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 Michael J. Ruiz
III.  Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
   In this article, Ferdig and Trammell discuss the pedagogy behind blogging; offer suggestions as how to implement blogs into the classroom, the benefits of student blogging, and various resources for educational blogging needs.  Ferdig and Trammell site Vygotsky's educational theory to help validate the educational value of blogging by stating that teachers "can infer the process by which students transform meanings and strategies appropriated within the social domain, making those strategies their own" (Ferdig & Trammell 2004).  The authors go onto claim that blogs are useful teaching and learning tools because they provide a space for students to reflect and publish their thoughts and understandings (2004).   Blogs also provide educators a way to incorporate an interactive and reflective component to all different areas of education across for a wide variety of students with different abilities and reading and writing levels. 
      One important aspect that Ferdig and Trammell failed to incorporate into their article was how to successfully assess student blogs.  In a time where documentation needs to be presented to show the effectiveness of programs, it is essential to have a clear-cut path of assessment in taking on a project of this nature.  Ferdig and Trammell's mention of some of the downfalls of blogging is of assistance in warning potential users of problems that can occur while implementing blogging in the classroom.
      While enrolled in Introduction to Authoring Tools, students were introduced to blogging and required to maintain a blog for the semester.  This experience was pivotal in selecting this article because I can see how effective this tool can be in my Social Studies classes.  After further research, I plan to approach my administrators about possibly implementing them in my classes next September.  The ability to reflect upon personal learning, edit and update thoughts, and the potential for discussions outside the classroom make quite blogging motivating.


     Ferdig, R. E., & Trammell, K. D. (2004).  Content delivery in the "blogosphere".  T H E Journal, 31, 7.

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