-school-teachers-who-blog/ (which is a list of “Top 100 High Scholl Teachers Who Blog” for those of you who are anything like me, which is “too lazy to use the link”). And having sifted through most of these blogs I can say that the tone and spirit of many of them is informal to put it mildly, and those that tend to be more scholastic in their delivery make little effort to be different from any other kind of media. That really impugns the whole usefulness of blogs as a teaching device per se.
And finally fourth, which, I wholeheartedly admit, is a pet peeve of mine and may or may not be applicable to any other person here. This whole public exposure thing and “opinions fair” might not be the best idea out there. At least one can’t be naïve enough to consider the appeal of public display to be ubiquitous and equally tempting to everyone. Some discussions are better left private just as some posts should never see the light of day.
In hindsight I can’t help but wonder: how the hell did I write so much?
Well, it has been already written much about blogs and its importance. In order not to repeat one's thoughts i'd rather appreciate the speed of blogs. Let me explain please. By speed i understand the ability to fulfill the tasks very quickly. One doesn't need to look for paper then write something on it (let it be an essay, for example) and then bring it at uni and then give it to a teacher. The procedure lokks like rather complicated and long at least it seems like. Today we thans heaven have blogs.
How can the both sides (teacher and students benefit from it? * we both save our time; * the tasks can be explained online and many questions that erise during fulfilling the home assighnment can be clarified by the teacher his/herself (not the guesses like: it seems to me that we have to...); * online discussions with our groupmates will definetely purify students' English; * sometimes it is easier to explain oneself in front of a monitor when nobody but you see your facial expression and hear your intonation during the discussion; * blogs are useful when one of the students is ill - it is rather good opportunity not to stay aside. Lead the online discussion even if you are not in the classroom; * for any kind of a project blog hepls you to collect all the possible information (video, audio, links, texts ...) and place it immediately in that suitable order (one avoids constant Ctrl+C/ Ctrl+V).
Speaking about the projects i can say that in blog we have a chance to create almost whatever we want.
As an example, it can be a correspondense with students from another countries conserning any topic you like. Gathering information, creating pages in blog devoted to smth and then perhaps online conference. Moreover one may complicate the task and the countries-participants can exchange the languages!
In blog can take part several countries and develop multilingual dictionary of coloquialisms or youth slang in different languages.
Internet is very important thing in our life and everyone will agree with this idea. It is the main source of information. We can do everything with the help of it, even it is possible today to order some food and clothes without going out of our houses. I don't even speak about our studying process. Personally I forget the time when I went to the library and prepare there my homework. Also Internet touched such an important part of life as communication. Today a lot of people instead of going for a walk with their friends or somewhere else and communicating with them sit in the Internet in some charts and type the messages. I don't want to criticize them but to my mind we should know where to stop. Everything should have a golden middle. Personally I like sometimes to read something interesting in the Internet, especially in some blogs. I was really surprised but there is a lot useful information. You can learn a lot about the person only from his/her notes in blog. As i have mentioned above new technologies appear in all spheres of our life and of course in studying. As for me blogs can really help in learning foreign languages. A lot of students and pupils are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake, etc. In the blog the situation is easier. You just write what you want and your thoughts and ideas will be noticed. Of course every person likes to make something new, to discover some new things. Blog is very good chance to make it, because a lot of people, especially students are bored with making exercises in the class. Here you can communicate and you are not limited in time. In blog you can discuss everything you want: from very easy topics to more serious. Also we can make here some competitions, contests, games. May be some tasks in creative writing, I think it would be interesting to compete with my groupmates online. I think that blog can bring a lot of fun but only if we make some efforts. Denisova Inna541M
A blog is a kind of website which resembles an electronic diary - this is one of its best advantages. A pupil`s blog is to some extend a description of his individuality, it helps to understand what he really thinks and feels. Therefore, it may help a teacher to penetrate deeper into a pupil`s inner world, thus implementing a pedagogical principle of individual approach. The other reasons to use blogs in a class community are also evident, since blogs - help to stimulate on-line discussion; - give space to provide extra-tasks; - give possibilities to exchange opinions with people all over the world. Teachers may use each other`s blogs to exchange ideas and experience; - let pupils of the class become closer, enables timid ones to express their opinion; - give free hand to imagination and fantasy while carrying out tasks.
So, why should you blog with your students? There are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Also, blogs offer a space where students and teachers can learn from each other.
Here are some reasons for using blogs:
o Blogs foster ownership and choice. o Blogs facilitate reflection. o Blogs that are task-based foster interaction, communication and feedback. o Blogs give students the opportunity of working collaboratively. o Extra-curricular extension o Blogs can give you a real communication There are three types of educational blogs: 1. Tutor blog (Daily reading practice for learners, online verbal exchange using comments, class information, resource for self-study) 2. Learner blog (Class blog Students get writing practice, develop a sense of ownership , and whatever they write can instantly be read by anyone else and, due to the comment features of the software, further exchange of ideas is promoted. 3. Class blog: (Students can create a free-form bulletin board, interact in an international classroom language exchange, or a project-based language learning exercise, where students can develop writing and research skills by creating an online resource) Remember! While using weblogs it’s important to challenge your students: o Include problem-solving tasks o Ask questions which invite students to reflect and evaluate other participants´opinions o Repond to your students´comments Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom. Blog writers and blog readers(students) build up the inherent environment for learning or knowledge building.
So, why should you blog with your students? There are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Also, blogs offer a space where students and teachers can learn from each other.
Here are some reasons for using blogs:
o Blogs foster ownership and choice. o Blogs facilitate reflection. o Blogs that are task-based foster interaction, communication and feedback. o Blogs give students the opportunity of working collaboratively. o Extra-curricular extension o Blogs can give you a real communication There are three types of educational blogs: 1. Tutor blog (Daily reading practice for learners, online verbal exchange using comments, class information, resource for self-study) 2. Learner blog (Class blog Students get writing practice, develop a sense of ownership , and whatever they write can instantly be read by anyone else and, due to the comment features of the software, further exchange of ideas is promoted. 3. Class blog: (Students can create a free-form bulletin board, interact in an international classroom language exchange, or a project-based language learning exercise, where students can develop writing and research skills by creating an online resource) Remember! While using weblogs it’s important to challenge your students: o Include problem-solving tasks o Ask questions which invite students to reflect and evaluate other participants´opinions o Repond to your students´comments Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom. Blog writers and blog readers(students) build up the inherent environment for learning or knowledge building.
In recent years, increasingly raised the issue of applying new information technologies in teaching by teachers of foreign languages. It's not just a new technology but also new forms and methods of teaching, a new approach to learning. The main purpose of foreign language teaching is focused on developing communicative culture of students, teaching of the practical mastery of a foreign language. The task of teachers is to create conditions for the practical mastery of the language of each student; to choose such methods of training that would enable every student to show their activity and creativity; One of the tools that makes learning of foreign language into a living creative process is the use of computer information technology in teaching . Thus, with the computer we know a lot about internet and its ability . And now, we have Blogs as helpers in our study . So, Blogs may help teachers in their classes of English and Literature: - to create projects on different topics and every one would have his own role and initiative. In such a way students communicate with each other, share their opinions and get some knowledge ; -It helps a teacher to get know a student from the other side. As students put information about themselves, teacher may easy read it from their personal blogs; - every one of a group is obligated to do the task, and in case he or she is ill, they may do it sitting at home; - comment on different topics helps students to improve their writing skills; - teachers may find teachers from other countries and share with each other their experience. And students may find friends from other countries and also communicate with them. So, making a conclusion , I would like to say that Blog it’s a new technology in teaching foreign languages which enable every student to show their activity, creativity and knowledge. Shevchenko Lena Yurevna,544-M
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
Why should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are: • Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms. • Excellent opportunities for students to read and write. • Effective forums for collaboration and discussion. • Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
Why should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are: • Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms. • Excellent opportunities for students to read and write. • Effective forums for collaboration and discussion. • Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
Why should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are: • Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms. • Excellent opportunities for students to read and write. • Effective forums for collaboration and discussion. • Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Blog, just like diary, is the most natural way to express your thoughts and feelings. And it gives an opportunity to do it in English. In this interesting way students can improve their writing skills, enlarge their vocabulary and get to know each other better. Besides, blogs raise discussions, which is important for development of communicative skills.
