BLOGGING...THE PROS AND CONS.

Let's begin with the pros of blogs: Once you figure out the rules for a basic blog, I would say that blogs offer the online learner an easy way of posting classwork (or anything actually) and making changes. It's quick and easy to update at a moment’s notice. Blogs can be used by the online learner to encourage their classmates to participate and even collaborate on different projects. It allows for easy reading and postings and it allows for even the most timid classmates to participate without feeling like they are being judged.

The cons of blogs: The cons of using this technology for the online learning environment would be that many students (and instructors) often don't want to learn new technology--because everyone has varying computer skills. As with any webpage, having a blog requires time to keep the information on it relevant and updated.

In conclusion, always remember that unless you restrict access to your blogs, you are opening up your business to whoever wants to see it on the web. There are many people that just search the web and post the most negative things just to be negative. This could certainly take away from a positive learning environment and could dampen someone's enthusiasm when using this type of media for coursework. It's also always good to remember that even if you've only used the blog for a classroom assignment, whatever you put out there is out there for the whole world to see. As with much technology today, if you put something negative out there, it could come back to bite you later.

All in all, this is one tool that I will continue to use—even outside the classroom. It’s convenient and so far has been lots of fun to learn!! I feel that the pros of using a blog far out-weigh the cons.