EDUBlogs

Blogs have certainly made their impact on the world in the last few years whether the mainstream media or even mainstream educational gurus want to accept them as a meaningful way to find and experience information. That experience of finding information on a blog is much different than what we are used to when compared to old school encyclopedia research or even the first generation of websites we saw in the late 90’s and early 00’s.

Blogs allow us a very personal interaction with the information. We can access very specific topics and are even allowed to converse and make suggestions to the author. It makes information, and even entertainment, a two way street. We are not simply passive consumers of information that is programmed for us. We can seek out the content that is tailor made for us, and even affect the outcomes by becoming involved.

The other major difference is that we can very easily become the information/entertainment. You don’t have to be the editor of the New York Times to have people read your opinions and you don’t have to be the head of MGM Studios to let others view your creativity. This feeling of unlimited “reach” must be very empowering to young people and can motivate all of us to get involved and make ourselves heard.

The implications for education are huge. Not only can we "publish" kids work they can be working in the same medium as established writers and social commentators. No difference would exist between a students blog and a professional one. Numbered are the days of the poetry anthology bound with pink yarn. Students today could reach out to the world through their blogs. Safety and focus would be an utmost concern as they are in every facet of new technology, but that's why educators need to be prepared and ever watchful.