Blogs and Wikis in Education

1) Identify and describe 3 interesting/innovative ways blogs and/or wikis are being used in K-12 classrooms.

One way that blogs and wiki’s are being used is a form of resource for students. Teachers can make sites that have other resources linked to it for students about any subject they want. Another way that they are being used is a form of communication for teachers and students/parents. Students can check their teacher’s blogs/wiki’s to be updated on information. Lastly, teachers are posting collaborative projects on the blogs/wikis. Students can go on the website created by the teacher to see the projects, rubrics, etc for projects.

2) Describe how you might use RSS readers/aggregators within a classroom setting.

A RSS reader is a browser add-on program that is designed to gather and display blogs, posts, and other web content according to what the user is interested in. I learned that when you surf the web, the RSS reader tracks what you look up and gathers background as you are surfing the web. When a new article or message of potential interest is available the RSS reader pops up and lets the person know. An aggregator is a software which aggregates web content such as news headlines, blogs, messages, etc in a single location. It reduces the time and effort needed to regularly check websites for updates. I learned that this would be useful when a student is researching information and when they have looked through enough, they will point them to new information. Instead of the student taking a lot of time to look for information, these will allow the students to get fast and accurate information on their subject/topic.

3) Describe at least 2 pros and 2 cons of using blogs and wikis in education.

The first pro would be the fact that students can access the blogs and wikis outside of class. If a student needs to know what their homework is or needs to look at something on the website, it is just a click away. Another pro would be the fact that teachers can make learning fun through technology. Instead of having to do boring assignments through a book, a student can go to the website, and click the resource sites the teacher has recommended for them to go to. It is more interactive.

The first con would be the fact that if a teacher posts something for the class on their site, some kids could not have computers at home to access the sites. This would leave the kids behind the other students just because they don’t have the opportunity to have a computer at home. Another con would be the fact that technology doesn’t always work. Sometimes there are errors on the website or the website is down so the students can’t always access the site.