Works Cited Page (thanks to RefWorks)

Badge, J. L., Dawson, E., Cann, A. J., & Scott, J. (2008). Assessing the accessibility of online learning. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45(2), 103.

Boling, E., Castek, J., Zawilinski, L., Barton, K., & Nierlich, T. (2008). Collaborative literacy: Blogs and internet projects. Reading Teacher, 61(6), 504.

Ferdig, R. E., & Trammell, K. D. (2004). Content delivery in the "blogosphere". T.H.E.Journal, 31(7)

Kajder, S., Bull, G., & Van Noy, E. (2004). A space for "writing without writing" blogs in the language arts classroom. mining the internet. Learning and Leading with Technology, 31(6), 32.

Kirby, E., & Kallio, B. (2007). Student blogs mark a new frontier for school discipline. Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 72(5), 16.

Lee (Producer). (2007, November 29) Blogs in Plain English [video]. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from http://youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI

Steele, P. (2008). Technologies such as wikis in the classroom Online Submission.

Extras

Q and A:
q: What are some ways people can use blogs for research?
a: There are so many blogs on the internet, it's impossible to summarize all of the possible uses in a classroom. One common use for blogs is by legitimate Newspapers, like this blog http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/ from the New York Times. Students can access blogs like this, do research, and then post findings on their own blogs. Teachers should be sure that students understand the difference between legitimate and illegitimate sources.

q: How should teachers assess the writing on students blogs?
a: This all depends on the curriculum and content standards, but teachers may use the same standards/grading rubric that they do in their classroom.

q: What are ineffective ways a teacher might use blogs? What mistakes might teachers make?
a: Teachers should be sure not to "dumb-down" content on blogs by making them all personal or unfocused entries for students. Also, teachers should be sure to encourage students to write at a high level and not expect less simply because the writing is online. Finally, blogs are meant to be interactive. Students should expect feedback from the teacher and their peers, as well as provide their own feedback on their peers' blogs.

q: What are some sites teachers could use to create their own class blog accounts?
a: blogger.com, blogosphere.com, weblogg-ed.com. If you don't like these options, simply google search "blog" or "create blog" and other options will be available.

Some Potential Problems

There are several potential problems that arise when students are assigned blogs as homework. First, many teachers experience resistance from parents who do not want their children posting on the internet. In Emily Van Noy’s classroom in Charlottesville, she solved this problem by having students make their blogs “private” so that only the teacher and other students could view them (Kajder, Bull and Van Noy, 2004). Also, she discouraged them from posting personal contact information or addresses on their blogs. In the article Technologies such as wikis in the classroom, author Steele expressed that “For those students who may not have the equipment or access to the equipment, learning would not be equal” (Steele, 2008, p. 7). He also said that for the teacher to use valuable time to instruct students on how to create a blog may not be worth the trouble since “requiring the instructors to teach these students both writing and computer skills doubles the instructor’s workload” (Steele, 2008, p. 7). As the studies and research clearly indicates, both of these claims are somewhat invalid and can be overcome. Because of the percentage of students who use the internet (shown under “Benefits of Blogging” post) it is clear that most students have access to the internet. For those who do not have internet access at home, school computers are available or teachers may collaborate with the student to develop a different assignment for them. Also, since creating a blog is simple (mine took about five minutes to set up) and since so many tutorials are available online, instructors will waste little time teaching blogging in the classroom. Blogs use is sharply increasing (see the chart in the video in the first post) and more and more teachers will likely be using this as a teaching method in the years to come. It is likely that the use of blogs in the classroom and as homework will both be used, and that it will become more and more interactive in linking students to students (internationally and nationally) and educators to students and parents.

Benefits of Blogging!

The benefits for encouraging students to create and update their own blog for journaling and content related assignments is as limitless as the internet itself. First, there is the sheer breadth of information available for students to share and post. Because students can provide links on their blogs, they are encouraged to look outside of their own knowledge base to find new ways (articles, videos, pictures, etc) to understand their subject. Another benefit to using blogs is the fact that blogs are extremely interactive. Students can read and post on their peers’ blogs easily and immediately. In their article Content delivery in the "blogosphere" Ferdig and Trammell cite Vygotsky’s educational theory that “’meaning making’ develops through the social process of language use over time.” (Ferdig and Trammell, 2004, p.12). They claim that blogs are a perfect way to facilitate this because “knowledge construction is discursive, relational and conversational in nature” (p.12). A blog is better than a discussion forum because it becomes “a personal online soapbox… a blog gives students full control and ownership over their online content” (Ferdig and Trammell, 2004, p. 16). This eliminates the “I agree” problem of students merely re-posting the same ideas that their peers have already written over and over again in a discussion forum, thus providing opportunities for more diverse sharing. Finally, blogs enable teachers to post feedback quickly and easily directly on the students posts. Students are always able on blogs to go back and re-edit their posts, so “they provide opportunities for feedback and potential scaffolding of new ideas” (Ferdig and Trammell, 2004, p. 16).

