It always impresses me how far and wide my
blog has reached and how even when I do not upload as much, this blog of
mine manages to reach out and help the masses. Well it is doubly
impressive when a student like this ine below manages to produce a well
written academic essay which warrants a high band. I wish it were this
easy to transfer my skills to students. Congrats
Wong Mee Wan for your impressive attempt.
However,
it is unlikely that a question like this will come out though as
blogging may be considered a specialist subject more relevant to urban
candidates. Nevertheless, kudos!
Question
: Students should start their own blog. Do you agree ? Support your
answer with examples. You should write at least 350 words.
In
recent years, the world has witnessed a significant rise in
technological advancements across all fields. We saw science improved,
mathematical questions answered, and social media flourished. The
mushroom of blogs has positively correlated with the increasingly
affordable price of computers and gadgets. Majority of the bloggers are
students who use it for various purposes. Despite the ongoing debate on
whether students should start their own blog, I strongly agree that
starting a blog and constantly updating it helps develop critical
thinking skills, creates a knowledgeable society and fortifies
multiracial unity.
First and foremost,
starting and updating a blog helps to stimulate a critical way of
thinking. Blog acts as a platform which opens up avenues for sharing and
discussing ideas. Students are free to share their viewpoints with
netizens all over the world and anyone can propose his or her ideas in
the comment section below. Consequently, a discussion will be built up
and the commenters need to analyse the arguments by considering the
issue from different aspects and backgrounds. Thus, critical thinking
skills develop slowly in the students’ mind without one realising it.
For instance, the discussion on the economic issue can only come to an
ideal conclusion through critical analysis of the current situation by
viewing from different aspects, involving the countries, citizens and
resources. Therefore, it is crystal clear that blogging can develop a
critical thinking mind, especially among the students.
In
addition to this, blogging plays a key role in moulding a knowledgeable
society. It is a universal truth that most students in this era of
globalisation where technology reigns adapt better to learning via
electronic media. Furthermore, most students spend more time browsing
the Internet compared to reading books and newspapers. Hence,
information and knowledge shared via blogs can reach more students than
the traditional way of sharing through books. As an exemplification,
students who have created mnemonics to ease the memorisation of
difficult topics in the syllabus can share them via their blogs so that
other students can learn it and even discuss to come up with a better
idea. As a result, the knowledge input of students who access to the
blogs will be escalated dramatically to eventually mould a knowledgeable
society.
Moreover, blogging can enhance the
unity among different races. When students of different races blog
about their unique cultures and traditions, students of other races who
came across the articles will be well-informed about the cultures of
other races and thus open their eyes to realise the existence of other
cultures in one’s country. This can develop a better sense of
understanding and hence maintain the precious unity among races, which
is crucial to the harmony of a multiracial country such as Malaysia. For
example, when a Malay student posts about their tradition of visiting
one another during the Aidilfitri, Chinese, Indian as well as indigenous
students will get to know more about the culture of Malays and the dos
and don’ts when they join the celebration. Subsequently, students will
develop a better understanding about races and unity is fortified when
all sorts of misunderstandings are avoided.
On
the other hand, one may argue that blogging is time consuming and
distracting for the students. This notion anchored its arguments on the
common scenario that most students are very likely to get carried away
when they access the Internet and eventually wasted so much time doing
unbeneficial activities in the Internet. Students are also prone to the
exposure towards the underlying negative influences in the Internet such
as violence, gore and sexually explicit contents which are able to
corrupt the students’ mind once and for all.
In
a nutshell, I still totally believe that students should start their
own blog as this brings magnificent advantages to the students, society
as well as our beloved country. Blogging stimulates a critical way of
thinking, produces an enlightened society and strengthen the unity among
races. The minor drawbacks can be prevented by careful measures such as
parental control. The government through the Ministry of Education
should spearhead a foolproof blueprint to instill the habit of blogging
among students by providing special training and increasing incentives
for the usage of technology in schools.
