The formal definition given to blogs is "a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style". The most important emphasis here is perhaps ‘informal’ and ‘conversational style’.

On the other hand, typical websites are perceived as top of the class, requiring tedious works e.g. create and maintain lay-out, accessibility issues, HCI (Human Computer Interaction), buying one’s own IP address, etc.

With the advent of mobile technologies, young learners join the higher educational sector, being an expert in social networks and chat languages, mostly with a disregard for the language used and the impact of their interaction on social networks.

Blogs present a nice combination between social networks and websites, with a pinch of professionalism.

2 case studies are presented here:

1. Undergraduate Biology students working with me over their summer holidays
2. Students enrolled in MSc Plant Diversity (blogging approach introduced by a Dr Alastair Culham)

1.In this case study, part of the students’ weekly task was to create a blog about what they have learnt over the week, to reflect on i and how to carry their findings ahead (http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/bioscience-skills/). The benefits that the students highlighted from this experience include:

• No specific IT skills are required, unlike creating/maintaining web pages. Some students really enjoyed the process, as they used to think that blogging was difficult and thought they did not have the skills to blog. Besides, some of the students, saw blogging as a step into to academic writing, especially that they have a dissertation at the end of their studies and a poster presentation.
• The fact that they had to reflect and write their reflection down, they were able to grasp the concepts better and link different materials together.
• For some students, their online presence was very meaningful to them. They were really excited with their works, and took pride in producing their blogs. They were able to google themselves and get search results. Some wanted to take it a step further and went on to create web portfolios and LinkedIn pages. This closely refers to the concept that Dr Cope introduced in his vdeo on Collaborative Intelligence, Part 5C: Extrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation.
• These students were also involved in a Digital Literacy project, whereby, the aim was to increase their digital skills to increase their employability. Despite being biological sciences undergraduates, these students were able to use technologies efficiently and effectively.

2. This case study is based on the regular blogging that Plant Diversity students have to do (http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/tropical-biodiversity/). This teaching approach was one of the first of its kind in the institution and was soon adopted by other departments.  The blogging approach brought about various interactions and social learning.

• Students were keen to blog, as they were able to reflect over a particular concept that they have learnt in theory. This was very crucial to the students, as they felt they were often judged if they give their personal views (e.g. on social network).
• Besides, many went further to even amalgamate different concepts from different modules, to present a flow of ideas, highlighting their creativity and overview of how things fit in a broader perspective.
• With blogging, students were able to share their thoughts, have comments from their peers and others, reflect on the comments, improve their works, and in some cases explain why they were not taking some suggestions on board. Everything was documented, so that their peers could read the suggestions and incorporate relevant ones in their own work.  There was a social stickiness which is present in social media. Learning was reshaped to be collective and collaborative learning rather than individual learning.  So there was no concept of top students, but instead all were equally good, as highlighted in Dr Cope’s video on Collaborative Intelligence (Part 5D: Success and Failure in Performance Based Assessments).
•  Following from the previous point, it was also noticed that students who were not academically driven, were very creative in the way they presented the concepts. They used visually appealing photos and media to represent concepts and some were represented their ideas in a nice narrative flow. 

REFERENCES:

• http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/bioscience-skills/
• http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/tropical-biodiversity/
• Dr Cope’s video on Collaborative Intelligence, Part 5C: Extrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
• Dr Cope's video on Collaborative Intelligence, Part 5D: Success and Failure in Performance Based Assessments