Common Challenges with Blogs

Some challenges to consider when using blogs include:

1. Ineffective contextualization: Students are unsure of the relevance of using technology to learn the course content.
2. Unclear learning outcomes: Students are unclear as to what they are supposed to be learning in the blog.
3. Misuse of the environment: Blogs are used as syllabi or a collection of links rather than as an introspective, individual reflective writing activity.
4. Illusive grading practices: Students contributions improve with clear and transparent grading
5. Inadequate time allocation: Expectations of student’s blog contributions exceed reasonable expectations for out of class learning.

References:

Reynard, R. (2008). Avoiding the 5 most common mistakes in using blogs with students. Campus Technology. Retrieved on Mar, 2014 from http://campustechnology.com/articles/2008/10/avoiding-the-5-most-common-mistakes-in-using-blogs-with-students.aspx

– Jennifer Rausch