Module 3 - Blogs

Consider various uses for blogs. Have you seen in your net travels any interesting uses for blogs?

Liebens (2004) describes blogs as “an amazing way to exercise a right to free speech, and to reach potentially millions of people with your thoughts” (www.dentedreality.com.au/features/blogs/intro) .

Web logs, more commonly called blogs, are basically personal on-line diaries or journals. Content of the blog can vary depending on the use of the journal. For example, the information contained in this blog is mainly my personal reflections and interpretations on NET11 tasks, whereas Peter Harvey a well-known public commentator uses his blog to comment and draw discussion on “newsy” topics. I know of university students from overseas who use blogs to record events they have attended and places they have visited for friends to read back home – they use the blog as a travel journal.

Having taught English and Social Science subjects at a secondary school level I can see great potential for blogs in the classroom, from journaling daily activities, to producing reviews on books and movies, to responding to other student’s blogs.

Initially I was really hesitant about blogging – “putting myself out there for other people to see” – but I like the concept and can see a lot of potential in it. I do believe however, that people who blog and who respond to blogging should be aware of netiquette rules and realise/understand that if they are using their blog as a freedom of speech platform, that not everyone is going to have the same views (political, religious, etc) as them and need be prepared to be criticised for speaking out.