A blog can have a single author or multiple contributors. In an educational context, blogs are being used as simple e-portfolios, promoting deeper learning and reflective writing skills. By linking blogs into groups, peer-supported communities can be created. The ability to allow comments from readers moves a simple blog post to a much more discursive learning experience.
Please note, blogs created within Blackboard are restricted to each course cohort only. A Blog is visible to all the course or group, i.e. all students can post & see each others posts. Whereas a journal is private between the individual student and the course instructor(s), i.e. students only see their own journal posts in chronological order. Both blogs and journals can be commented on and/or graded.
There are subtle differences between a Blackboard Group Blog and a Blackboard Group Journal (See Journals)
- Group blog
- Visible to all students, only members of the group can post. Students not in the group can see it.
- Group journal
- Visible to members of the group, only members of the group can post. Students not in the group cannot see it.
A blog is intended to be used for diarised type commentary by an individual or group that is accessible to all users of the module for review and comment. You can create individual, group, or module blogs.
Journals are intended for one-to-one communication between a student and lecturer or as a personal journal for a student. When a group journal is used the communication is between the group (not the individual members) and the lecturer. This tutorial shows you how to create a journal for your students to use.