Welcome to the blog for EDACE 820: Principles of Teaching Adults.
What is a blog? It is really a web-log and was shortened to blog. Blogs are set-up like Web sites with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. A blog is primarily a collection of daily postings similar to a journal. They include comments from others. The key is that postings are relatively short and are often. .The use of a blog in a classroom is only limited by the instructor's creativity and the resources available. I think they have the capacity to develop critical thinking skills and creativity.
The K-12 system has incorporated blogs into a variety of classrooms, but higher education has been a little more reluctant. Mr.Mundorf's Blog (an example classroom blog with extensive information, images, and resources for social studies and civics) is one example of exceptional development and use of a blog. Here are a couple of other examples: 100 Blogs that should be required reading in college. Michigan State University's Blogs for Learning
However, we must stop dragging our feet and learn how to engage technology. We learned how to teach with a blackboard; we can learn how to teach with Web 2.0 capabilities. EDUCAUSE posted and article last year discussing the changes to the learning environment. Learning Spaces: Involving Faculty to Improve Pedagogy
Your assignment for the next two weeks is to find a research article about using blogs, wikis or Web 2.0 tools in a higher education setting or adult education setting. Summarize the article, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article, and include your opinion of incorporating Web 2.0 tools in your future courses. The article summary and information should be posted by July 5th and the reading of others and comments will be made between July 6th and 11th.
