WEBLOGS AS AN EMERGING GENRE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Weblogs create an identity for an individual in such a way that they get a chance to write up about their personal information such as the journey they have undertaken until where they are today, comment on the current issues that are happening around them, and also speak their minds. Bloggers have a way of writing when writing their blogs, they keep the same trend and does not necessarily mean they focus only on their blogs but they also read other people's blogs and comment on them, they may also refer to others while they write their own in order to acknowledge that person's work on their blogs to show that they have not plagiarized that person's work. It further emphasize the challenge educators are facing with regard to their students' work of which most of them plagiarize other people's work by taking them from the internet and cut and paste them as their own (Vernon, Bigna, & Smith, 2001) but they have came up with an online way of dictating whether the student has or has not plagiarized (Greenfield, 2001). Gives us a reassurance that on weblogs plagiarism does not usually happen since there are some hyperlinks of which one needs to give so as to site the information he/she has taken from someone's work as an evidence that you say that it is not  actually your own work but someone else's. Students use blogs to research about certain information taught in class or even when doing their assignments to get more information of the inside of what the topic is really about.

It has been a great journey indeed but at first it showed me flames since it was the first time I was using it, and with time it got better and now I can write anything and everything anytime I want and feel like doing it, without hesitating of having to make an appointment with someone who has to help me. I remember when the first time I created this Blog and I had to write about "The barriers of ICT in South African school" and wrote everything down and after that I had to typed everything on the blog and I did and saved the work with the thought of saying I will edit it later on but then when I decided to finish it up and I opened my Blog and I did not know where to go so that I can get my work and finish with it and I was so depressed and I knew by then that it was time to seek for help and I did, they showed me how it was done and by looking at them doing it, it was so easy and I thought to myself what kind of living being am I, how could I fail to access such an easy thing like that but then it they have already shown me. After that one experience I tried to do it on my own but then there came a time I had to post a map of the school where I went to schooling at, and I struggled again and again and again but keeping it in mind that they have told me to come back if I need help and one day I swallowed my pride and went for help again and they helped me but now I can do it myself and even assist some of the first years' students who needs help.

Encourage students to create their blogs as a way to asses their level of intelligence, the language used, and the knowledge of the topic given to them as to whether indeed they have done their homework correctly. It will also be a guideline to these student to critically think thoroughly of the topic,  find ways to approach it by analyzing it effectively so. Lecturer should also give students a chance to write their reflection of the content taught in class weekly so that it gives the lectures the inside of what the students lacks and needs assistance about what and where, since some of the students find it difficult to ask questions in class because of the different reasons for instances their self- esteem is too low, they are afraid to be mocked by other students if their question is not that straight forward or even the language used is not that perfect, so Blog will serve as a voice to such students and they will indeed participate in it, not only to get good grade but to show the whole world of the kind of talent that is hidden within.