A Blog on Blogs...

The World Wide Web and the Internet first came onto the scene in the late 1980’s. However, there were, as with most new technologies, only a handful of internet users when the web first emerged, namely researchers and governments sharing data via HTML code (Richardson, 2006, p. 1). The way we use the internet today is vastly different. The advent of web browsers and user friendly publishing tools, coupled with the mass adoption of internet technology, faster bandwidths and computer ownership, now means that virtually any literate person with basic computer and internet skills, can publish to the web. From its beginning as a means of data and information transfer for the few, the internet is now a communication tool (among many other things) for the masses.

The term blog is short for Web Logs. Blogs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog are essentially a web page used to record regular commentary (via ‘posts’). They can also include other  non-text based elements such as; graphics, audio, music and videos. Blogs are most frequently used as an online personal journal by individuals. For an introduction to how blogs work, click here or view the video "Blogs In Plain English" below.

Blogs have been widely adopted by various groups of internet users (including journalists, businesses, school students, professionals and other individuals) and the number of blogs online has grown exponentially over the past decade. This is due in part, to the fact that blogs are easy to use (no knowledge of complex HTLM language is required) and are most often available free through sites such as blogger and wordpress. An internet Search Engine for blogs - Technorati (a clever play on words, combining Technology and Literati), has chronicled growth and trends in the Blogosphere since 2004 and has some great articles and blog links for those interested.

The important questions for teachers and pre-service teachers are: What do blogs mean for education? Why should teachers consider designing learning experiences that include blogs? How can teachers utilise this technology in the classroom?

Blogs have gone “mainstream.” With so many children and young adults either familiar with the technology, or using blogs outside of school, they present an incredible opportunity for teachers. There are numerous reasons why teachers should include blogs and blogging activities in their learning design. Firstly, blogging promotes the cultivation of independent learning skills as students become active participants in their own learning (Ahrenfelt & Watkin, 2008, p. 64). This is a key tenant of active learning theory, Dale's Cone and the Learning pyramid.

A reflective blog (or learning journal) for example, develops students’ abilities to review, record and reflect on their learning. Secondly, as blogs can be personalised (e.g. via layout changes, vokis, images and ‘gadget’ additions), they promote a sense of student ownership. Thirdly, as blogs are potentially read (and commented on) by a world wide audience, they motivate students to produce their best work and to be critical of the work they are producing - promoting higher order thinking among students as they critique and evaluate their posts and the posts of others.  Overall, students are likely to be interested in the technology, more engaged in the learning experience and further motivated to learn, read and write.

It is also important to note that ‘digital literacy’ is becoming a fundamental component of the literacy curriculum and indeed, within society today (Pearce & Bass, 2008, pp. 21-22; Winch et al., 2009). Authoring your blog and reading and commenting on others’ blogs, can only serve to enhance student’s digital literacy skills.

So how can we use blogs in education and the classroom?

There are several ways in which teachers can include blogs in their pedagogical approaches. Blogs can be used for creative writing, to document and present class/ assignment work or as a tutorial or homework space. The course co-ordinator in ICTs for Learning Design at CQ University (Scot Aldred), offered an excellent example of how blogs can be used for tutoring individual students outside of school hours, from any internet enabled location.  The example given, related to a blog created for tutoring ‘Natalie’ who was requiring assistance with her high-school mathematics content. Scot Aldred, her tutor, posted a question on a blog he had set up for Natalie, where she recorded her answers and Scot replied with feedback using the comment function. Pearce and Bass (2008) offer ten practical applications for blogs in education which I found to be a great summary of the various uses for blogs in teaching and learning.

The ten applications are outlined below:

1. BLOGS AS A CLASS SPACE

A web space where teachers and/ or students record and present information about activities and events happening within the classroom and school (for example, a school camp). Individual students post to the class blog (each student can have their own ‘category’/ sub-listing on the blog) and classmates read & respond to them. The blog entries could then be displayed on an interactive white board and used to stimulate discussion in class.  Using blogs as a class space would promote a sense of belonging (Kunc, 1992).

2. BLOGS AS A WRITING SPACE

Blogs can be used by students as space for writing drafts of their work (accessing them at home or school) and teachers can comment on student posts, offering feedback before ‘good copies’ or final assignments are submitted. Blogs are also ideal as a space for sharing creative writing, for example poetry or stories.

3. BLOGS AS A REPOSITORY

A place to embed content such as slideshows, audio and video (e.g. by using slideshare or teachertube) for others to explore and comment on.

4. BLOGS AS A REFLECTIVE SPACE

Blogs are an ideal platform for recording one’s thoughts and feelings through writing and promoting personal development. Student journals are one use of blogs 'as a reflective space.'  Blogs are ideal for; encouraging children to write, developing their literacy skills and teaching students about the ethics and responsibilities of publishing online.  These activities require higher order thinking by students as they analyse and critically evaluate the information they are sharing and reading.  Using blogs as a reflective space also inspires life long learning in children as they come to realise (by reflecting on their own learning and reading the blogs of others) that learning is an ongoing, lifelong process. 

5. BLOGS AS A PERSONAL PROJECT

A space to compile and present a project – either the whole project or just a portion of the project (i.e. to store artefacts). Plug-ins and applications such as Google Docs and Spreadsheets can be used to enhance the presentation of the project. The comment functionality also means that the teacher or peers can offer feedback as the project is developed.

6. BLOGS AS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT SPACE

Geographically distant classes can collaborate on a project (promoting global awareness among students). Groups within a class could also collaborate on a blog site to produce and present a project.  Considering engagement theory, blogs as a collaborative space demonstrates the 'Relate' component as students collaborate with a group and the 'Create' component as students are working on creating a product (depending on the intended audience, the 'Donate' component may also exist).

 

7. BLOGS AS A COMMUNICATION SPACE

Student work (e.g. artworks) can be added or imported to a blog – serving as a means of communication between the teacher and class or community.

8. BLOGS AS A DISCUSSION SPACE

Blogs can be used as a makeshift discussion forum. Teachers can poll their class to gauge their opinions on a topic, post questions (to which their students comment on and discuss) or insert links to other sites or relevant information.

9. BLOGS FOR RESEARCH

Blogs can be used to record qualitative research findings. A student or teacher could gain insights from a group of people (for instance, members of the class or school) by asking them to share their thoughts on a blog or respond to a poll or question/s on a blog. This would be particularly useful for TAFE or secondary students undertaking primary research for an assignment. As an example, a student could create a blog for a SOSE assignment on how teens use the internet, publicise the address within their school and record postings and comments from their peers relating to a discussion question.

10. BLOGS FOR THE TEACHER

Blogs can also be a powerful tool for teachers. Increasingly, educators are utilising blogs for their own reflection and professional development - interacting with other education professionals on a global scale and thus becoming involved in a ‘community of practice.’  My learning journey in this course (ICTs for Learning Design) has seen me become a member of a online community of practice - consisting primarily of my peers in the GDLT.

The uses for blogs in the classroom are limited only by the imagination of teachers and given the opportunity, the students they teach. By and large, children are inherently eager to learn, and they want to learn with the technologies that they use in their everyday lives. Blogs are one such tool that teachers can employ in their classrooms (and in their own professional development) to support and enhance the learning experiences of their students.