Week 2 – Web 2.0 and Blogs
This week in ICT we have
been looking at the term ‘Web 2.0’ and considering ways in which blogs can be
used in schools.
Do you have a Facebook
account? Do you regularly watch the latest music video on YouTube? Or maybe you
follow your favourite celeb on Twitter? Web 2.0 refers to the trend in the use
of the world wide web technology and web design, that aims to facilitate
creativity, information sharing and collaboration among users. These concepts
have led to the development and evolution of web based communities and hosted
services, such as social networking sites and blogs. Web 2.0 refers to the
change in the ways software developers and end-users use the web.
One
of the most fascinating tools that has emerged from the Internet cloud is the
blog. Having never written a blog before, it was interesting to see the ways in
which people can use them. An online publishing tool, blogging allows people
across the globe to easily publish their loves, passions, dislikes,
discoveries, and insights. Blogs are fantastic resources that are being
increasingly used in schools. Teachers believe that students develop better
communication skills when they are authentically communicating.
Blogs enable children to
show their work to family members all over the world, encourages them to write
more ‘freely’, and can give children increased confidence in their ideas and
writing.
Yet there are mixed reviews
on the use of blogs and internet in schools which link to the issues around
E-safety. Of course we want our children to be safe whilst online, but it is
important to recognise that there are ways in which schools can use the
internet in a safe way to write blogs. In the video we watched during class the
blogs pupils wrote were not able to be commented on. Children only published
their first names, and never gave out any personal information. Such as their
school name or addresses.
Writing a blog can be a way
of giving children a voice, who may otherwise feel voiceless.
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