BP2_2009111_iGooglepage

Here are the three shots of my Personal Learning Environment that are required for my ETC class at Full Sail University.

BP1_2009111_Educational uses of Blogs

By now, I think we all know why we should use blogs in education.

Here are the obvious reasons to use blogs in the classroom or in education:
--it gives students an AUDIENCE for their writing
--it gives students a way to ARTICULATE their thoughts on any given subject
--it provides MOTIVATION for students to use an online tool for writing
--it provides a means for COLLECTIVE INQUIRY so that collaboration and

And here are some great uses for blogs in the classroom:
http://www.slideshare.net/sqoolmaster/educational-uses-of-blogs-and-tags-234136

But I was really looking for the less obvious reasons to blog in education: the reasons why anyone would truly want to read my blog, read my students? blogs or really use the blogs that I find and cite throughout my coursework. So after searching, here is what I found:
First, the benefits some suggestions for getting started:
http://www.opencontent.org/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_use_a_blog_to_facilitate_learning

They:
--promote the use of TECHNOLOGY--my motivation
--promote READING habits--what an excellent way to get kids reading

But perhaps the most interesting thing I found came from A BLOG titled ?Why are we using blogs and not just doing the work on our PC?? This is what I was looking for (ironic--a blog about why blogs are useful) blogsite: http://emmanugent.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/why-are-we-using-blogs-and-not-just-doing-the-work-on-our-pc/

In effect, the personalization of having a blog in education brings all of us closer together. Finding this woman?s blog in the United Kingdom would never have occurred had I not been required to find out about blogs in education. And her comments simply reinforced the ?less obvious? reason I was looking for:
?a blog is owned and personalized; it?s my site, I?m in charge, it?s a space for own learning, thinking, planning, note taking, etc; less formal than a forum, lets my hair down and be myself, can write more as people are not obliged to read it.?

Definitely reasons for me to keep referring back to as I continue this blog.