Its nice getting started on this blog space. I will be sharing reflections on my activities during the Webskills online course. I have been blogging previously at www.namse.wordpress.com and www.thenamsechronicles.wordpres.com.
Setting up this blog did not pose much of a challenge but I learnt some new tips. I never knew you could convert words into hyper links. I can now hyper link words on my blog.
Blogs are a very good means of expressing yourself to the world. It can be a means of releasing creative energy. The concept of classroom blogging is quite necessary for both students and each. It helps introducing a non personalized approach to teaching and learning. It removes the terseness and inhibitions sometimes found in the classroom and provides a new frontier for student-teacher communication. There are however some challenges and questions that arise in the use of classroom blogging especially among we in developing countries.
On a technical level, many areas lack adequate infrastructure to cope effectively with the demands of classroom blogging. The perennial problem of power is a paramount challenge facing many communities in my area and hampers students and teachers access to the internet.
There is also the cost of internet access is also an issue. In Nigeria it costs approximately $30 (N6000) per month to get internet data to conveniently take a person for a month. There needs to be significant increase in internet access for classroom blogging to bear fruits in these parts.
On the other hand there are questions relating culture and local educational practices that need to be answered. At what age or class should pupils be allowed to blogging? In a country like Nigeria with a very diverse population it would be difficult to incoporate classroom blogging before university level. Many students well of families who attend high brow private school from primary level would be able to, but what percentage of the total population of students are they?
There is also a perverse conservative culture, where many people, even teachers are reluctant to embrace new technology. These are some of the factors that we teachers in Nigeria would consider before commencing classroom blogging.
Hello Namse,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is great, and I enjoyed reading your post. The Internet is very expensive in the United States, too. Private Internet access in one's home is about $80 per month! The good news is that many cafes and restaurants have free wifi for customers to use.
Donna
Hi Namse,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is fantastic! I am interested in knowing how to hyperlink words in my own blog. I will appreciate if you help in that direction. I agree with you that teachers in this part of the continent are very conservative and reluctant to embrace ICTs in teaching. That is the case in Cameroon too. While it is true that access to the Internet is costly, I find that many teachers here lack interest in using it in their teaching activities. Most of them are not very interested even in professional development. It is a pity, but I believe we can influence their attitudes and obtain positive results, especially after this course.
Nsah Mala
Cameroon