Some people like to study but some of them no. Why does it happen? Just try to imagine. You are a good teacher and everybody knows that your knowledge can be an object of envy. But… your students do not listen and don’t want to study. Why? May be you should try to be more modern? The first thought that struck when you think about youth will be Internet. Some people spend all their free time in Internet. Many young people can’t live without Internet. Why do not try to give almost all necessary information with a help of Internet? Scientists have proved that information learns easier if it is given in a form of entertainment. Usually people and students apprehend Internet as entertainment. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a reflection of life, or works of art. Teachers can use internet and in the easy form, with a help of links, videos, schemes to provide students with new information. Information is power and those that have access to it are powerful. It is possible to check all that students has learned, just to put a link with online test. Students can try to create own projects (the task will be favorite for everybody who can’t live without creativity) they can express and to show to all people their ideas. Teacher and students can give a grade together. Blogs can help students to know each other better or even it can help to become friends and to finds friends all over the world. Shy students have an opportunity to express themselves. Blogs are the best way for discussion out-of-class.
The web is a fantastic tool when it comes to distributing resources – all you have to do on your blog is upload, or copy and paste, your materials to your blog and they’ll be instantly accessible by students from school and from home. What’s more, you can easily manage who gets to access them through password and plug-in safety measures. The advantages of having students write in a blog format include: 1) Using a blog makes learning independent on time and place 2) Students may care more about their work, knowing that it will be read by others. Students will hopefully put more effort towards the class and more likely master the critical thinking skills that we’re trying to impart. Using blogs encourages learners to be active throughout the course period 3) Using a blog captures changes in thinking. 4) Using a blog makes education more informal. 5) Students will belong to a larger community than their class, a community where they can share and develop ideas. They may enjoy having readers submit questions and comments to their blogs. Using a blog invites people to collaborate 6) Students will learn real-world technical skills. They could include these skills on their resumes. Students can express their creativity. With a couple of clicks you can embed online video, multimedia presentations, slideshows and more into your blog and mix it up with your text and static resources
Well, perhaps,I am the last person to write here and I really don't see the way to sound origally because of that amount of thoughts that is mantioned above. That is why I will just tell you about my own attitude towards blogging.
I have been having my blog for 3 years and it is my personal "garbage heap of history". There one can find fragments of my diary, of my essays or poems. I used to write down my home assignments there too. My blog is full of links to my favourite websites, movies and books. I post pictures and photos that I like also in my space. It is a private blog so there's nothing for me to worry about plagiarism or intrusion into my personal stuff. So the benefits of blogging are evident: endless space for notes, ability to express thoughts with pictures and mucis, access at any time from any place and safe place for keeping information.
For ESL classes blogs are a new wave (in our country, I mean). It will help the teachers of English to make another step in the direction of using IT and reaching that level of development of theaching methodology that our foreign colleagues have already reached.
Blogs,which are interactive homepages that are easy to set up and manage, enable students to engage in online exchanges, thereby expanding their language study and learning community beyond the physical classroom. Regular blogging also encourages more autonomous learning. When a student’s audience includes his or her classmates, the teacher and potentially anyone with an internet connection, motivation to engage in meaningful written communication appears to increase. At the same time, when a teacher utilizing blogs implements a “blogging buddy” system, which assigns each student a peer review partner to help with editing before a piece of writing (the blog post) is uploaded, the result can be an effective means of facilitating greater learner interaction and reflection on skills development. Findings from an attitudinal survey conducted over two semesters with eleven classes of 145 students demonstrate that they had extremely positive attitudes toward both blogging and the blogging buddy system. Tatiana Shukailo 544m
Many teachers who start to use blogs find the novelty factor is enough to create student interest in starting to use them. However, blogs work best when learners get into the habit of using them. If learners are not encouraged to post to their blogs frequently, then they can quickly be abandoned. A failed experiment. Here, the teacher in the role of facilitator is vital for maintaining student interest. Here are some ideas to how this can be done: Respond to student posts quickly, writing a short comment related to the content. Ask questions about what the learner writes to create stimulus for writing. Students should be actively encouraged to read and respond (through the commenting feature of the blog) to their classmates. Writing to the blog could be required, and it may form part of the class assessment. Students should be encouraged to post their writing homework on the blog instead of only giving it to the teacher.
As the Internet becomes an increasingly pervasive and persistent influence in people's lives, the phenomenon of the blog stands out as a fine example of the way in which the Web enables individual participation in the marketplace of ideas. Teachers have picked up on the creative use of this Internet technology and put the blog to work in the classroom. The education blog can be a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike. Blogs are set-up like conventional Web sites, with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. Blogs have one standard characteristic, however: the posting. Blog postings are text entries, similar to a diary or journal, which include a posting date and may include comments by people other than the author, photos, links, or other digital media. Postings are often short and frequently updated. They appear in reverse chronological order and can include archived entries. Although blogs have been around for years, they have recently gained in popularity and consequently have received more media coverage. There are many ways to use blogging in teaching and learning: Activate. Motivate with blogs. Use a blog as a catalyst to generate interest in a new topic. Help students see the excitement and energy that can be found in a subject. For example, show the enthusiasm of linguists. Connect. Provide a context or establish a connection. Bring relevance to the discussion by using a "real world" situation or example found in a blog. Critique. Critically evaluate an idea or perspective by using examples to support a position. Many of these examples can be found in professional blogs. Deepen. Add depth to a learning situation by providing a detailed explanation, thoughtful observation, or new resource that provides additional information or insights. For example, use a teaching blog to learn more about methodology and approaches to language teaching. Expand. Broaden thinking by providing an alternative perspective or different point of view. For example, use blogs from different countries to examine cultural differences. Fresh Look. Use blogs to provide current, immediately relevant examples. For example, get the latest science or fashion news. Inform. Provide primary sources or data that help explain an idea already presented. Consider a statistic or graph that illustrates some points. Launch. Look for blogs as a place for new, innovative ideas. Be the first to present a new idea rather than simply commenting on the work of others. Ask questions to keep the new idea going. Synthesize. Bring a number of ideas together. For example, consolidate these comments and draw a new conclusion.
Hi:) So, few words about blogs.To say the truth, I never was a fan of blogs.When I was searching something in internet, i saw huge amount of blogs, where people discuss their problems.
But I never had a desire enter blog and leave the comment or just read information placed on it. I will not argue that for many people usage and creation of blogs take not the last place in their life.
The first plus of blogs is that all information there is build in chronological order, that helps you in a short period of time to find what is necessary . - Blogs are public and all readers can enter it and leave there comments or advices,which will help the following reader.I think that it is necessary to create blogs that are associated with education and health.People are always interested in such kind of information.In my opinion is also relevant, blogging on, music, movies, travel and fashion.Just imagine you decided spend summer holidays in Greece.And you just enter the blog read there all information about Greece.Here you can learn about everything that interests you, starting with how much worth the trip and what sights you should visit, ending with negative and positive feedback from people who were in Greece.
The blog also can play a role of a diary, so you can just enter it and pour out your soul. As we see blogs are multifunctional,and most of people really need them.
