Weblogs@upei
      ?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      As
      many
      are
      already
     
     
      aware,
      UPEI
      now
      has
      its
     
     
      own
      weblogging
      platform
      available
      for
      all
      students
      and
      fac-
     
     
      ulty
      (so
      join
      up!).
      Weblogs
      (blogs)
      in
      the
      university
      setting,
     
     
      and
      any
      setting
      for
      that
      matter,
      are
      a
      valuable
      way
      to
      promote
     
     
      a
      community
      and
      learning
      atmosphere.
      How
      do
      blogs
     
     
      accomplish
      that?
      That's
      the
      question
      I
      asked
      when
      I
      first
     
     
      began
      blogging
      about
      ten
      months
      ago;
      I
      am
      sure
      many
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      just
      being
      introduced
      to
      blogging
      are
      asking
      the
      same
     
     
      question.
      Blogs
      give
      everyone
      an
      equal
      voice
      in
      an
      open
     
     
      environment;
      each
      person
      has
      the
      opportunity
      to
      participate
     
     
      in
      the
      discussions
      that
      are
      important
      to
      them
      and
      their
      com-
     
     
      munity.
     
    

    
     
      Therein
      lies
      the
      power
      of
      using
      weblogs
      as
      a
      tool
      for
     
     
      teaching:
      the
      students
      are
      able
      to
      be
      actively
      involved
      in
      dis-
     
     
      cussion
      topics
      that
      would
      be
      impossible
      in
      a
      classroom
      set-
     
     
      ting
      due
      to
      time
      and
      personality
      constraints.
      Weblogs@UPEI
     
     
      offers
      this
      opportunity
      to
      professors
      and
      other
      groups
      to
      cre-
     
     
      ate
      a
      ‘virtual’
      classroom,
      not
      as
      a
      substitute,
      but
      as
      a
      further
     
     
      way
      to
      add
      value
      to
      the
      learning
      experience.
     
    

    
     
      Everything
      is
      changing
      so
      quickly
      that
      it
      is
      unreason-
     
     
      able
      to
      teach
      the
      same
      material
      to
      students
      every
      year.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      |
      Student
      Union
      |
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      Cadre
      Online
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Home
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      Cormmmunity
     
     
      Posted
      by
      Webings@upei
      on
      Sat,
      10/02/2004
      -
      17:44
     
    
   
   
    
     
      WeblogsGuUPEt
     
     
      Content
      by
      Topic
      _
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Popular
      Entries
      Bus24la
      MIS
      far
      the
      information
      Age
     
     
      News
      Bus442
      Networking,
      Knowledge,
      &
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arts,
      Entertainment,
      &
      Digital
      Age
     
     
      Need
      a
      group
      created?
      contact
      ust
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
       
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Find
      or
      post
      content
      by
      topic,
      group,
      or
      individual.
      Posts
      can
      be
      anything,
      the
     
     
      However,
      much
      of
      the
      same
      material
      can
      still
      have
      a
      rele-
      Only
      limitation
      is
      your
      imagination
      -
      societies,
      clubs,
      courses,
      personal,
      community
     
    
   
   
    
     
      vance
      to
      the
      class.
      Weblogs
      allow
      the
      professor
      to
      collect
      events,
      social
      calendar,
      buy-sell-trade,...
      The
      list
      is
      endless.
     
     
      and
      keep
      information
      from
      year
      to
      year
      as
      a
      resource
      for
      the
      Soon,
      image
      upload
      support
      will
      be
      included,
      allowing
      you
      to
      share
      a
      campus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      students;
      thus
      the
      students
      of
      tomorrow
      will
      have
      the
      photo
      gallery.
      Additional
      features
      such
      as
      posting
      enhancements
      and
      custom
      tem-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      opportunity
      to
      build
      on
      what
      has
      been
      learned
      in
      the
      past.
      plates
      will
      be
      unveiled
      as
      the
      system
      evolves.
     
    

    
     
      In
      comparison,
      students
      can
      make
      effective
      use
      of
     
     
      weblogs
      as
      a
      way
      to
      collect
      their
      own
      resources
      over
      time.
     
     
      Resources
      such
      as
      online
      dictionaries,
      thesauruses,
      research
     
     
      and
      other
      helpful
      tools
      for
      school
      and
      career.
      Plus,
      these
     
     
      resources
      can
      be
      easily
      shared
      and
      accessed
      by
      other
      students
     
     
      which
      creates
      an
      environment
      for
      exponential
      growth
      in
     
     
      learning.
     
    

    
     
      But
      those
      uses
      for
      weblogs
      only
      explain
      the
      useful-
     
     
      ness
      of
      weblogs
      in
      an
      academic
      setting.
      Weblogs
      are
      even
     
     
      more
      important
      as
      a
      tool
      for
      personal
      expression
      and
      a
      way
     
     
      to
      share
      content
      with
      anyone.
      As
      has
      been
      happening
     
     
      already,
      people
      are
      sharing
      their
      favourite
      web
      pages
      with
     
     
      others
      on
      weblogs@upei.
      Jokes,
      pictures
      and
      music
      have
      all
     
     
      been
      popular
      content
      so
      far.
      So
      post
      whatever
      you
      are
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in,
      because
      chances
      are
      there
      is
      someone
      else
      in
      the
     
     
      community
      who
      is
      interested
      in
      the
      same
      thing
      as
      you
      are.
     
    

    
     
      As
      I
      read
      over
      this
      article,
      I
      realize
      that
      it
      is
      only
      a
     
     
      cursory
      glance
      at
      the
      use
      of
      weblogs@upei
      in
      general.
      So
     
     
      feel
      free
      to
      make
      comments
      on
      this
      and
      any
      other
      article
      on
     
     
      your
      own
      blogs
      and
      at
      the
      Cadre
      online.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Speak
      Out.
     
     
      Joshua
      Arsenault
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      Octeber
      12,
      2004
      page
      16