Both are a well suited for distance learning, independent research and provide a sense of community- a place to share what one has learned with others. Both are used for evaluation and constructive criticism.
However, message boards seem rather cold and sterile compared to the creative element that blogs provide. Blogs are more personal and people often get more personal on a blog than they do on a message board.
When using a message board, your audience is limited to the professor and the students in your
Both provide a way for students to let their voices be heard. Some students may be comfortable with the message board because they are unsure about posting for all the world to see. Others may relish the fact that world is their oyster!
Blogs are organized chronologically and message boards are organized by topic.
There are many great things about blogs. They are free. People can access information and sources at any time day or night. Information is organized and links are easy to find.
There are also a few cons to blogging. One is that many adult learners will be hesitant to learn yet another new form of technology. Another is that if not properly maintained, blogs may contain "dead" links (Oravec, 2002). There is a certain amount of time required to maintain a blog and keep it updated. Bloggers don't want to leave their readers hanging! Privacy is also an issue. Remember, anyone can access your blog, so be careful of what you put out there! One more danger in the world of blogging is blogging itself! Because blogs are free, there are tons of blogs out there! Blog overload can be a problem (Oravec, 2002).
SO... the question still remains. Which is better, the blog or the message board? I say the blog!
Blogs are used not only for educational purposes, but also out there in the real world. If the purpose of higher education is to prepare students for new careers and climbing the corporate ladder, shouldn't those students start using real world technology while in school? Yes.
Learning how to blog while in the safety of your University can only be an advantage when one is required to blog in the workplace. Maintaining a weblog over the course of a semester etc... can give students a sense of discipline needed to become a professional (Oravec, 2002).
If you are clinging to that old tired message board and have doubts about blogging, consider this. Message boards are more back and forth, question/answer and will eventually become inaccessible. Blogs are expressive individual thoughts, which may or may not result in a reply but may still cause a reflection- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (Hacker, 2012).
Oravec, J. (2002). Bookmarking the world: Weblog applications in education. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(7), 616.
Santos, A. (2011) Blogs as a learning space: creating text of talks. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 4,(6), 15.
M. Hacker (2012, October 12). Blog vs discussion board.
[weblog comment] Retrieved from
http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/hybridflc/2012/10/07/blog-vs-discussion-board/
pictures courtesy of:
theedublogger.com
www.businessinsider.com
the filmscript.blogspot.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI really like the design of your blog. The graphics were an excellent addition and the layout/color scheme is perfect. Very well organized.
Tom
Hi Rebecca.
ReplyDeleteI thing you bring up an important point in your post when you discuss how blogging allows for more creativity, and thus, may motivate learners to write more. Several of the authors in our readings this week agree with you, including Santos (2011) whom you cite above and Witte (2007) who explained how one of her students differentiated between online and, "boring school writing" (p.82). Even my own personal case, I found creating and designing my blog more motivating than simply replying on the message board. Also, the creativity you show in your post above with the inclusion of graphics has inspired me to make my next post more interesting and engaging for the reader!
I also agree with your comments about privacy concerns when using blogs or any tool on the web. One particular concern that I have is related to plagiarism and proper recognition of one's academic postings. Oravec (2002) discusses this issue and talks about the necessity to teach students about link to sources instead of copying them directly in their blog (p.618). Basically, my question is, how do make sure that our original research, writing, or ideas that we post in the public space are properly credited to us. What are our thoughts?
Holly
Oravec, J. A. (2002). Bookmarking the world: Weblog applications in education. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(7), 616-618).
Santos, N. E. (2011). Blogs As A Learning Space: Creating Text of Talks. Contemporary Issues In Education Research, 4(6), 15-19.
Witte, S. (2007). "That's online writing, not boring school writing": Writing with blogs and the Talkback Project. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 51(2), 92-96.
Wow! I have never thought about the point regarding message board posts going away and blogs lasting forever since I still have access, as a teacher, to all the message board posts my students have made over the years. As a matter of fact, I often reference past message boards as I plan future courses, especially when I am teaching a Women's Studies course. However, I have never thought about it from the student perspective.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to access past blog entries can be invaluable to students as they progress through their education. Since blogs are interactive and can include so many different elements (video links, website links, links to articles) that are 'real time' and constantly updated, they can be useful beyond the initial classroom experience. In using a blog for classwork a student is able to create a virtual filing cabinet of assignments, thoughts, notes, and other resources. Furthermore, according to Richardson (2010), they do not have to worry about their work ending up lost in a shuffle of papers, they can use the space for personal reflection, and they can collect all of their work and turn it into an e-portfolio for future employers.
What a wonderfully useful tool!
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms.
Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin.
Thanks for sharing Rebecca. I learned a lot form reading your post. I feel more comfortable doing discussion boards that blogs as I know they are not available to everyone and that the will ultimately disappear. That is until I read Wendy’s comments. I was surprised to know that discussion board comments were still available after the class was over. Either way when I do discussion boards that my privacy will be respected and that there is a bit of security (and liability maybe) on the Universities part. I also feel that when I’m doing a blog, that I’m talking freely and that I’m not being graded or judged, which is not the case for discussion boards. If you look at previous discussion boards and several blogs, you will see that there is more personality in the blogs than discussion boards.
ReplyDeleteRebecca wow great job on the development of your blog spot. You are right on many aspects of the message board. While they are fun to access for informational purposes while in class as soon as the class is over, the information is no longer accessible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there are some con’s due to blogging. Individuals start a blog then they abandon it, leaving the internet footprint available where someone can access it. As with ANY internet activity that a person does people need to watch what they say or do on a blogging activity. The end result may not be the best intent but the negative response is still there.
“Plagiarism of Internet materials and related copyright violations have become a considerable problems for educators at all levels” (Oravec, 2002). With Internet connectivity, students are more than capable of finding resource information and not give the credit that is due.
Oravec, J. (2002). Bookmarking the world: Weblog applications in education. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(7), 616.