{"id":8777,"date":"2012-02-24t08:00:51","date_gmt":"2012-02-24t14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/?p=8777"},"modified":"2012-06-08t10:57:20","modified_gmt":"2012-06-08t16:57:20","slug":"selecting-the-right-technology-tool-wikis-discussion-boards-journals-and-blogs-essays-on-teaching-excellence-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/2012\/02\/selecting-the-right-technology-tool-wikis-discussion-boards-journals-and-blogs-essays-on-teaching-excellence-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"selecting the right technology tool: wikis, discussion boards, journals, and blogs (essays on teaching excellence) part two"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

selecting the right technology tool: wikis, discussion boards, journals, and blogs<\/strong>
\ntami j. eggleston, mckendree university<\/em>
\nthe pod network teaching excellence essay series<\/em>, 2010-11<\/p>\n

in this essay, eggleston discusses how daunting many faculty find selecting the right technology tool can be. to help with this task, she compares common\u00a0electronic tools and uses bloom\u2019s cognitive domain taxonomy (1956) and\u00a0chickering and ehrmann\u2019s seven principles of good teaching (1996) to\u00a0connect these tools with skill development teaching goals and effective\u00a0teaching practices.\u00a0you can read the\u00a0entire article <\/a> or browse cft\u00a0resources\u00a0on academic integrity including our\u00a0teaching guide on technology and learning<\/a> which features information on blogs <\/a>and wikis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

in this blog post, we’ll expand on eggleston’s essay and offer you an overview of blogs. earlier this week, we discussed using wikis in your courses.<\/p>\n

what is a blog?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

blogs are part of what randall bass and heidi elmendorf, of georgetown university, call \u201csocial pedagogies.\u201d they define these as \u201cdesign approaches for teaching and learning that engage students with what we might call an \u2018authentic audience\u2019 (other than the teacher), where the representation of knowledge<\/em> for an audience is absolutely central to the construction of knowledge<\/em> in a course.\u201d you can learn more about social pedagogies in the chronical ariticle, \u201ca social network can be a learning network\u201d<\/a> by derek bruff.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/strong><\/h4>\n

in \u201c7 things you should know about blogs<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0educause<\/a> describes blogs as:<\/p>\n

an online collection of personal commentary and links. blogs can be viewed as online journals to which others can respond that are as simple to use as e-mail. the simplicity of creating and maintaining blogs means they can rapidly lead to open discussions. faculty are using blogs to express their opinions, promote dialogue in their disciplines, and support teaching and learning; students increasingly use blogs for personal expression and as course requirements.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

essentially, a blog is a personal journal published on the web consisting of discrete entries (\u201cposts\u201d) typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. blogs are usually written by one individual (though occasionally by a small group) and are often themed on a single subject. \u00a0many blogs provide commentary and some function as diaries; both types typically combine words, images and links to other online information. an important part of a post is the ability for readers to leave a comment.<\/p>\n

when to use a blog<\/strong><\/h4>\n

blogging can be incorporated into the classroom in many different ways. here are some of the most common:<\/p>\n