Core Activity 9.1: Desktop research – Blogs and Blogging

Serial (a)	Blog Category  (b)	Example Site (c)	Notes (d)
1	Reflective Personal	http://grantkellyou.blogspot.com/ http://collinsmh808.blogspot.com/	Reflection often instigated by the need for assessment therefore often institute or assessment driven.  Continued as ‘Habit’ forming.  But many personal Blogs lie dormant.  As intuitional or course derived, continuation after the course is sometimes problematic.
2	Reflection Professional	http://quantumlearningblog.wordpress.com/ http://wedderburn-college.blogspot.com/	Reflection of professional learning.  Possibly assessment driven but often done for Professional level learning. More likely where reflection is seen as a core professional trait and a stepping stone to professional recognition. Evidence to suggest that these reflective blogs (1&2) are less likely to have feedback or response as opposed to below (3).  Can be either personal professional or corporate professional.
3	Intellectual Exchange, Data Mining / Research	http://edtechdev.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/the-digital-natives-digital-immigrants-distinction-is-dead-or-at-least-dying/	Research orientation. Academic musing over concept, thought or approach.  May be used as two way communication tool (debate in public) and often become more forum orientated.  Expert opinion aired for feedback. (Williams and Jacobs, 2004)
4	Signposting / pathway	http://www.downes.ca/ http://sperry20.edublogs.org/ http://www.academicevolution.com/	Assistance to fellow educators, students etc undertaking the same learning journey. (Oravec, 2002????) Range from ‘Evangelical’ to ‘informative’ in perspective. Danger of being viewed as authority on subject where bias is clear. (Corbyn, 2008, Kirkup, 2010)
5	Community Creation & Communication	http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-2010-introduction/ http://blog.techsmith.com/edublog/
6	Political persuasion	http://www.educationstate.org/

 I seem to have put the references some where safe!!  Here's some.....     

Brown, S. (2006) ‘The Blogging Spectrum - An alternative classification system for the blogosphere’, blog entry posted 8 August, 2006. Available online:http://modernl.com/article/the-blogging-spectrum

Corbyn, Z. (2008) ‘By the blog: academics tread carefully’, Times Higher Education, 9 October 2008. Available from:http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=403827 (accessed 5 Jan 2011).