Blogging vs Discussion Board
Blogging vs Discussion Boards
Blogs and Discussion Boards do seem to be very similar and in many ways can obtain the same end goal. Both blogging and discussion boards allow students and instructors to interact on a topic through comments or threads. Differences between these two forms of online communication are what can really set them apart.
Blogging is a great communication format for students to create and keep personal, only sharing what they want to. Writing could provide them with a space for cathaisi and venting about emotions and stressful situations of daily life (Celdran, Serrat, Villar, & Montserrat, 2021).
This can be a great way to facilitate student journaling, with journal entries either kept private, shared with just the instructor, or shared more widely ("Blogs and Discussion Boards", 2022). The ability to interact with people was the most commonly cited reason for blogging (Pettigrew, Archer, & Harrigan, 2015).
Discussion boards seem to offer similar communication lines. Allowing groups of individuals to talk about different topics in one local area. A major difference is that the communication lines this time can be limited by each individual instructor. Meaning who can see the posts and grading when needed, guided discussion, and open lines of communication.
Blogging and Discussion boards carry a similar set of expectations. Just a little different from each other to reach different groups of people. Personally, I feel blogging is a great place to journal to share your emotions and discussion boards offer a more structured with limitations.
References:
Blogs and Discussion Boards. Vanderbilt University. (2022). Retrieved 8 September 2022, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blogs/.
Celdrán, M., Serrat, R., Villar, F., & Montserrat, R. (2021). Exploring the Benefits of Proactive Participation among Adults and Older People by Writing Blogs. Journal Of Gerontological Social Work, 65(3), 320-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2021.1965688
Pettigrew, S., Archer, C., & Harrigan, P. (2015). A Thematic Analysis of Mothers’ Motivations for Blogging. Maternal And Child Health Journal, 20(5), 1025-1031. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-015-1887-7
Yes, I agree blogging tends to be on a more personal level, similar to journaling to the universe, maybe not needing a comment but putting your thoughts out there. I also agree discussion boards seem to focus more on academic conversations possibly ending up in a grade and usually with a more select group of individuals such as you said a certain class. I think blogs also offer a bit more in options of adding creativity to the page along with embedding other's thoughts or links to relevant topic information. The timeline may look a little different as well. Thank you for sharing your insight.
ReplyDeleteCan I just share that I love your quote at the top? Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteLike our discussion boards in class, I did not read any other blogs until I did my own and I honestly had a hard time deciding exactly what to write! At first, I was like, these are the exact same thing, writing, reflecting, sharing with others. But, then as I sat with it awhile, I could find some differences to discuss.
@Jen shared that blogging may be just about getting your thoughts out there, not needing a response. For this class blog, we do need to respond. But, otherwise, absolutely this is a huge difference with discussion boards. But, I think with being on the internet, there is going to a response so if you put a blog out there, be prepared :-)
Hey there!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that blogs feel like a more natural space to be reflective and capture the feeling of journaling. I'm sure that's what instructors really want, in the end, and that's why we're here instead of having this discussion over Canvas! As I've thought about this topic for the past week, I've wondered what it really is about Canvas that gives it that structured feeling you described. Like, what is holding all of us up from really being able to reflect and connect in that space that Blogger enables us to do? I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but I'm certain I'll continue pondering on it during the duration of this blogging exercise.