Critique – ‘Educational Blogging’ by Stephen Downes

What an interesting article! I guess the main concept that I found appealing in this article is the ‘real’ concept of ‘what is blogging’? I had the initial assumption that blogging was just a website that you put journal style entries into about what is going on in your life, for example what I had for breakfast, what I think about the current news story etc. However, this article clarified for me this misconception.

First being that blogging is a powerful online tool that allows you the opportunity to put across to the world you view on any particular topic. It encourages you to read a wide range of material and then blog your comments on it. As Stephen Downes states that “the process of reading online, engaging a community, and reflecting it online is a process of bringing life into learning.” I believe this to be the key concept – that in order to be a successful blogger, one must read. And read extensively as well, from a variety of sources. You can read about one particular subject close to your heart or about many topics, so long as you are well informed and have an opinion on the subject.

Secondly, another issue that this article raised for me was that to just simply tell my students ‘go blog’ is totally insufficient and un-supportive. Students need to be given a purpose – something real to blog about. For this they need to read and gain an interest in a topic, to create an opinion so they can blog. They also need to have the desire to publish their writing online and to have others comment on their writing. Students should also be encouraged to reflect on what they are writing about and also be willing to accept any comments or criticisms that are posted about their writing.

Finally, this article states that blogging is “a virtual extension of the classroom”. Teachers and students should encourage blogging to be “a support tool to promote reflective analysis and the emergence of a learning community that goes beyond the school walls”. In essence, creating an online classroom blogosphere to allow students to publish their work, gain access to an international audience and generate knowledge to share with members of their wider community. This also creates a platform for the teacher to collaborate and assist students with their work.

REFERENCE:

Downes, S. (2004). Educational Blogging. EDUCAUSE Review, 39(5), 14-26.  Retrieved February 19, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 692806441).