Blog #1

1. Blogs can help enrich the educational process in many ways, which is why many new teachers incorporate them into their curriculum. Blogs can be a way for students to comment and critique on a nights reading, or even to discuss a project with a group at home. Blogs are also a good way for students who are absent from school to keep up with the class, since it is easy for teachers to post notes and tag certain websites for further readings on a topic. Teachers can also list websites that can be useful for an upcoming project, or just to post websites that they would like students to read. Some teachers also use blogs to post the readings in place of using a textbook. Those who do not have internet access at home are still given a textbook. It is also much cheaper for school districts to use blogs in place of a textbook. Blogs are also more motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not actively participate in classrooms. Blogs are also effective forums for collaboration and discussion. Digit portfolios can also be created by students, and teachers can easily access and view them. Another benefit of blogs is that students will tend to pay close attention to spelling and grammar since they know that others, maybe even the public, can view them. There are a few disadvantages for using websites as well. One disadvantage is that technology is not always reliable, and students may have trouble accessing the internet on a particular night and in return are unable to complete the readings/assignments.

2. It is important to evaluate websites before using them in the classroom and for research. As a teacher you do not want to convey information to students that are not updated and valid. Also, teachers should make sure a website is still in use and working before planning on showing the website to students in a lesson. Teachers should also be sure to teach students why it is important to evaluate websites when using them for research and show them proper guidelines to follow when evaluating them. I think that a lot of students and even teachers/professors do not know how to properly evaluate a website, which is not a good thing. These teachers could be giving their students outdated information, or even information that is made up, since some websites are on false topics, or are very bias. I believe that teachers should incorporate how to properly evaluate a website, and teach students the importance of evaluating websites in their lessons. To do this, teachers could simply point out certain things on the websites that they are using for class, and ask students, “is this an updated website? Is this a good website to use?” Students should be able to know how to search for an author’s name, when the website was last updated, the authenticity, and reliability, to just name a few. Whenever the teacher uses a website for a lesson, she should have students try and find this information and come to a decision together whether or not the website is a good one to use. This is probably how I would reiterate the importance of checking a website for its reliability, and for getting my students into the habit of always checking on these things whenever they visit a website, whether it be for research purposes, or even for personal use.