Blogging is a good way to get students to engage with a topic and to collaborate with each other. Students can prepare for seminars or tutorials, allowing the teacher to move to deeper learning more quickly. Writing and critical skills can also improve. Quieter and less confident students can prepare their contributions and have their voice heard.
Blackboard has three types of blog:
- Individual
- Course
- Group
Individual
Each student gets their own blog. They can write posts, and other students can comment.
Course
There is one blog for the entire course. Each student on the course can add blog entries and comments.
Group
When you set up groups there is an option to include a group blog. Members of the group can add posts and comment. Other students on the course can view the blog and can add comments.
Setting up blogs in Blackboard
Click here to see how to set up each of the different types of blog.
The study looked at the use of class blogs in four science communication classes. The students felt that the benefits of blogging to them included:
- improvements in their writing,
- intellectual exchange with other students, and
- motivation to write better.
Reference
Sullivan, M., & Longnecker, N. (2014). Class blogs as a teaching tool to promote writing and student interaction. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 30 (4).
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