Functionality of a blog

Overview
A Blog is a website that an individual can make regular entries on. The entries may use text, images, videos and links to other sites. (CQUniversity, 2010)

Strength
Anyone with internet connectivity can access the blog, and make comments. It can be designed to be easy to use and to interact with. Links to other valuable information at other sites can be included. Multiple pages can be added, but (in blogger) individual pages do not have different blogs, so subjects can not be separated on the one blog. On-line polls can be used to gauge points of view on different subjects.

Weakness
Individuals using a blog need to have a degree of IT knowledge in order to navigate the interface and screens to build and maintain a blog. Defamatory messages can be displayed. The individual's knowledge and understanding can be used by other people in a negative manner.

Opportunity
Blogs can be used in learning and in class-based activities as a virtual diary to show steps used during learning or completing a task. I personally can see this to be an advantage in subjects like Home Economics, where process journals need to be kept as an assignment task. A blog would allow for students to reflect on the subject, in class and at home, and could be used to meet assessment requirements.

Threat
Copyright, time management and ensuring confidential or inappropriate information is not included when it is viewed or created and uploaded is vitally important.

Compatibility to learning style
Great for a variety of learning styles, it can be adapted to suit most students.

What learning theory it is most used for (links to this blog site)
Blogs can be used in a multiple of ways that use different learning theories, examples include

• Creating a blog can be used for Constructivism.
• Searching and viewing blogs can be a form of Connectivism.
  

Meaning to me
Blogs are a very important tool to use in the classroom, it demonstrates learning and as in the example of this blog site, the synopsis at the end can be used for an assessment. A very worthy tool that I had zero knowledge of before starting this course.

CQUniversity. (2010). Practical Activity: Week 1 - Blogs and concept maps. Retrieved 5 November, 2010, from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=142867