The Limits of Media on Blogger

Today's article is going to look at the limits of digital media on this platform and how it could shape the learning and pedagogy for both student and teacher. While the platform allows for the obvious aspect of digital media in the creation or articles and blog posts. Other aspects, namely the creation of digital media such as videos or audio are limited, or omitted entirely.

As seen in the picture above, Blogger offers access to online links, photos and videos. Links can extend to other websites, allowing the option for the teacher to embed other articles or websites which students can access when looking for definitions to words, or to offer extended reading options. In doing so students can research and explore subjects further, or the teacher can embed additional knowledge which while not mandatory offers the ability to deepen understanding. In addition, videos and images can be embedded however these must come from outside sources. 

In terms of images, the individual can upload ones already saved to the computer, or they can find an image address and embed the image via URL. Similarly for videos the author can upload their own from the computer, or they can find one via youtube and embed it in the article. While finding the URL and listing the Youtube link are easier and quicker, one is left to the whim of the internet. Namely, if those images or videos were to be removed, then the images and video would no longer work on the blog post. While uploading from the computer is more time consuming, it offers a long-term solution and minimises the risk of the individuals work being marred by outside circumstances.

While the act of creating a blog is easy, if students were expected to do assessments such as perform a presentation and embed that presentation in the article, they would need to use a variety of other programs to achieve this effect. Students would need to record using outside technology such as webcams, performing through PowerPoint, or they may video themselves and then upload the video to their computer before then uploading it to the article. In considering these aspects, Blogger is as its named, suited for blogging. As a mode of assessment beyond the written word it can be adapted, but the process of doing so requires the use of multiple mediums for students to be able to successfully submit assessments. 

For students to use Blogger for multimedia elements, the best way to secure their safety would be for them to upload videos, images, and audio from their own computers instead of embedding them via online sources such as Youtube. In doing so, the student reduces their digital footprint and allows the teacher to safely monitor their online use and maximise their safety. Students may forget to update their privacy settings on Youtube for example and while Blogger can be kept private, indiviudals would be able to publically access the students through YouTube resulting in a lack of security. 

 Blogger can be used for assessments related to the use of digital media but it requires a lot of additional work related to other platforms in order to integrate it effectively. Primarily it should be used for written assessments, such as articles and blog posts. However, there could be ways in which it could be used for multimedia/hybridised assessment. Students could for example upload a video of a re-enactment, and use the blog to write down the transcript. Such a way would use the aspects of Blogger in embedding the video, while focusing on what it does best, namely the creation of articles and written texts. 

 Below is an example of a creating a digital assessment using the SAMR system: