Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces in the higher education sector

By J. Williams, J. Jacobs. 2004

909 citations recorded by the source corpus.

'Blogging' - a contraction of the term 'web logging' - is perhaps best described as a form of micro-publishing. Easy to use, from any Internet connection point, blogging has become firmly established as a web based communications tool. The blogging phenomenon has evolved from its early origin as a medium for the publication of simple, online personal diaries, to the latest disruptive technology, the 'killer app' that has the capacity to engage people in collaborative activity, knowledge sharing, reflection and debate (Hiler, 2003). Many blogs have large and dedicated readerships, and blog clusters have formed linking fellow bloggers in accordance with their common interests. This paper explores the potential of blogs as learning spaces for students in the higher education sector. It refers to the nascent literature on the subject, explores methods for using blogs for educational purposes in university courses (eg. Harvard Law School), and records the experience of the Brisbane Graduate School of Business at Queensland University of Technology, with its 'MBA blog'. The paper concludes that blogging has the potential to be a transformational technology for teaching and learning.

Subfields: Education

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/00a31d969320e5ed36fb3a89ddbcfdaa81f807f6

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Citations in the corpus

First year students' experiences with technology: Are they really digital natives? (2008, neutral): “The potential for harnessing these technologies and activities for educational purposes is being actively discussed and effectively realised (e.g. Downes, 2004; New Media Consortium, 2006, Instone, 2005; West, Wright, Gabbitas & Graham, 2006; Williams & Jacobs, 2004; Bryant, 2006).”
Net generation or Digital Natives: Is there a distinct new generation entering university? (2010, background): “Students were asked specifically about their use of particular technologies that have received significant attention in recent educational technology literature, blogs, wikis and virtual worlds (See for example Williams & Jacobs 2004, Ferris & Wilder 2006).”
Blogging in the Classroom: A Preliminary Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension (2008, background): “Williams and Jacobs (2004) reported students’ assessments of the effectiveness of blogging but collected no data directly measuring increases in comprehension or other variables.”
Quality of Feedback in Higher Education: A Review of Literature (2020, background): “, Williams and Jacobs [18]; Xie, Ke, and Sharma [19]).”
Adventures in the blogosphere: from blog readers to blog writers (2008, background): “Williams and Jacobs (2004) explore the potential of blogs as learning spaces for students and point to their potential as a transformational technology for teaching and learning.”
The Influence of Classroom Blogging on Elementary Student Writing (2011, background): “Much of personal blogging is about sharing items of interest, news, and personal information (Williams & Jacobs, 2004).”