Tired of teachers’
blah-blah-blahs? Web- blogging maybe the answer.
Web-
blogging is not a new idea. It has been in circulation in the Internet for a
couple of years now. It has been used as a means of disseminating information
about lifestyle, fashion, food, sports, entrepreneurship, education etc. It has
become a powerful tool in providing information to netizens. It is also being
utilized for advocacy awareness for some bloggers. Personally, it is my way of reaching out to, what
we term now as the “digital natives.”
When I
started making my personal blogs, my only purpose is to have an outlet for my
pent- up emotions or have something where I could unleash my creative side. I have started making articles about my
musings on certain aspects of life from love to change, from “wifehood” to
motherhood, valuable lessons I learned from life, topics concerning my child
and a lot more. Little did I know that my passion for blogging would result to
an educational blog for students to have easy access on some instructional materials.
I
first uploaded some self- help tips for students and teachers alike. Then, I
added some motivational videos and learning modules. I found this quite helpful
to students who always incur absences. I just give them the url of the lesson
and they can browse through the blog for whatever activities or lessons they
have missed. The means of verification of course would be their written output.
And
with the few months that I have been doing this, I am glad that my advocacy for
learning is being appreciated. A lot of students would come to me and say, “Ma’am I like your blog.” Others would simply say, “Thank you for your blog.” I am just
happy that my blog is serving its purpose.
Who knows the little waves that it creates would someday make an impact in
the lives of my students.
So how
exactly does it become beneficial to students? Well as a medium of instruction,
it facilitates creative discussions online, since students are free to leave
interactive but healthy comments on the subject matter. It encourages students
to also try blogging, exploring their creative skills and putting their thoughts
into writing. It creates online class publications for the work of students.
What I practice is to choose some good works of students and have them uploaded
in the blog so that the world would see and appreciate them the same as I do. I
encourage my students to share their articles, as well.
Edublog
also provides accessible, updated and educational videos, value- laden short
stories and learning modules. Whenever there are class suspensions due to
typhoons and holidays, students could just access the blog and do some reading
or watching or accomplish their modules in advance.
Web-
blogging also creates a wonderful opportunity to look into the world of the
youth today, to really connect with them. As they say, to better understand the
youth, you have to understand what they are in to. Of course, what they are in
to now is the World Wide Web and social media. And voila! Their rave on the Internet and social media
could actually be used to teach them. Yet, of course, there is still a need to stress
to them the importance of moral and ethical standards of web usage.
There
are a lot more benefits. However, there may also be downsides of it. One of
which is the lack of means to access the Internet for some students. Then, of
course, web safety could not be ensured. Another is the health issues. Students
tend to be exposed to radiation when using the computer hence, increasing the
chances of developing poor vision and other related illnesses. My answer to
this is simple---computer usage should be done sparingly, with parents’
supervision, and only when necessary.
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