‘Blogging’ - a contraction of the term ‘web logging’ - is perhaps best
described as a form of micro-publishing. Easy to use, from any Internet
connection point, blogging has become firmly established as a web based
communications tool. The blogging phenomenon has evolved from its early
origin as a medium for the publication of simple, online personal diaries, to
the latest disruptive technology, the ‘killer app’ that has the capacity to
engage people in collaborative activity, knowledge sharing, reflection and
debate (Hiler, 2003). Many blogs have large and dedicated readerships, and
blog clusters have formed linking fellow bloggers in accordance with their
common interests.
This paper explores the potential of blogs as learning spaces for students in
the higher education sector. It refers to the nascent literature on the subject,
explores methods for using blogs for educational purposes in university
courses (eg. Harvard Law School), and records the experience of the
Brisbane Graduate School of Business at Queensland University of
Technology, with its ‘MBA blog’. The paper concludes that blogging has the
potential to be a transformational technology for teaching and learning.