Webquest on Blogging

Here are the questions that Hollie and I had to answer dealing with Blogging:


1. Create an operational definition for the term blog.
blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Rcd12Y5Qc
2. Does the technology promote student engagement or merely entertainment?
Yes, the technology in blogging promotes student engagement because they are allowed to publish their own post and respond to their classmate/friends post.
3. Analyze whether this technology adds some demonstrable pedagogical value to traditional instruction.
This technology does provide demonstrable pedagogical value due to the fact that the student is not only reading or looking at the information inside of a textbook but they are allowed to venture out to different websites (included in the blog) to find their answer.
4. Assess the use of this particular technology to aid students in the acquisition of knowledge and not just information.
This particular technology aids students in the acquisition of knowledge by allowing them to gain knowledge from someone else’s/teacher’s post.
1. Ex. I could post a History fact that you may not have known during a collaborative blog assignment on World War II.
5. Suggest some educational uses for blogs in the K-12 classroom.
Some educational uses of blogs in the classroom are: classroom news, assignments, class elections/polls, school/class events.
6. Discuss the pluses and minuses of using blogs with students.
A. Some advantages of using blogs are:
a. http://www.slideshare.net/frankcalberg/11-advantages-of-using-a-blog-for-teaching
b. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whm3pxqkvB8

B. Disadvantages of blogs
Need to keep it constantly updated otherwise you lose potential readers
Easy to start, hard to maintain
Keeping student in the range of the topic (no foul language, bullying)