The Blog

Initially I did not see why many people were excited about using a blog. However, after exploring blogs that I found on the web and reading my classmates' blogs, I see blogs in a different light. I have really enjoyed looking at the blogs of my classmates. They have discussed many good Web 2.0 technologies that can be used by teachers to help in the learning process. I also read some blogs about technologies that helped me decide which ones I wanted to explore more.

I came across an article in TEACHER Magazine titled, "What Happened to All the Teacher Bloggers?" The author Anthony Rebora was questioning whether teachers stopped blogging due to burnout, job security, or moving on to Facebook or Twitter. Comments to his blog were interesting, logical and insightful. In addition to these issues it was noted that veteran teachers were moving toward the larger publications where they would receive a larger audience. After reading this I don't agree that teachers are giving up on blogs. I believe that you need to look at the time of the year people are posting and check out the purpose and content of the blog.

Some bloggers are now using wikis. However, you do not have to abandon one for the other. A blogger is usually one writer, though you can open it up for others to comment. A wiki is usually open for a group to write information. The original author can revert back to a previously saved version if something is written that is undesirable for the site. I found a good video that compares the similarities and differences between blogs and wikis. It also discusses web 2.o technologies and why we should use them with our students. I found this on TeacherTube. It is titled, "A New Way to Publish - The Rise of Web 2.o" from Suziea. You should check it out if you want to see a comparison of blogs and wikis.