Never was a big fan of blogs because i don’t find it exactly necessary for people to share their idea and find supporters, but since masses would disagree I shall better keep my irrelevant thoughts concealed. As it is well know “feed the masses, eat with the classes”, so I shall commence:
• their actually is a Brightside, you don’t have to move at all, I mean just type and there you go, a comment you can get the grade for, easy and simply. • No relationships or emotions which belittle productivity • No one gives a damn about what you write, except the teacher of course • For some people it is easier to write than to talk, you would be surprised I am the one of them, hate talking to people in general • You can do it when you have time, not like obligatory classes in the university in the morning time
See, looks like I am actually for blogs, but that is the downside of it, you can tend to write whatever, intonational sarcasm is hard to transmit here! :)
• blogs often get people to deviate all the time, they write about this, about that, about everything, absolutely preposterous • the whole idea of social exposure weirds me out • people start to be too personal, because they think they can express all the secret corners of their rotten soul • the subcreation of another life some people recognize as a prime one, which I mean when internet world starts to be more important than real one, nothing bad sometimes, but often quite dreary and monotonous • makes people more ignorant and self-centered, they just write, don’t read what other’s write • tons of plagiarism, since it is hard to invent new stuff, when “nothing is new under the moon it happens hell a lot!
Well, I guess I should stop myself till I totally overbore, too bad I could end it with a big musical number, lol :)
A blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites. 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. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.
A blog is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites “ Literature just adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become” C.S.Lewis I have often heard people saying that English is an easy language to learn. I have also heard that Chinese is the most difficult, and many speakers of languages are proud to say that their language is one of the hardest of all. But is this true? Are some languages harder than others? It depends on many things; Chinese, for example, has no tense, but it has a writing system that is very different from the systems used in English. One thing might be harder, but another is simpler. With English, I feel that it is an easy language to pick up at the start. Many students can start speaking it fairly quickly and progress rapidly through the early stages. this might be because it seems not to have the complexity and abundance of grammatical rules that many languages have. However, this is also one of its difficulties; having mastered the basics of English, many students then find it hard to reach the very high levels, because there are so many exceptions to everything and so many funny little rules. All in all, I'd say it is easy to begin with, but it gets a lot harder. if your goal is to reach fluency, then English is not an easy language. It has an enormous vocabulary, its spelling system is a mess and there are many tricky little rules. There are other factors that affect it, such as how close the language is to your own. Spanish will be easier to a Portuguese speaker than a Japanese speaker because it is very similar. Personally, I don't think any language is easy, not if you wish to master it. As languages embody entire cultures, they are highly complex things and require years of learning for most. I'm still learning a lot about English and I have been speaking it since I was a baby and teaching it since I finished studying it at university.
Here are some reasons for using blogs: -To provide extra reading practice for students. -To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level. -To increase the sense of community in a class. -To encourage shy students to participate. -To stimulate out-of-class discussion -To find more friends not only from Ukraine but also from abroad etc. Kopeika Ira 543
I've found ten ways to use your EduBlog: 1. Share materials, news, downloads, links and more Anything that you post to your blog will instantly be accessible by your students from school and from home. What’s more, you can easily manage who gets to access them through passwords and privacy measures. 2. Facilitate online discussions and collaboration Students can simply respond to blog posts and discuss topics through comments or on our simple to use forums. 3. Create a class publication that students can easily publish to and you can easily edit Seamlessly produce a custom designed, finely tuned and engaging collaborative online publication by your class. 4. Replace your newsletter and stay in touch with parents about what is going on in class Always enjoyed photocopying and stapling pages and pages of newsletters on a Friday afternoon? Thought not! It’s ridiculously simple to post class information, news, events and more on your Edublog. 5. Get your students blogging so that they can share their work and thoughts Your Edublog can be used to glue together your students’ blogs which you can quickly create, co-manage, and even edit if needed. 6. Share your lesson plans We all love planning, right? Using an Edublog can turn planning and reflecting on classes into a genuinely productive – and even collaborative – experience. 7. Integrate videos, podcasts, and other media In just a couple of clicks, you can embed online videos, multimedia presentations, slideshows and more right into your Edublog posts. 8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group Edublogs make it easy to organize groups by keeping everyone informed. 9. Get feedback or gather information You can use comments, forums, or even customized forms to collect feedback, survey data, or ask anyone you’d like to give input or ideas. 10. Create a fully functional website One of the great things about Edublogs is that they are much, much more than just blogging tools. In fact, you can use your edublog to create a multi-layered, in-depth, multimedia rich website – that hardly looks like a blog at all.
The Internet is an innovative piece of technology that serves many purposes. In fact, it is now being introduced into classrooms as an educational tool. Educators are aware that the introduction of the Internet, as a teaching implement, will change the classroom environment, as well as the teacher-student relationship. Although this change will occur, face-to-face communication will remain important and a top priority in the educating of students with this new technology. The introduction of the Internet into the classroom is a recent development, therefore the outcomes of its presence in the classroom are still being evaluated. Certainly, it has many positive qualities, like encouraging students to be self-motivated, but it also carries negative qualities, such as the task of censoring explicit materials. Therefore, the topic of the incorporation of the Internet into the classroom is a vast one.
According to a number of internet resources there are 10 ways of using edublogs for teaching purposes. 1. Post materials and resources I do believe it works. It’s rather convenient to have all the materials about the course/subject/topic in one accessible place, short of the cases when you do not have access to the computer and Internet. 2. Host online discussions One may claim that it is of great help and use for students who are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake whatever. I don’t believe there is a point in it. If you are afraid to express your thoughts it doesn’t matter whether you speak orally or in writing. Moreover it has nothing to do with a real face-to-face discussion. The last one shows if the person is really worth something. And in online discussions anyone can be smart having Google at his fingertips. 3. Create a class publication It may work, but it won’t be as fun as making some kind of class newspapers in real life. 4. Replace your newsletter The same as the first item on the list. It may really help to stay in touch with the group/parents/students. 5. Get your students blogging A good idea of managing and organizing the work. It is quite the same as one cell in the library card file that groups the files on the basis of certain similarities. 6. Share your lesson plans Unabridged it sounds like: sharing your plans, your reflections, your ideas and your fears with others (or something like that). It seems more like an appointment with the psychiatrist. I adhere to the opinion that our good old “giving the homework – checking the homework” is much better than discussing whether you want to do it or not. 7. Integrate multimedia of all descriptions A likable idea if you need to spread some sort of multimedia material. At least no one will say he couldn’t find it. 8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group Keeping everyone informed is a good way of organizing different kinds of events. And it is really much easier than using the phone, mail or advertising. 9. Get feedback I don’t believe it will work in our country. At least you won’t get the real picture. A pleasant feedback one can say in your face and some critical opinions are usually kept in mind under the tag “Private”. 10. Create a fully functional website One must really get some brain before committing something that tough. I mean, show me the philologist skillful enough to program a website which would be fully functional and moreover interesting to the people visiting it?! It looks like some unreal condition honestly, so for me it is quite hard to enlighten the topic. So summing up all these hectic ideas I would say blogs are useful when we are talking about managing and organizing but when it comes to expressing opinions it can’t substitute real communication.
