A SCHOOL professor from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has cited the potential of blogging in distance education in the Philippines during an international conference titled “Living in the Information Society: the Impact of ICTs on People, Work, and Communities in Asia.”
Former UPOU Dean of the Faculty of Development Studies Dr. Paz Diaz said in her presentation, “Blogging as a Strategy for Teaching and Learning” noted that the use of blogs has several advantages to both students and teachers.
In particular, Diaz said that through blogging, students and teachers are able to share ideas and discuss topics beyond the classroom.
Students are also able to catch up on the topics that were missed in class through blogs, which also provide accurate summaries of course content that prospective students and new teachers can use as reference.
On the other hand, Diaz noted in her paper that blogging is still in its infancy as a tool for education. She added that teachers should be encouraged to initiate blogging among their students.
“Some believe that blogging will be a good strategy for teaching, but are still to take the steps toward reaping the benefits of blogging in their classes,” Diaz said.
Meanwhile, another paper titled “Modes of Learning and Performance Among UPOU 206 Graduate Students” revealed that learners of online, classroom and mix-mode perform at the same level. It also revealed that graduate students have high satisfaction with distance learning.
The study, co-authored by UPOU Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Victoria Bautista and UP researcher Dr. Maria Ana Quimbo, also revealed that the positive response of students to new modes of distance education is due to teachers’ initiatives to interact with students as well as with their peers.
May 24th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Can those interested in a copy of the papers ask for them here? Thanks!