Professors and students can now connect by common networks outside the classroom by logging on to blogging and social networking websites.
Sharing thoughts on topics of mutual interest has become an easy ways for many students to connect with their professors and vice versa.
The blogging revolution, which started in the early years of the World Wide Web, has proven to be more than just a fad. Unlike most internet phenomenon, blogging has yet to collapse in upon itself.
“I blog to vent my feelings, to keep in touch with my friends and update them on what’s going on in my life,” Andrea Forster, 20, graphic design major, said.
Many students use blogging as a medium to release anxieties, to share what they have experienced in a day or a week and hopefully get some feedback from other bloggers.
“I think it’s kind of cool to have access to professors through a website that I check everyday,” Forster said. “It makes it easier to contact a professor, unlike dealing with office hours that do not match my schedule.”
The medium goes beyond personal interests, is not restricted by geography and is rarely censored. All kinds of individuals are joining various networks.
Professors are innovating in their classes by creating blogs and profiles on social networking sites.
“I am on a continual quest to improve how my classroom operates – not only as a benefit to me but to my students as well,” Kell Stone, professor of sociology said, “So I use MySpace to post bulletins, documents such as syllabus, project instructions, study guides, etcetera, as a means of communication to some of the 200 plus students I have.”
MySpace is the No. 1 social networking site today, while others like Facebook follow. Blogger is the No. 1 blogging website, but it focuses exclusively on blogging while social networking sites allow individuals to send message back and forth in addition to posting blogs.
Specifically focused blog sites like TheHuffingtonPost.com, which focuses on politics, can be a hub for keeping onto of current events in a specific arena.
While these websites are easily accessible, some students have gone a step further.
“At the beginning of eighth grade, I created my own blog from scratch, I implemented Blogger into my page,” Jesse Brownstein, 20, business marketing said.
“I post funny stuff, movie reviews, things that happen at school, some entries are like a journal, I guess, as well as teacher reviews.”
Different people use blogs and social networking sites for different things.
“I think it is a great outlet. I usually tend to write whenever I’m down about something or confused about life, issues,” Efrain Plascencia Davila, 21, computer science, said. “I usually feel better afterward, like a weight has been lifted.”
Many people think that, since blogging is available to anyone with internet access it decreases in quality.
“Anyone can do it now, they add junk to the internet. It’s a bit discouraging now,” Brownstein said.
Stone begs to differ.
“I have been able to use this medium as a tool for connecting with students in a new way and providing an equalized electronic forum for the exchange of ideas,” Stone said.