According to a number of internet resources there are 10 ways of using edublogs for teaching purposes. 1. Post materials and resources I do believe it works. It’s rather convenient to have all the materials about the course/subject/topic in one accessible place, short of the cases when you do not have access to the computer and Internet. 2. Host online discussions One may claim that it is of great help and use for students who are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake whatever. I don’t believe there is a point in it. If you are afraid to express your thoughts it doesn’t matter whether you speak orally or in writing. Moreover it has nothing to do with a real face-to-face discussion. The last one shows if the person is really worth something. And in online discussions anyone can be smart having Google at his fingertips. 3. Create a class publication It may work, but it won’t be as fun as making some kind of class newspapers in real life. 4. Replace your newsletter The same as the first item on the list. It may really help to stay in touch with the group/parents/students. 5. Get your students blogging A good idea of managing and organizing the work. It is quite the same as one cell in the library card file that groups the files on the basis of certain similarities. 6. Share your lesson plans Unabridged it sounds like: sharing your plans, your reflections, your ideas and your fears with others (or something like that). It seems more like an appointment with the psychiatrist. I adhere to the opinion that our good old “giving the homework – checking the homework” is much better than discussing whether you want to do it or not. 7. Integrate multimedia of all descriptions A likable idea if you need to spread some sort of multimedia material. At least no one will say he couldn’t find it. 8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group Keeping everyone informed is a good way of organizing different kinds of events. And it is really much easier than using the phone, mail or advertising. 9. Get feedback I don’t believe it will work in our country. At least you won’t get the real picture. A pleasant feedback one can say in your face and some critical opinions are usually kept in mind under the tag “Private”. 10. Create a fully functional website One must really get some brain before committing something that tough. I mean, show me the philologist skillful enough to program a website which would be fully functional and moreover interesting to the people visiting it?! It looks like some unreal condition honestly, so for me it is quite hard to enlighten the topic. So summing up all these hectic ideas I would say blogs are useful when we are talking about managing and organizing but when it comes to expressing opinions it can’t substitute real communication.
Nowadays nobody can imagine his/her life without computer, especially without internet. It is logical that teachers use IT in order not to stand on one place.
ReplyDeleteWeblog is a very interesting way to make students get involved in study process. For example a student has to write some essay, irst of all you economize on paper :),second you can use some design in your blog to express yourself.
Let's imagine that a student is ill and s/he has to write composition, s/he can do it in blog.
You also can comment on others blogs or get comments on your own one. It is good because you can make conclusions concerning your work.
One more thing - blogs are not limited, I mean that you can make friends not from Ukraine but other countries as well(to practice english and other languages).
It's so easy to create and update a blog - it requires only basic access to the Internet, and a minimum of technical know-how. Because of this, it is one of the easiest ways to publish student writing on the WWW. It's almost as easy as sending an email.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. One of the best reasons is to provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet.
Here are some other reasons for using blogs:
To provide extra reading practice for students.
This reading can be produced by the teacher, other students in the same class, or, in the case of comments posted to a blog, by people from all over the world.
As online student learner journals that can be read by their peers.
The value of using learner journals has been well documented. Usually they are private channels between teacher and student. Using a blog as a learner journal can increase the audience.
To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level.
The Internet has a bewildering array of resources that are potentially useful for your students. The problem is finding and directing your learners to them. For this reason, you can use your tutor blog as a portal for your learners.
To increase the sense of community in a class.
A class blog can help foster a feeling of community between the members of a class, especially if learners are sharing information about themselves and their interests, and are responding to what other students are writing.
To encourage shy students to participate.
There is evidence to suggest that students who are quiet in class can find their voice when given the opportunity to express themselves in a blog.
To stimulate out-of-class discussion.
A blog can be an ideal space for pre-class or post-class discussion. And what students write about in the blog can also be used to promote discussion in class.
To encourage a process-writing approach.
Because students are writing for publication, they are usually more concerned about getting things right, and usually understand the value of rewriting more than if the only audience for their written work is the teacher.
As an online portfolio of student written work.
There is much to be gained from students keeping a portfolio of their work. One example is the ease at which learners can return to previous written work and evaluate the progress they have made during a course.
To help build a closer relationship between students in large classes.
Sometimes students in large classes can spend all year studying with the same people without getting to know them well. A blog is another tool that can help bring students together.
There are some projects which can be carried out using a weblog: Mystery guest. Invite another teacher or someone from another school or country as a mystery guest to your blog. Ask the students to engage him or her in dialogue and guess their identity.
Project work. A blog is an ideal space for developing a project, especially if the project is a shared one between several classes or even classes in different countries.
International link-ups. Contact another educational establishment to see if they are interested in a joint blogging project. Students can write about their lives, culture, interests, etc, and be encouraged to read about the other class and respond by writing comments.
Nadia Raspopova group 544m
So, why should we blog at the lessons of English? There are many reasons why we may choose to use it. One of the best reasons is to provide a real audience for student writing. Usually, the teacher is the only person who reads student writing, and the focus of this reading is usually on form, not content. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet.
ReplyDeleteHere are some other reasons for using blogs:
-To provide extra reading practice for students.
-To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level.
-To increase the sense of community in a class.
-To encourage shy students to participate.
-To stimulate out-of-class discussion
-To find more friends not only from Ukraine but also from abroad etc.
Olena Tyslenko 544-m
We live in the XXI century. The world develops every day and every hour. Just remember, for example, 15 years ago people had such mobile phones with help of which it was possible to protect themselves from robbers! :) How? So, the phone was so heavy that it was possible to kill somebody with it! :) Nowadays we have modern cell phones, which are very different, small and comfortable in use. The same thing is with computers. The science develops and computers become our indispensable friends and the most necessary things in our life.
ReplyDeleteIt is really hard to imagine today’s educational system without informational technologies. Schoolchildren and students search in the world network all necessary information concerning their studies. Online libraries are mostly visited than city libraries. And it’s the veritable solemn truth. :)
Of course with such jump of science, teachers mustn’t stay in one place. In order to make a lesson and educational process more interesting, one may think about using informational technologies in education.
To my mind, blogs are really good thing and they can really help improving the process of mastering a subject. Being both a student and a teacher I can say that nowadays blogs can be used in teaching English and they will make this process more effective. The activity in the group will surely be better. It would be possible to see hidden talents of students. The excessive opportunities of webblogs can help them feeling themselves like a part of a world. The different works of students (essays, poems, compositions, various works etc.) can be read all over the world.
So, don’t miss the chance to be like “a spider in the world’s net”! :)
Join the blogs and have fun!
Elena Suslova 544m group
Blog is all about your personality. It's like your diary. It gives you an opportunity to express yourself freely. You don't have to write dull compositions on topics you're not interested in. You can write and add whatever you want to your blog with just one reservation - it should be in English. That's a great way to get students involved, exciting and natural practice. As it was said above, blogs also provide students with real audience. So their writings won't just hang idle, but will be read and discussed.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like in blogs is that one can freely express his/her ideas without any "pressure" from the outside. Blogs favour communication in the way that one can leave comments and take part in discussions.
ReplyDeleteOf course one of the main advantages of blogs is that they can be effectively used in teaching process, especially in situations where distant learning is needed (e. g. either a student or a teacher can't attend classes for any reason). Just remember our previous winter, when a lot of educational establishments were closed because of quaranteen. Some teachers resorted to the help of the World Web in order to continue educational process.
And of course blogs come in useful when one wants to make some kind of social or any other research (different questionaires, tests).
However, blogs exclude direct contact with a person, that's why the process of communication (or teaching) becomes..."raw" and mechanical. That's why I regard blogs only as additional supplement to the educational process. Despite it's merits, blog can't replace lively talk.
Salamatina Yanina
Blogs are very popular nowadays. A lot of people, among them also famous politicians and celebrities, have their own blogs. What are the reasons of such popularity? Most blogs are interactive and allow visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets. Some blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject. And some blogs function as personal online diaries. So, we live in the age of modern technologies where blogs are indispensable parts of our life. Nowadays it is a means of communication. Blogs can also be means of gaining knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHow can we use blogs for learning English?
Posting of comments on different topics is useful for our spelling. We should take into consideration grammar writing comments or messages in the blog. With the help of blogs we can exchange messages with people who live in different countries. So blogs can involve other people to discuss some important issues. Blogs can be used by children. It is easy to add graphics and videos that can be used during English classes with children. Blogs can be useful for those people who can't attend classes at the university.
