Blogging in Education

What is Web 2.0 and why should teachers know about it?
Web 2.0 is a collection of online tools useful for students and educators who are looking for ways to share information they have created and for ways to interact with other students and educators. The great thing about Web 2.0 is that there is no need to install any programs onto your hard drive or desktop because you will be able to use these tools completely online. Some examples of these online tools are blogs, wikis, photo and video sharing sites, and much more. Teachers should know about Web 2.0 because it can be very helpful for them personally. They would be able to communicate with other educators for example. Teachers would be able to learn through Web 2.0 by communicating with others educators and learning from people in similar situations as themselves.

What is a Blog and why should every teacher have one?
A Blog is a personally maintained type of website with entries and commentaries involving any type of issue or subject desired. Blogs have become an influential and significant tool amongst many students and educators in the classroom. People are able to voice their own opinions on certain topics and lead discussions without pressures of the classroom setting or people within the classroom. Every teacher should have one because it is just another way they could impact student learning and also their own learning, especially of the opinions of the students.

What are the pedagogical implications of student driven BLOGS in contrast to a teacher-created website?
Blogs can definitely be a great way for students to teach fellow students. They may share their feelings and ideas without feeling like they might get something wrong if a teacher or adult may be grading what they write. They can share and discuss what they desire in regards to what they may be learning in the classroom or events happening around the world. In contrast, with the teacher-created website the student may feel more reserved in what is discussed focusing mainly on the topic of what they are focusing on in the classroom.