Benefits & Limitations of Blogs in Classroom

Blogs are a method of communication in the Internet nowadays. It is what some teachers are using in their classrooms instead of traditional ways like journals and dairies. It is also the way many students prefer to write what they want and share with others. What makes blogs beneficial is the informality in writing in it and sharing it with others. It breaks the routine and encourages students to participate since it is a comfortable environment. This way of communication suits some students who are shy of sharing opinions in classroom and it gives them a chance to get over their shyness. Additionally, blogs save time of the classroom. Using blogs is also a ways to know about the students’ interest, which will help teachers when they plan their lessons. It gives the students the opportunity of learning about some IT skills, which may help them in the future. There is no specific subject or area to use blogs; so all curricula can use it. Blogs can help teacher in some terms of classroom managent like positive classroom climate and less classroom disturbance because students will be engaged in learning. Blogs are a good example for student learning centered style.

However, using blogs have some limitations. To illustrate more, social interaction will be less when we are using blogs more than face-to-face conversations or discussions. It may cause some difficulties in knowing how to talk with people in reality without the blog. There is a chance that using blogs may cause some extra burdens on parents who cannot offer having Internet at home. Using blogs may not suite some students who have poor IT skills and it may not be fair for them. It also may not suit their learning style. When some students have medical excuses for not using computer, using blogs will be an issue for them. Thus, blog is a coin with to faces and each one of these faces should be considered to have an effective learning environment. It is an interesting way to apply it in classes, but we need to consider the consequences and try to balance in addition to be fair to our students.

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