Education nowadays is impossible without modern technologies. Students watch different films in English, German and Spanish with subtitles or without them, students use Internet when they want to find some information for their classes, to write essay or report. Internet technologies help students to communicate with foreigners in English and in other languages. Blogs are also a part of modern technologies, which are widely used by teachers and students. Blogs help in communication between students, they can share their opinions, they can prove some statements and argue with each other. Teachers can check the work of their students. They can see who was the most active and who was the last to send his or her home assignment. If blog is devoted to literature class, students can speak about different works of different authors. If blod is devoted to English class, students can communicate on different topics: race, gender, economical problems, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot imagine our life without the Internet nowadays. It is even hard to get our home assignment sometimes if you don't have the access to your group e-mail. What can we say? The Internet has changed the concepts of communication between students and professors. On the one hand, for the worse, because we're losing the visual and therefore emotional contact, but on the other hand we can create something new and interesting with the help of these blogs.
ReplyDeleteWe have already had such an experience of using a webblog on our English classes. It was rather instructively. But what I personally was lacking were some funny points.
I expect this blog will be an entertaining occupation where we could have a good time.
Nowadays blogs are very popular among people of different age, occupation and from different countries. It's very easy to create your own blog and to use it. You can get acquainted with different people, communicate with them. Such acquaintances can be very useful. For many people blogs can be used as their own on-line diaries. Here you can create your own world.
ReplyDeleteBlogs are used by many people in studying. Many teachers use them to communicate with their students and such on-line studying is useful in case of distant learning. Such blogs can be used in studying English and Literature. Teachers can create on-line conferences on different subjects, different social researches or any kind of them that you need during educational process. Also students and teachers can use Internet World in different projects.
Blogs are useful for improving our English (spelling skills). Teachers can involve all students in work and evaluate their work on-line leaving their comments. Blogs help to practice and improve our English during communication with people from different countries.
So, we can say that there are a lot of advantages in using blogs in the process of studying.
Irina Shudrja, 541M group
Using blogs nowadays is becoming popular with teachers. This method has both advantages and disadvantages. According to the aims the teachers have and the competences they want to develop, it’s possible to use various techniques and give different tasks in the blogs.
ReplyDeleteTeachers can use blogs to get a feedback on the lessons from students. For example they can ask students some of the following questions:
What did you like about the previous lesson?
If you were a teacher, what you would like to change?
What exercise did you like most of all?
What exercise helped you to learn new vocabulary/rule etc?
Thereby it will be possible for a teacher to choose the most effective exercises for the lessons, to understand what interests the students have.
Usually it’s very difficult for students, who didn’t attend lessons to study new topics, to find out what home tasks they should do in order to receive some marks. In this situation using blog is helpful both for students and teachers. If teachers write down all tasks in the blog, it will be easy for students to know what they should do. Students don’t have to search for teachers to give them essays, tests etc. They just write them in the blog and teachers evaluate their work. Teachers can also put all the necessary information for preparation for a lesson there.
Using blog, teachers can encourage students to read more, to discuss the questions they are interested in. For example when students study the topic Art, they can be given a task to study some literature concerning this subject and after that to write in the blog continuation of the phrase “I never knew….”. Students should comment on the facts written by others. Teacher can encourage them to study more literature and write only the most interesting by giving a task to vote for the fact that was the most amazing for them. The student, whose phrases got more votes than others will receive additional points/ good mark.
Teachers can benefit a lot from using blogs if they think of multifarious tasks that will make studying process of the students more enjoyable.
Nastya Petrakova 541 m
I think, good old Will puts it a tad too dramatically, but you wouldn’t expect anything else from the lad, would you? I believe the question of personal preference is really beside the point in this discussion, so I’ll just let it be for now. This technology is a neat way of distributing information and that is essentially all that there is to it. A lot of people have aptly pointed out that blogs enable a higher level communication between all the representatives of the certain group, as opposed to strictly teacher-student contact. It might prove to be an invaluable resource of carefully sorted out and meticulously organised information for the student (if approached properly) and it might just give a chance to a teacher to say: “You haven’t seen it – well, that’s your fault. It has been on my blog for *insert the terrifyingly large number* days already. ” With blogs you can really coordinate and keep track of different group projects as a teacher, which might prove to be a bit of a nuisance otherwise. But this model has as many drawbacks as it has advantages and I intend to blow the lids of the former (being dramatic to keep up with Will).
ReplyDeleteFirst, who has ever told you that reading the posts of your peers is a good language practice or at the very least a good idea (look at this mess)? If you really want to gain something from reading – go read books, I’m telling you – much better than anything else.
Second, one cannot really expect every single person in one’s class to have an easy internet access. What? It’s true. Two of the main pros of this thing are convenience and accessibility. Not being able to provide those for the audience would be kind of like shooting yourself in the foot. Not that I personally have a problem with this though.
Third, and this is my biggest concern by far, - people seem to have a trouble keeping blogs purely utilitarian in purpose. I have come across this list: http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2010/05/16/top-100-high-school-teachers-who-blog/ (which is a list of “Top 100 High Scholl Teachers Who Blog” for those of you who are anything like me, which is “too lazy to use the link”). And having sifted through most of these blogs I can say that the tone and spirit of many of them is informal to put it mildly, and those that tend to be more scholastic in their delivery make little effort to be different from any other kind of media. That really impugns the whole usefulness of blogs as a teaching device per se.
And finally fourth, which, I wholeheartedly admit, is a pet peeve of mine and may or may not be applicable to any other person here. This whole public exposure thing and “opinions fair” might not be the best idea out there. At least one can’t be naïve enough to consider the appeal of public display to be ubiquitous and equally tempting to everyone. Some discussions are better left private just as some posts should never see the light of day.
In hindsight I can’t help but wonder: how the hell did I write so much?
Well, it has been already written much about blogs and its importance. In order not to repeat one's thoughts i'd rather appreciate the speed of blogs. Let me explain please. By speed i understand the ability to fulfill the tasks very quickly. One doesn't need to look for paper then write something on it (let it be an essay, for example) and then bring it at uni and then give it to a teacher. The procedure lokks like rather complicated and long at least it seems like. Today we thans heaven have blogs.
ReplyDeleteHow can the both sides (teacher and students benefit from it?
* we both save our time;
* the tasks can be explained online and many questions that erise during fulfilling the home assighnment can be clarified by the teacher his/herself (not the guesses like: it seems to me that we have to...);
* online discussions with our groupmates will definetely purify students' English;
* sometimes it is easier to explain oneself in front of a monitor when nobody but you see your facial expression and hear your intonation during the discussion;
* blogs are useful when one of the students is ill - it is rather good opportunity not to stay aside. Lead the online discussion even if you are not in the classroom;
* for any kind of a project blog hepls you to collect all the possible information (video, audio, links, texts ...) and place it immediately in that suitable order (one avoids constant Ctrl+C/ Ctrl+V).
Speaking about the projects i can say that in blog we have a chance to create almost whatever we want.
As an example, it can be a correspondense with students from another countries conserning any topic you like. Gathering information, creating pages in blog devoted to smth and then perhaps online conference. Moreover one may complicate the task and the countries-participants can exchange the languages!
In blog can take part several countries and develop multilingual dictionary of coloquialisms or youth slang in different languages.
So, we have many options but we lack time :)
Internet is very important thing in our life and everyone will agree with this idea. It is the main source of information. We can do everything with the help of it, even it is possible today to order some food and clothes without going out of our houses. I don't even speak about our studying process. Personally I forget the time when I went to the library and prepare there my homework. Also Internet touched such an important part of life as communication. Today a lot of people instead of going for a walk with their friends or somewhere else and communicating with them sit in the Internet in some charts and type the messages. I don't want to criticize them but to my mind we should know where to stop. Everything should have a golden middle. Personally I like sometimes to read something interesting in the Internet, especially in some blogs. I was really surprised but there is a lot useful information. You can learn a lot about the person only from his/her notes in blog.
