Blogging

Blogs are a journal or expression of ideas, thoughts and beliefs that are posted to the web. They can be on any topic that interests the creator. They can contain text, pictures, videos and links to other websites. This information expresses the opinions of the person creating it however anyone can read and comment. Blogs became popular as a social networking tool and as a means to communicate ones thoughts but how can in be implemented into education?

Educators are using blogs as a means of promoting self-expression, collaboration and reflection. It is intended to encourage leaner engagement. Specific topics can be assigned to the students to post their thoughts and classmates can respond. It can be particularly beneficial in distance education by facilitating a class discussion when a face to face discussion is not possible.

I my program we have students from Regina and Saskatoon. A blog could provide students with an opportunity to share and compare their clinical experiences. This could increase their level of understanding learning and assist them to begin to develop some critical thinking skills.

An effective blog in the educational environment requires enthusiastic students who feel comfortable expressing themselves. To achieve this the blog must be presented in a non-threatening manner. Also, students need to be educated on how to assess the reliability and validity of the information they come across and or post to the blog. Finally it must be stressed that since anyone can have access to the site, appropriateness of content must be considered very carefully before posting.

Qualified health care professionals may use a blog to build a learning network allowing the opportunity to share personal or departmental experiences. This sharing could enhance processes in the workplace and reduce the time spent “re-inventing the wheel”. If used could potentially enhance patient care. The challenge is having maintaining a blog is time consuming and for it to be effective in this environment several people from various workplaces would need to actively participate in the blog.