Blending by Blogging: weblogs in blended learning initiatives
Weblogs (blogs) are emerging in many educational contexts as
vehicles for personal expression and the dissemination and
critique of Internet materials. The study of the weblog
phenomenon in itself can convey important insights about social
construction; hundreds of thousands of blogs emerged worldwide
within a fairly short time span without considerable direction
from corporations or other institutions. Strategic approaches
toward blended learning environments are often instructor-
centered, with control of the mix of educational approaches in
the instructor's hands. In contrast, weblogs are a flexible
medium that can be used in approaches that provide educational
participants with a middle space of options as to how to
integrate face-to-face and online modes. Weblog construction
encourages the development of individual, critical voices within
the broader context of classroom interactions.