Blogging Buddies-The Broncho Way

Watching this video really gave me insight on how blogging can be used for educational purposes within the classroom. It made me more aware that blogging-as well as other new forms of digital media can be used for purposes other than personal entertainment. Our world of online technology and social networks is definitely changing, but I have never thought of using them within the classroom. Students are becoming more and more familiar with these types of websites and forms of media, so it only makes sense to develop ways to use them witin the classroom in a positive way.

I am fairly familiar with online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace. However, I have used them minimally for educational purposes. When I came to college, Facebook was used as a communication tool between myself and other classmates, as well as for student organization groups. It has been a very large part of my communication with peers during my years here at UCO. I have used Facebook to communicate with other students to organize group projects, events, and raise awareness. I have used digital media and websites very minimally for educational purposes, but see that they could become a large part of educational curriculum in the future.

The Blogging Buddies project is a really great idea and makes me interested in trying something similar here at UCO. As a future teacher, I believe using digital media could be very beneficial for my students. I intend to teach Family and Consumer Science courses, which will allow me to teach on a wide variety of subjects. I could use online Food Blogs or Trackers when teaching a section on nutrition. This would allow my students to keep a record of the foods they eat weekly and learn how to make healthier choices.