Blog

A blog (weblog shortening) is an electronic publication or informative page presenting material in the reverse chronological sequence, with the most current articles appearing first. This is a forum where a writer, or even a community of authors, expresses their thoughts on a particular topic. It is one of the communicative tools providing the bloggers to publish write up, related images, videos, audio clips, and so on to attract the viewers. The key aim of a blog, though, is to bind you to the appropriate audience. One is to improve your views and deliver content to your website. The more regular and excellent the blog articles are, the greater the odds of the website getting noticed and viewed by your target market. That ensures that a blog is an important method for producing the lead.

Blogs need frequent updates. Good examples include a food blog sharing meal recipes, blogging about your experiences, and sharing of opinions based on the situations. Blogs promote perfect reader engagement. Readers have an opportunity to communicate their various thoughts to the audience. Blog owners periodically refresh their page with new blog entries. 

We were also supposed to create an ICT module blog and start writing on various ICT resources in the teaching and learning setting. Exploring blogs was difficult as a novice. However, with the support of the mentor and Internet discovery, I have managed to effectively handle the functionality of the blog and post-reflection on ICT resources. Fortunately, with the support of the mentor and Internet discovery, I have managed to effectively handle the functionality of the blog, and post-reBlogging should be used as a method to connect contact between author and viewer in a learning setting for reflective writing or some other journal entry. Blogging offers a forum for students to explore subjects beyond the school. With a blog, each person has a chance to share their thoughts and opinions.lection on ICT resources. In fact, the input I got from viewers in the comment section helped me improve my writings and generate high-quality writings.


Blogging offers you the chance to be innovative! It is one of the aspects I've always enjoyed the blogging method. Of course, there's a creative writing dimension and an ability to discuss new topics. But there's always a problem-solving dimension to coming up with new ideas (an ability that a blogger also requires. Constantly absorbing knowledge is not the best way to know and develop. We need space to be able to process and reflect information. Blogging will be a perfect opportunity to integrate daily meditation into the classroom curriculum. Many teachers want to encourage this to happen spontaneously, whilst some are scaffolding the reflective cycle with prompts.

Communicative tools

Reflection on ICT as a communicative tool

Zoom App for discussion

After studying and some experimentation, I have come to realize that ICT also serves as a communicative device. I discovered that communicative devices are mechanisms that mediate contact between teacher and student, or between students outside the classroom's physical barrier (either through space, time, or both). I realized that in today's country situation of taking precaution to stay home because of COVID 19, teaching and learning are taking place through online chatting, teleconferencing, video conferencing (Meet app, zoom), Bhutan E-learning projects, emails, Google classroom, virtual learning environment forums, etc. All of the above are communicative resources that support both the learners and the teacher prepare for the successful learning that can happen in these crises.

I learned there are two kinds of communicative tools. They are synchronized and in harmony. Users must be connected simultaneously in an asynchronous tool to allow real-time communication to occur and the teacher can also use it for instructional activities that require a higher degree of interaction. For example chat, voice chat, video conferencing, etc. Whereas in asynchronous it does not allow the talking persons to be registered simultaneously on the internet. In this, I learned that this type of communicative method helps teachers, as well as learners, build and engage in events that need more time to consider before they respond. For example, email, e-bulletin boards, VLE discussion forum, we chat, blog, etc. Having learned about these two types of tools, I perceived that online courses promote the effective and are one of the ways to conduct classes to meet the learning goal.

                                        

Network issue
hampering the
online communication

Although ICT plays a crucial role in learning it is also expensive. Also, when we have an online discussion, some of the challenges we faced were, lots of interruption, miscommunication, it's difficult to conclude the ideas of different participants and it takes a long time to combine the points with one person. I would guarantee that an informed debate can not be properly performed until the computer / any device is linked to a powerful internet and all the thoughts that participants share are systemic. Whatever contact takes place through communicative devices, understanding the source is vital to any user as it has high risks of getting into cyberbullying trouble.

However, several online communities give us the ability to share our thoughts, such as blogs, emails, WeChat, VLE and conversations about the interactive learning environment. As in the blog situation, we can connect with readers by blog writing, sharing videos, posting similar images about specific themes that we wanted to share. And if our thoughts are still conveyed by face-to-face contact. These communicative resources help learners generate room for knowledge building, opening spaces for learners to communicate a thought, getting direct input, and seeking answers for each particular academic learning. Many learners don't need to travel individually to apply an essay, as the machine has the online submission feature. It is the best way to ask experienced someone for help. So communicative devices are part of our everyday lives in this 21st century.

Informative Tools

Reflection on ICT as informative tools

Usage of different types of ICT tools such as informative, communicative, constructive, and situating tools are used to engage students in higher-order-thinking. All tools got benefits but for now, I will be reflecting on what I have learned on ICT as an informative tool. Probably will see how it played an important role in engaging students in higher-order thinking skills and how it helps in teaching effectively. In this 21^st century, I truly believe that learning by doing helps the brain to remember things better. As when we compare the scale of learning through normal lecture session to the scale of exploring the materials and learning from different informative ICT tools, I understood that learning from exploration from different sources such like television, radio, internet (social media, chat room, forums, blogs, www) is better. It is because helps to have effective teaching and learning to take place.

Laptop as a device to search
for informations 

However, from all informative tools, I have realized that television, radio is no longer used much for information seeking in the field of teaching and learning but we are more into the internet which is far the most a popular source of information and the preferred choice for information ahead of television, newspapers, and radio.  We can see multiples of the information uploaded online so as a teacher or information searcher, we have to be a critical person to choose the latest, effective, relevant information for the betterment of teaching and learning to happen. So for that, I came across the term internet web evaluation where I learned that anyone can put anything on the internet, no one oversees what is put on the internet for accuracy and documents can easily be copied with omissions and errors. For that, we need to evaluate sources involving five criteria such as accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage.  

Moreover, I get to understand how we use ICT as an informative tool in our daily lessons and some of the benefits of using ICT as an informative tool. To have effective teaching to happen in the lesson, teachers need to provide information/reference/ content for the students in the beginning or during or after the activity. Provide information to boost the higher level of thinking of students such as analyzing, synthesizing, manipulating, constructing, creative thinking, and critical thinking. Similarly, I have learned that when we use ICT as informative tools we get to learn to integrate relevant ideas, learn to analyze the information, and develop information search skills (web evaluation).

    Surfing net for pieces of information                                                                      

         I have perceived that learning is better when we use different tools, like that when we explore the information on women playing Khuru (dart game) in Bhutan we got to understand the perception of different people. It helped us to learn better as we can see many graphics, visual, kinesthetic and so on. For example, the lesson is on solar systems, students can explore relevant, accurate information on it. We can find many simulators for a better understanding of those concepts unlike just plan teaching in class about the solar system will be boring plus students will not get beyond the class of exploration.  As a teacher, if we can’t connect to our students to the world of ICT if we aren’t connected to ourselves, therefore, we should be well aware and updated to this world of digitals.

 Link for the presentation on Women playing Khuru in Bhutan
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11qb6q_zNbPl_IyhriVnIz6QT8kCM-LwJsSnVIGShxyY/edit?usp=sharing