Incorporate Blog in Teaching

One more post getting out of the draft box :)

It has been roughly six weeks since I started this blog and this is gonna be the #25th post. I tracked back to all that I've been written over the six weeks, and am so surprised that I have enjoyed blogging so much! (This was completely unexpected when I first created this blog). Besides what I've thought over in these posts, I also also would like to share some ideas incorporating blog into future teaching practice. 

Image taken from http://awas.aweber-static.com/

First thing first, why blog? Benefits using blogs

This has been answered in PIDP curriculum so I will provide my answers here based on my blogging experience. Blogging transforms a teacher oriented environment that students create their own materials, and create course reading (by being visited, and visiting classmates' blogs). It brings a sense of control of our own learning. In addition, it is easier for us to document our thinking process, improve formal writing, and capture every piece of ideas. Blogging makes learning independent of time and place. Learners take ownership of their own learning, articulate, document, and learn from each other. I am far more engaged in PIDP3250 compared to other courses I have taken. I will give the credits to both blog and forum discussion. 

Problems and Possible Solutions 

• Technical issues  What if students don't know how to blog? There are numerous resources on YouTube teaching how to blog (in various platforms). I was informed at the very beginning that this is a self-directed learning experience and I am supposed to teach myself. 
• Grading  the counterpart of flexibility is the difficulty of grading. Blog is an intellectual sharing with the world. It is highly necessary to create a grading rubric ahead of time, and defining at least technical aspects 

Best Practices

Being a learner allows me to learn best teaching practices from our instructor, and make a plan for my future teaching. Here is a list of useful tips what I think makes blogging a great learning tool: 

• Inform expectations, rules, code of ethics at the beginning of the class 
• Recommend blogging services, but not restrict to any of them
• Show good examples 
• Give students time to set up a blog, and make it an ongoing project through the entire course 
• Link the blogs into course content, even highlight students effort 
• Comment and visit frequently, offer feedback both in general and individually 
• Encourage usage of multimedia and interactive commenting 
• Subscribe RSS (I use Feedly) so all the postings will be documented. I can imagine how hard it would be for a teacher to check more than 20 blogs, and "hunt for" the new posts. Some of the blogs have very stylish structure ...where new postings can be hidden behind a new category. I found Feedly practically very useful to keep track of the new postings and new pages. 
• In a face to face environment, students can select the best blog posting, and present in the last class. 

Do you plan to incorporate blog into your teaching practice in the future?