5 Things You Should Know About Blogspot
By Kristin Rast and Terri Greenwood
Scenario
Kristin and Terri are earning MA degrees in special education. Working with special populations poses specific concerns and obstacles for implementing educational technology in the classroom. We are researching possible ways of implementing elements of online collaboration for students with disabilities while still addressing the specific educational needs of our unique students. Because we work with students who face a variety of academic challenges, we have chosen to look at Blogspot as a possible arena for online student discussion and collaboration.
1. What is it?
Blogspot is a free site where people can blog. A blog is a web log, or an online diary. Blogs can serve as personal diaries or serve more functional purposes related to specific areas of interest. Blogspot is a sub-domain of Blogger, which is owned by Google. Membership is free; all one needs to join is an active email address. Blogspot is a place where people can share ideas with one another. People who would not necessarily communicate in person can connect based on shared interests via Blogspot.
2. Who’s doing it?
Thousands of people are using Blogspot-possibly hundreds of thousands. Anyone can use it with an active email address. Many teachers use Blogspot for teacher web pages, where school-based news can be shared, and homework assignments can be posted. Most blogs on the site are personal in nature, though, and serve as journals for individuals. Usually, others are invited to comment on posts, so blogs are somewhat like interactive diaries.
3. How does it work?
Individuals can sign up for Blogspot accounts by providing an active email address and creating a password. In addition, participants can create profiles that contain personal information, such as interests, family members, education, profession, etc. Individuals can post pictures to their profiles to share, as well. Users log in and create posts by clicking on the “new post” link. Posts are titled and time/date stamped when they are published. There are some privacy settings on Blogspot that allow users to limit who can view and/or comment on blog posts. When an individual reads a post that he/she wishes to comment on, he/she clicks the “add comment” link and is prompted to create a comment for the post. Some blogs do not allow comments at all. Others only allow registered Blogspot users to comment; some blogs allow everyone, including anonymous users, to comment on posts.
4. Why is it significant?
Blogspot is significant because it provides a free arena for participatory culture. People can publish their thoughts and ideas in a place where other people, including complete strangers can read and respond to them. Online communities are created through Blogspot. These communities are primarily interest based, meaning that people connect with each other because of common interests, not necessarily because they already have a relationship outside of the Blogspot community. The authors on Blogspot control the content on their pages. Users can have discussions using comment threads. People can have conversations online at their convenience, and with other people whom they may not have opportunities to collaborate and converse with in face to face settings, since Blogspot is available all over the world.
5. Implications for teaching and learning?
Blogspot has definite implications or teaching and learning because it provides a place outside the classroom where students can publish ideas and discuss topics. Blogspot offers educators an opportunity to assign collaborative projects or assignments outside of the classroom in an interactive environment. Teachers can participate and monitor student discussions on Blogspot. Students can use Blogspot to become the creators of class content and discussion topics. Teachers can afford their students more freedom by utilizing Blogspot to create assignments and discussions with students as facilitators. For English classes, especially, Blogspot is a free place where students can publish their work and get feedback from peers as well as from the general public. By using such sites, teachers can make more effective use of class time because there is another forum where student discussions can take place. When utilizing Blogspot for class discussions, teachers must be sure to differentiate the tool (Blogspot) from the task (discussion and collaboration). This online tool should be used to create better, more effective and efficient learning environments for students. Blogspot should not be used just for the sake of using it. Teachers considering utilizing Blogspot should be mindful of a few ideas: one, many students will need to be taught how to use it, and two, many students so not have access to the internet outside of school. Teachers will need to instruct their students how to use the tool, and perhaps provide time at school for students to use the library or computer lab in order to contribute to online discussions.
Links/Resources
Terri’s Blogspot used for posting school news and homework assignments http://trfilippo.blogspot.com/
A colleague’s homework Blogspot http://bigwords101.blogspot.com/
A high school English teacher’s Blogspot for honors English students to publish writing http://whythedickens.blogspot.com/
The same teacher’s homework Blogspots http://msgardnersenglish9.blogspot.com/
Wikipedia’s Blogspot page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogspot
Ideas for using blogs http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/