ReplyDeleteAs i have mentioned above new technologies appear in all spheres of our life and of course in studying. As for me blogs can really help in learning foreign languages. A lot of students and pupils are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake, etc. In the blog the situation is easier. You just write what you want and your thoughts and ideas will be noticed. Of course every person likes to make something new, to discover some new things. Blog is very good chance to make it, because a lot of people, especially students are bored with making exercises in the class. Here you can communicate and you are not limited in time. In blog you can discuss everything you want: from very easy topics to more serious. Also we can make here some competitions, contests, games. May be some tasks in creative writing, I think it would be interesting to compete with my groupmates online. I think that blog can bring a lot of fun but only if we make some efforts.
Denisova Inna541M
A blog is a kind of website which resembles an electronic diary - this is one of its best advantages. A pupil`s blog is to some extend a description of his individuality, it helps to understand what he really thinks and feels. Therefore, it may help a teacher to penetrate deeper into a pupil`s inner world, thus implementing a pedagogical principle of individual approach.
ReplyDeleteThe other reasons to use blogs in a class community are also evident, since blogs
- help to stimulate on-line discussion;
- give space to provide extra-tasks;
- give possibilities to exchange opinions with people all over the world. Teachers may use each other`s blogs to exchange ideas and experience;
- let pupils of the class become closer, enables timid ones to express their opinion;
- give free hand to imagination and fantasy while carrying out tasks.
So, why should you blog with your students? There are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Also, blogs offer a space where students and teachers can learn from each other.
ReplyDeleteHere are some reasons for using blogs:
o Blogs foster ownership and choice.
o Blogs facilitate reflection.
o Blogs that are task-based foster interaction, communication and feedback.
o Blogs give students the opportunity of working collaboratively.
o Extra-curricular extension
o Blogs can give you a real communication
There are three types of educational blogs:
1. Tutor blog (Daily reading practice for learners, online verbal exchange using comments, class information, resource for self-study)
2. Learner blog (Class blog Students get writing practice, develop a sense of ownership , and whatever they write can instantly be read by anyone else and, due to the comment features of the software, further exchange of ideas is promoted.
3. Class blog: (Students can create a free-form bulletin board, interact in an international classroom language exchange, or a project-based language learning exercise, where students can develop writing and research skills by creating an online resource)
Remember! While using weblogs it’s important to challenge your students:
o Include problem-solving tasks
o Ask questions which invite students to reflect and evaluate other participants´opinions
o Repond to your students´comments
Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom.
Blog writers and blog readers(students) build up the inherent environment for learning or knowledge building.
Plahotna L. 544 M
So, why should you blog with your students? There are many reasons why you may choose to use weblogs with students. With weblogs, students can find themselves writing for a real audience that, apart from the teacher, may include their peers, students from other classes, or even other countries, their parents, and potentially anyone with access to the Internet. Also, blogs offer a space where students and teachers can learn from each other.
ReplyDeleteHere are some reasons for using blogs:
o Blogs foster ownership and choice.
o Blogs facilitate reflection.
o Blogs that are task-based foster interaction, communication and feedback.
o Blogs give students the opportunity of working collaboratively.
o Extra-curricular extension
o Blogs can give you a real communication
There are three types of educational blogs:
1. Tutor blog (Daily reading practice for learners, online verbal exchange using comments, class information, resource for self-study)
2. Learner blog (Class blog Students get writing practice, develop a sense of ownership , and whatever they write can instantly be read by anyone else and, due to the comment features of the software, further exchange of ideas is promoted.
3. Class blog: (Students can create a free-form bulletin board, interact in an international classroom language exchange, or a project-based language learning exercise, where students can develop writing and research skills by creating an online resource)
Remember! While using weblogs it’s important to challenge your students:
o Include problem-solving tasks
o Ask questions which invite students to reflect and evaluate other participants´opinions
o Repond to your students´comments
Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom.
Blog writers and blog readers(students) build up the inherent environment for learning or knowledge building.
Plahotna L. 544 M
In recent years, increasingly raised the issue of applying new information technologies in teaching by teachers of foreign languages. It's not just a new technology but also new forms and methods of teaching, a new approach to learning.
ReplyDeleteThe main purpose of foreign language teaching is focused on developing communicative culture of students, teaching of the practical mastery of a foreign language. The task of teachers is to create conditions for the practical mastery of the language of each student; to choose such methods of training that would enable every student to show their activity and creativity;
One of the tools that makes learning of foreign language into a living creative process is the use of computer information technology in teaching . Thus, with the computer we know a lot about internet and its ability . And now, we have Blogs as helpers in our study . So, Blogs may help teachers in their classes of English and Literature:
- to create projects on different topics and every one would have his own role and initiative. In such a way students communicate with each other, share their opinions and get some knowledge ;
-It helps a teacher to get know a student from the other side. As students put information about themselves, teacher may easy read it from their personal blogs;
- every one of a group is obligated to do the task, and in case he or she is ill, they may do it sitting at home;
- comment on different topics helps students to improve their writing skills;
- teachers may find teachers from other countries and share with each other their experience. And students may find friends from other countries and also communicate with them.
So, making a conclusion , I would like to say that Blog it’s a new technology in teaching foreign languages which enable every student to show their activity, creativity and knowledge.
Shevchenko Lena Yurevna,544-M
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
ReplyDeleteWhy should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are:
• Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
• Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Hellen Bezruchko 544M
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
ReplyDeleteWhy should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are:
• Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
• Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Hellen Bezruchko 544M
Like Podcast, wiki and other types of new technology, blogs can be use in classroom environment for diary entry; it also can be a useful tool to link communication between study groups within a class or other classes or even schools. If use effectively, blogs can create a learning environment that extend beyond the schoolyard.
ReplyDeleteWhy should we use blogs in the classroom?
There are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are:
• Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
• Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• Powerful tools to enable scaffolding learning or mentoring to occur.
How do we use blogs in education?
Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.
1. Classroom Management
Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
2. Collaboration
Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
3. Discussions
A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.
4. Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.
Hellen Bezruchko 544M
Blog, just like diary, is the most natural way to express your thoughts and feelings. And it gives an opportunity to do it in English. In this interesting way students can improve their writing skills, enlarge their vocabulary and get to know each other better. Besides, blogs raise discussions, which is important for development of communicative skills.
ReplyDeleteSome people like to study but some of them no. Why does it happen? Just try to imagine. You are a good teacher and everybody knows that your knowledge can be an object of envy. But… your students do not listen and don’t want to study. Why? May be you should try to be more modern? The first thought that struck when you think about youth will be Internet. Some people spend all their free time in Internet. Many young people can’t live without Internet. Why do not try to give almost all necessary information with a help of Internet? Scientists have proved that information learns easier if it is given in a form of entertainment. Usually people and students apprehend Internet as entertainment.
ReplyDeleteBlogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a reflection of life, or works of art.
Teachers can use internet and in the easy form, with a help of links, videos, schemes to provide students with new information. Information is power and those that have access to it are powerful. It is possible to check all that students has learned, just to put a link with online test. Students can try to create own projects (the task will be favorite for everybody who can’t live without creativity) they can express and to show to all people their ideas. Teacher and students can give a grade together. Blogs can help students to know each other better or even it can help to become friends and to finds friends all over the world. Shy students have an opportunity to express themselves. Blogs are the best way for discussion out-of-class.
The web is a fantastic tool when it comes to distributing resources – all you have to do on your blog is upload, or copy and paste, your materials to your blog and they’ll be instantly accessible by students from school and from home. What’s more, you can easily manage who gets to access them through password and plug-in safety measures.
ReplyDeleteThe advantages of having students write in a blog format include:
1) Using a blog makes learning independent on time and place
2) Students may care more about their work, knowing that it will be read by others. Students will hopefully put more effort towards the class and more likely master the critical thinking skills that we’re trying to impart. Using blogs encourages learners to be active throughout the course period
3) Using a blog captures changes in thinking.
