A blog (short version of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website which displays information in the reverse chronological order. Latest posts appear first in a blog.
It is a platform where a writer or
even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.
Blogging is the many skills that one needs to run and
control a blog.
Equipping a web page with tools to make the process of writing,
posting, linking, and sharing content easier on the internet.
Students, be it college or school, can also be bloggers.
However, different modes of a student education can also affect his/her
blogging activity. For example, a student studying any distance MBA course in Pune can
write city specific blogs on MBA course and its related information.
Even different branches of study can also affect a student’s
blogging activity. For example, a student doing regular full-time MBBS in AIIMS
will write his/her blogs less frequently than a student studying distance MBA from ICFAI.
Blog vs Website
There are
two features of a blog that distinguishes it from a website:
- Blogs are updated frequently. Whether it’s a cooking blog in which a chef shares adventures in cooking, a brand providing updates about its new products, or a fitness model providing information about his/her workout plans, diet, hygiene etc. blogs have new content added several times a week.
- Blogs usually is written in a casual and informal (or even in regional language) language in order to allow for reader engagement. Blogs are often included in social media because of the ability of readers to comment and have a discussion with the blogger and others who read the blog make it social.
Blog Structure
The appearance of blogs changed over time, and nowadays
blogs include different items. But, most blogs include some standard features
and structure. Here are common features that typical blog will include:
- Header with the menu or navigation bar
- Main content area with highlighted or latest blog posts
- Sidebar with social profiles, favorite content, or call-to-action
- Footer with relevant links like a disclaimer, privacy policy, contact page, etc.
Basic Blog
Structure:
Header
(with the menu or navigation bar)
|
|
Main
Content
(with highlighted or latest blog posts)
|
Sidebar
(with social profiles, favorite
content, or call-to-action)
|
Footer
(With relevant links like disclaimer,
privacy policy, contact page etc.)
|
|
Why Students Should Blog?
Blogs promote literacy and sharpen writing skills
Blogs give students the ability to improve communication and
collaboration through the features such as commenting, peer review and
feedback. People from other parts of the world can also comment and provide a
new cultural perspective to our own students’ thoughts and opinions. Since they
have to hold the readers’ attention, students’ writing skills are vastly
improved through the blogging
process.
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Blogs can serve as a Academic Tool
When used as an in-class assignment, blogs can keep your
students on task and focused. The more blogs students post, the more
opportunities they have for others to comment on their blog. Creating a
classroom blog instead of individual blogs fosters an online community for your
students to extend the classroom beyond the 4 walls.
The learning continues
wherever they go and their thoughts and conversations keep going. Blogging is a
great tool to create student portfolios, as it can be used both as a “learning
portfolio” and a “showcase portfolio”.
Blogs can serve as a different way of learning
As every student has a different leaning method, educators
need to teach important materials in several ways. They also need to provide
students with multiple ways to engage with assignments, based on their
individual talents. Blogging is one technique for doing so. Additionally, this
journaling format works great with read-and-write learners as well as visual
learners.
Blogging Tips for Students
Start with a simple blog application
Blogger is a Google app and is completely free. It is easy
and simple to use if one have a Google account, he/she can set up his/her blog
in minutes from a computer or mobile device.
Edu blogs lets students easily
create and manage student blogs, customize designs and include videos, photos
and podcasts. Students exercise digital citizenship within a secure classroom
blogging space. Other great options include WordPress, Weebly, and Tumblr (for
photoblogs).
Start with a specific writing prompt
If a student is beginning with a class rather than an
individual blog, he/she will be responsible for those initial posts, while the
students will respond in comments.
As students demonstrate keenness and
responsibility, more freedom will help students earn the right to write posts
on the class blog and/or get their own student blog. Students can also be
invited to create prompts for the class and use these prompts whenever possible.
Create a rubric
Providing detailed explanations of an assignment using a
rubric can help students in both completing tasks and thinking about their
performance.
Know your audience
The audience makes the work matter to students as they have
an opportunity to showcase their writing and respond to real feedback.
Initially, the teacher and classroom peers are the major audiences that provide
the feedback.
Students can also share the blog details with parents through the
school website and newsletters to grow the audience to family members and other
parents. This can have unexpected practical use.
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