Blogging as a teaching tool: part 3

Current Events and Discussions

Since blogs are linear in time they tend to follow current events. This is not to say that they always follow current events in the news but they do tend to follow current events in the life of the blogger. These current events basically follow the interests of the blogger. This sometimes might follow current events in the news but many times it is the current events in which the bloggers sees as important.

In the area of discussions, blogs tend to be one-sided discussions; in essence they are really a topical discourse or exposition. A very loose discussion could take place using a blog; but two things would have to take place. First the willingness of a reader to use the comment section of the blog and two the blogger’s willingness to respond to the comment.

The teaching aspect of this kind of blogging would follow along the lines of “this is what I believe and this is why I believe it.” Again, keep in mind that this type of blogging is very informal, subjective, and speculative in nature.

Think about a blog on cooking. If I had a blog on cooking I might have a current event of a few blogs dealing with cooking certain foods such as Japanese, or Norwegian. Maybe a few weeks later I stared blogging about fixing breakfasts. Later on I might start a current section on cooking utensils. Remember current issues are what the blogger is currently blogging about...such a blogging as a teaching tool... : )