4) Using a blog makes education more informal.
5) Students will belong to a larger community than their class, a community where they can share and develop ideas. They may enjoy having readers submit questions and comments to their blogs. Using a blog invites people to collaborate
6) Students will learn real-world technical skills. They could include these skills on their resumes. Students can express their creativity. With a couple of clicks you can embed online video, multimedia presentations, slideshows and more into your blog and mix it up with your text and static resources
Well, perhaps,I am the last person to write here and I really don't see the way to sound origally because of that amount of thoughts that is mantioned above. That is why I will just tell you about my own attitude towards blogging.
ReplyDeleteI have been having my blog for 3 years and it is my personal "garbage heap of history". There one can find fragments of my diary, of my essays or poems. I used to write down my home assignments there too. My blog is full of links to my favourite websites, movies and books. I post pictures and photos that I like also in my space. It is a private blog so there's nothing for me to worry about plagiarism or intrusion into my personal stuff. So the benefits of blogging are evident: endless space for notes, ability to express thoughts with pictures and mucis, access at any time from any place and safe place for keeping information.
For ESL classes blogs are a new wave (in our country, I mean). It will help the teachers of English to make another step in the direction of using IT and reaching that level of development of theaching methodology that our foreign colleagues have already reached.
you can join my blog
ReplyDeletehttp://jassja.blogspot.com/
Blogs,which are interactive homepages that are easy to set up and manage, enable students
ReplyDeleteto engage in online exchanges, thereby expanding their language study and learning
community beyond the physical classroom. Regular blogging also encourages more
autonomous learning. When a student’s audience includes his or her classmates, the
teacher and potentially anyone with an internet connection, motivation to engage
in meaningful written communication appears to increase. At the same time, when
a teacher utilizing blogs implements a “blogging buddy” system, which assigns each
student a peer review partner to help with editing before a piece of writing (the blog
post) is uploaded, the result can be an effective means of facilitating greater learner
interaction and reflection on skills development. Findings from an attitudinal survey
conducted over two semesters with eleven classes of 145 students demonstrate that
they had extremely positive attitudes toward both blogging and the blogging buddy
system.
Tatiana Shukailo 544m
Many teachers who start to use blogs find the novelty factor is enough to create student interest in starting to use them. However, blogs work best when learners get into the habit of using them. If learners are not encouraged to post to their blogs frequently, then they can quickly be abandoned. A failed experiment. Here, the teacher in the role of facilitator is vital for maintaining student interest. Here are some ideas to how this can be done:
ReplyDeleteRespond to student posts quickly, writing a short comment related to the content. Ask questions about what the learner writes to create stimulus for writing.
Students should be actively encouraged to read and respond (through the commenting feature of the blog) to their classmates.
Writing to the blog could be required, and it may form part of the class assessment. Students should be encouraged to post their writing homework on the blog instead of only giving it to the teacher.
As the Internet becomes an increasingly pervasive and persistent influence in people's lives, the phenomenon of the blog stands out as a fine example of the way in which the Web enables individual participation in the marketplace of ideas.
ReplyDeleteTeachers have picked up on the creative use of this Internet technology and put the blog to work in the classroom. The education blog can be a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike.
Blogs are set-up like conventional Web sites, with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. Blogs have one standard characteristic, however: the posting. Blog postings are text entries, similar to a diary or journal, which include a posting date and may include comments by people other than the author, photos, links, or other digital media. Postings are often short and frequently updated. They appear in reverse chronological order and can include archived entries.
Although blogs have been around for years, they have recently gained in popularity and consequently have received more media coverage.
There are many ways to use blogging in teaching and learning:
Activate. Motivate with blogs. Use a blog as a catalyst to generate interest in a new topic. Help students see the excitement and energy that can be found in a subject. For example, show the enthusiasm of linguists.
Connect. Provide a context or establish a connection. Bring relevance to the discussion by using a "real world" situation or example found in a blog.
Critique. Critically evaluate an idea or perspective by using examples to support a position. Many of these examples can be found in professional blogs.
Deepen. Add depth to a learning situation by providing a detailed explanation, thoughtful observation, or new resource that provides additional information or insights. For example, use a teaching blog to learn more about methodology and approaches to language teaching.
Expand. Broaden thinking by providing an alternative perspective or different point of view. For example, use blogs from different countries to examine cultural differences.
Fresh Look. Use blogs to provide current, immediately relevant examples. For example, get the latest science or fashion news.
Inform. Provide primary sources or data that help explain an idea already presented. Consider a statistic or graph that illustrates some points.
Launch. Look for blogs as a place for new, innovative ideas. Be the first to present a new idea rather than simply commenting on the work of others. Ask questions to keep the new idea going.
Synthesize. Bring a number of ideas together. For example, consolidate these comments and draw a new conclusion.
Hi:)
ReplyDeleteSo, few words about blogs.To say the truth, I never was a fan of blogs.When I was searching something in internet, i saw huge amount of blogs, where people discuss their problems.
But I never had a desire enter blog and leave the comment or just read information placed on it.
I will not argue that for many people usage and creation of blogs take not the last place in their life.
The first plus of blogs is that all information there is build in chronological order, that helps you in a short period of time to find what is necessary .
- Blogs are public and all readers can enter it and leave there comments or advices,which will help the following reader.I think that it is necessary to create blogs that are associated with education and health.People are always interested in such kind of information.In my opinion is also relevant, blogging on, music, movies, travel and fashion.Just imagine you decided spend summer holidays in Greece.And you just enter the blog read there all information about Greece.Here you can learn about everything that interests you, starting with how much worth the trip and what sights you should visit, ending with negative and positive feedback from people who were in Greece.
The blog also can play a role of a diary, so you can just enter it and pour out your soul.
As we see blogs are multifunctional,and most of people really need them.
Never was a big fan of blogs because i don’t find it exactly necessary for people to share their idea and find supporters, but since masses would disagree I shall better keep my irrelevant thoughts concealed. As it is well know “feed the masses, eat with the classes”, so I shall commence:
ReplyDelete• their actually is a Brightside, you don’t have to move at all, I mean just type and there you go, a comment you can get the grade for, easy and simply.
• No relationships or emotions which belittle productivity
• No one gives a damn about what you write, except the teacher of course
• For some people it is easier to write than to talk, you would be surprised I am the one of them, hate talking to people in general
• You can do it when you have time, not like obligatory classes in the university in the morning time
See, looks like I am actually for blogs, but that is the downside of it, you can tend to write whatever, intonational sarcasm is hard to transmit here! :)
• blogs often get people to deviate all the time, they write about this, about that, about everything, absolutely preposterous
• the whole idea of social exposure weirds me out
• people start to be too personal, because they think they can express all the secret corners of their rotten soul
• the subcreation of another life some people recognize as a prime one, which I mean when internet world starts to be more important than real one, nothing bad sometimes, but often quite dreary and monotonous
• makes people more ignorant and self-centered, they just write, don’t read what other’s write
• tons of plagiarism, since it is hard to invent new stuff, when “nothing is new under the moon it happens hell a lot!
Well, I guess I should stop myself till I totally overbore, too bad I could end it with a big musical number, lol :)
Kostya Pronkevich, did not realize there would be only my evelish nickname!! :)
ReplyDeleteA blog (a blend of the term web log) is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
ReplyDeleteMost blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.
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. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.
A blog is a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites
ReplyDelete“ Literature just adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become” C.S.Lewis
I have often heard people saying that English is an easy language to learn. I have also heard that Chinese is the most difficult, and many speakers of languages are proud to say that their language is one of the hardest of all. But is this true? Are some languages harder than others?
