Using Blogs in Higher Education Programs in Mexico: Lessons Learned

Abstract

The use of Blogs in Mexico as a tool to enhance higher face-to-face courses in a Blended learning context begun in 2003, just two years after the emerging of first edublogs in the world and nine years ago from the first threaded forums in the Web. This paper presents some learnings derived from almost eight years of experience, categorized in three stages according with the manners of use of that Blogs in classroom. The experience with edublogs in Higher Education in Mexico, can be analyzed based on five main categories: a) learnings about the educative use of Blogs, covering repeating old fashion practices, simulation practices and lacks b) learnings about the design and its implications, c) learnings about the motivation of teachers and students, covering sources of motivation and causes for fall of it, d) learnings about the kind of interaction between the participants, and e) learnings about the institutional environment that hosts the courses.