The process of writing has evolved. Thanks to online publishing and blogs, blogging allows both established writers and everyday citizens to cultivate and interact with audiences regardless of their physical locations. And as an educational tool, blogs can be useful: along with giving students a place to practice writing, it also allows them to share their writing with classmates and instructors. Blogs can also serve as home base for groups of students or classes, where students write posts and interact with each other in comment sections.
There’s a wide range of low-cost and free blog clients, but WordPress can offer students and instructors in higher education a unique blogging experience. Originally designed as an online publishing client, WordPress is capable of providing several additional uses for teaching and learning.
WordPress as Virtual Classroom
Using a WordPress blog can help students and instructors stay in touch both in and outside the physical classroom. As online learning becomes a more integral part of higher education, instructors are using blog software to help teach students and keep track of their progress. WordPress allows group access to blogs, and instructors use their administrator rights to moderate comments, post polls and quiz questions, and answer questions about assignments.
WordPress as Content Management System
In the business world, a content management system is a platform that allows people to collect data and resources in a collaborative environment. For teaching and learning, a content management system could help instructors and students collect, evaluate and use resources for class assignments. With plugins that allow users to find WordPress posts related to a blog’s content tags and keep track of comments, students can connect what they write for their courses to other content on the Internet.
WordPress as Online Portfolio
Online portfolios are used by colleges and universities all over the country to give students a repository for their work throughout their college years; they can also serve as online resumes and give students and new graduates a platform to showcase examples of their work. With the guidance of an instructor, students can collaborate with classmates to choose which assignments and projects best represent what they’ve learned in their courses. Once a student graduates, he can create a WordPress account of his own that works as a virtual storefront, giving his potential clients a way to contact him.
Using WordPress as a teaching and learning tool can be an exceptional tool to get students engaged with their class materials and classmates. Its simple architecture, easy access and popularity also make it a tool that students are likely to learn easily. Blogging is just one of the tools instructors are using in higher education, but it’s also an effective one; the more students are able to take charge of their own writing, the more likely they are to write well in school and beyond.
About the author: Lindsey Harper Mac is a professional writer living in the Indianapolis area. She writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University. Lindsey is currently completing work on her graduate degree.
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