It depends on many things; Chinese, for example, has no tense, but it has a writing system that is very different from the systems used in English. One thing might be harder, but another is simpler.
With English, I feel that it is an easy language to pick up at the start. Many students can start speaking it fairly quickly and progress rapidly through the early stages. this might be because it seems not to have the complexity and abundance of grammatical rules that many languages have.
However, this is also one of its difficulties; having mastered the basics of English, many students then find it hard to reach the very high levels, because there are so many exceptions to everything and so many funny little rules.
All in all, I'd say it is easy to begin with, but it gets a lot harder. if your goal is to reach fluency, then English is not an easy language. It has an enormous vocabulary, its spelling system is a mess and there are many tricky little rules.
There are other factors that affect it, such as how close the language is to your own. Spanish will be easier to a Portuguese speaker than a Japanese speaker because it is very similar.
Personally, I don't think any language is easy, not if you wish to master it. As languages embody entire cultures, they are highly complex things and require years of learning for most. I'm still learning a lot about English and I have been speaking it since I was a baby and teaching it since I finished studying it at university.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHere are some reasons for using blogs:
ReplyDelete-To provide extra reading practice for students.
-To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level.
-To increase the sense of community in a class.
-To encourage shy students to participate.
-To stimulate out-of-class discussion
-To find more friends not only from Ukraine but also from abroad etc.
Kopeika Ira 543
I've found ten ways to use your EduBlog:
ReplyDelete1. Share materials, news, downloads, links and more
Anything that you post to your blog will instantly be accessible by your students from school and from home. What’s more, you can easily manage who gets to access them through passwords and privacy measures.
2. Facilitate online discussions and collaboration
Students can simply respond to blog posts and discuss topics through comments or on our simple to use forums.
3. Create a class publication that students can easily publish to and you can easily edit
Seamlessly produce a custom designed, finely tuned and engaging collaborative online publication by your class.
4. Replace your newsletter and stay in touch with parents about what is going on in class
Always enjoyed photocopying and stapling pages and pages of newsletters on a Friday afternoon? Thought not! It’s ridiculously simple to post class information, news, events and more on your Edublog.
5. Get your students blogging so that they can share their work and thoughts
Your Edublog can be used to glue together your students’ blogs which you can quickly create, co-manage, and even edit if needed.
6. Share your lesson plans
We all love planning, right? Using an Edublog can turn planning and reflecting on classes into a genuinely productive – and even collaborative – experience.
7. Integrate videos, podcasts, and other media
In just a couple of clicks, you can embed online videos, multimedia presentations, slideshows and more right into your Edublog posts.
8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group
Edublogs make it easy to organize groups by keeping everyone informed.
9. Get feedback or gather information
You can use comments, forums, or even customized forms to collect feedback, survey data, or ask anyone you’d like to give input or ideas.
10. Create a fully functional website
One of the great things about Edublogs is that they are much, much more than just blogging tools. In fact, you can use your edublog to create a multi-layered, in-depth, multimedia rich website – that hardly looks like a blog at all.
The Internet is an innovative piece of technology that serves many purposes. In fact, it is now being introduced into classrooms as an educational tool. Educators are aware that the introduction of the Internet, as a teaching implement, will change the classroom environment, as well as the teacher-student relationship. Although this change will occur, face-to-face communication will remain important and a top priority in the educating of students with this new technology. The introduction of the Internet into the classroom is a recent development, therefore the outcomes of its presence in the classroom are still being evaluated. Certainly, it has many positive qualities, like encouraging students to be self-motivated, but it also carries negative qualities, such as the task of censoring explicit materials. Therefore, the topic of the incorporation of the Internet into the classroom is a vast one.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a number of internet resources there are 10 ways of using edublogs for teaching purposes.
ReplyDelete1. Post materials and resources
I do believe it works. It’s rather convenient to have all the materials about the course/subject/topic in one accessible place, short of the cases when you do not have access to the computer and Internet.
2. Host online discussions
One may claim that it is of great help and use for students who are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake whatever. I don’t believe there is a point in it. If you are afraid to express your thoughts it doesn’t matter whether you speak orally or in writing. Moreover it has nothing to do with a real face-to-face discussion. The last one shows if the person is really worth something. And in online discussions anyone can be smart having Google at his fingertips.
3. Create a class publication
It may work, but it won’t be as fun as making some kind of class newspapers in real life.
4. Replace your newsletter
The same as the first item on the list. It may really help to stay in touch with the group/parents/students.
5. Get your students blogging
A good idea of managing and organizing the work. It is quite the same as one cell in the library card file that groups the files on the basis of certain similarities.
6. Share your lesson plans
Unabridged it sounds like: sharing your plans, your reflections, your ideas and your fears with others (or something like that). It seems more like an appointment with the psychiatrist. I adhere to the opinion that our good old “giving the homework – checking the homework” is much better than discussing whether you want to do it or not.
7. Integrate multimedia of all descriptions
A likable idea if you need to spread some sort of multimedia material. At least no one will say he couldn’t find it.
8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group
Keeping everyone informed is a good way of organizing different kinds of events. And it is really much easier than using the phone, mail or advertising.
9. Get feedback
I don’t believe it will work in our country. At least you won’t get the real picture. A pleasant feedback one can say in your face and some critical opinions are usually kept in mind under the tag “Private”.
10. Create a fully functional website
One must really get some brain before committing something that tough. I mean, show me the philologist skillful enough to program a website which would be fully functional and moreover interesting to the people visiting it?! It looks like some unreal condition honestly, so for me it is quite hard to enlighten the topic.
So summing up all these hectic ideas I would say blogs are useful when we are talking about managing and organizing but when it comes to expressing opinions it can’t substitute real communication.
According to a number of internet resources there are 10 ways of using edublogs for teaching purposes.
ReplyDelete1. Post materials and resources
I do believe it works. It’s rather convenient to have all the materials about the course/subject/topic in one accessible place, short of the cases when you do not have access to the computer and Internet.
2. Host online discussions
One may claim that it is of great help and use for students who are shy to speak during the classes, to express their opinion before the audience, are afraid to make a mistake whatever. I don’t believe there is a point in it. If you are afraid to express your thoughts it doesn’t matter whether you speak orally or in writing. Moreover it has nothing to do with a real face-to-face discussion. The last one shows if the person is really worth something. And in online discussions anyone can be smart having Google at his fingertips.
3. Create a class publication
It may work, but it won’t be as fun as making some kind of class newspapers in real life.
4. Replace your newsletter
The same as the first item on the list. It may really help to stay in touch with the group/parents/students.
5. Get your students blogging
A good idea of managing and organizing the work. It is quite the same as one cell in the library card file that groups the files on the basis of certain similarities.
6. Share your lesson plans
Unabridged it sounds like: sharing your plans, your reflections, your ideas and your fears with others (or something like that). It seems more like an appointment with the psychiatrist. I adhere to the opinion that our good old “giving the homework – checking the homework” is much better than discussing whether you want to do it or not.
7. Integrate multimedia of all descriptions
A likable idea if you need to spread some sort of multimedia material. At least no one will say he couldn’t find it.
8. Create blogs for clubs, student groups, events, sports teams, or just about any type of group
Keeping everyone informed is a good way of organizing different kinds of events. And it is really much easier than using the phone, mail or advertising.
9. Get feedback
I don’t believe it will work in our country. At least you won’t get the real picture. A pleasant feedback one can say in your face and some critical opinions are usually kept in mind under the tag “Private”.
10. Create a fully functional website
One must really get some brain before committing something that tough. I mean, show me the philologist skillful enough to program a website which would be fully functional and moreover interesting to the people visiting it?! It looks like some unreal condition honestly, so for me it is quite hard to enlighten the topic.
So summing up all these hectic ideas I would say blogs are useful when we are talking about managing and organizing but when it comes to expressing opinions it can’t substitute real communication.