Blogs in Teaching

What is blog? When it arise?

According to Merriam Webster dictionary, blog is a website on which someone writes about personal opinions, activities, and experiences. Or, other definition is a website that contains online personal reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

Blog for the first time was known as homepage. It was created by Justin Hall in 1994. See this Link.

In 1997, the term ‘weblog’ was coined by John Barger. The term was created to reflect the process of “logging the web” as he browsed.

1998 marks the first known instance of a blog on a traditional news site, when Jonathan Dube blogged Hurricane Bonnie for the Charlotte Observer.

1999 weblog is shortened as “blog” by programmer Peter Melholz.

And nowadays, there many kinds of blog that were created. Such as Blogger, Wordpress, Edublogs, Tumblr, etc.

(Adapted from The History of Blogging )

How to use blog for teaching and learning?

Generally, we can say that blog is an online diary, where people can write whatever there up to them. Beside, using blog they can also upload pictures or videos. Blogging is joyful activity, and most of people like it.

Teacher can use blog as the media of study, beside students have to come to class, receive knowledge, and participate there. Blogging is joyful so that students will like it. With blog, teacher can ask students to post their assignments, making summaries, making daily journal using English, etc. Also, teacher can ask them to comment their friend’s blog post. 

Blog in teaching and learning here is as other way for learning that will make students not bored. Yeah, blogging is as interesting as Facebook, twitter, and other social media.

We know that everything has positive and negative effect, same as blogging for teaching-learning, but if we can manage it well, it will have benefit more than the disadvantages.

Some advantages of blogging are:

·         Students enjoy blogging

·         Using blog make learning independent of time and place

·         It promotes their communication skills

·         It emphasize the test and learn, and “learning by doing” strategies instead of “plan and execute ones.

·         It gives a chance for shy students to participate with their peers and get their voice heard

·         It fosters the development of writing and research skills as well as digital skill

·         Blogging help teachers develop professionally

(Adapted from Ultimate Guide to Use of Blogs )