Another benefit to using blogs rather than the conventional pen and paper method is that it motivates students who would not typically enjoy writing to write often and better. In a recent survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, it was find that 87% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 use the internet (Kirby and Kallio, 2007) . This means that there are over 21 million teens online, 19% of which already keep their own blogs (Kirby and Kallio, 2007). By using a medium that is more interesting to students, they will be more likely to thoughtfully engage in creating their own learning. In a case study on blogs for classroom use in Charlottsville, Virginia, teacher Emily Van Noy found that students reported being drawn to writing blogs (Kajder, Bull and Van Noy, 2004). One student said she enjoyed doing assignments on the blog with prompts because “it isn’t boring-it’s something different from pencil and paper”(Kajder, Bull and Van Noy, 2004, p. 34). Because “Volumes of writing research indicate that student writers, no matter how savvy, are often blocked by the intimidation of the blank page,” student Erik said he liked blogging better (Kajder, Bull and Van Noy, 2004, p. 34). He said that “Using a blog is more fun and I think it doesn’t cause writer’s block” (p. 34). Clearly, blogging empowers students to do what they thought they could not. In Collaborative literacy: Blogs and internet projects authors identified a student who was known to be a struggling reader but was “experienced in using the internet, often initiat[ing] the flow of information. Being an in-demand expert empowered the learner, increasing his literacy engagement and proficiency” (Boling, Castek, Zawilinski, Barton, and Nierlich, 2008, 506). For all of these reasons, blogging should be used as an educational tool in the classroom.

Some Uses for Blogs for Education (Namely, English)

-Teachers should provide informal writing opportunities on blogs, such as prompts for journals or opinion based writing on certain topics. Teachers should allow students freedom in their style, but vary topics and author purpose (persuasive, opinion, etc.) to help improve writing and allow students practice in developing their voice.

-For Poetry: In Collaborative literacy: Blogs and internet projects Boling, Castek, Zawilinski, Barton and Nierlich outlined a poetry project where students chose a photograph and wrote a poem or short story about the photograph that was unique to their country or state and posted it on their blogs. Students also recorded audio of themselves reading the poem to understand meter and rhythm. Then the class connected their blogs to a classroom in the Phillipines where students from that school could make comments on their writing. Students in the Phillipines also developed their own blogs, which the students in the US then commented on. The authors of this artcile were highlighting the benefits of an interactive blog (Boling, Castek, Zawilinski, Barton and Nierlick 2008).

-Jigsaw assignments- Students may select and read novels jigsaw style, and then other students in their group have constant and permanent access to each other’s findings and research.

-Teachers can have students write blog entries from the perspective of different characters in literature. Require students to research their character online using different sources, then post comments on their peers “character” blogs, still writing from the perspectives of their own character (this requires high level thinking).

-Have students write research on different topics online using video, images and audio files.

Here is a link to different educational blogs that teachers have used in their classroom (and enabled their students to create also) as well as providing different activities to use in blogging (for English, go to HS Course Blog on the right side): http://educational.blogs.com/edbloggerpraxis/high_school_blog/index.html

The Basics: What is a Blog?

Blogging (or web-logging) is a relatively new technology “consisting of web-based journals facilitated by software that generates chronological entries” (Kajder, Bull, & Van Noy, 2004, p. 32). Blogging is connected to learning in any content area (Science, English, Math) because it is about information sharing and versatility. Blogs employ the use of several types of media; videos, pictures, and text can all be used in blogs to create new and different types of understanding through many mediums. People often use blogs as personal journals as well as “reports” on different topics. Blogs are available to anyone with a computer, and there are several free websites available online for people to post their own blogs. What’s more, blogs allow feedback from readers; there are “comment” sections under entry posts where readers may respond and post public feedback. In their article A space for "writing without writing" blogs in the language arts classroom authors Kajder, Bull and Van Noy and many other education researchers argue that more and more teachers are using blogging as a means to communicate with students via internet because of the accessibility, breadth of possibility and cooperative learning opportunities made available by weblogs. Blogs can and should be used in every classroom to promote learning.

Video Citation: Lee (Producer). (2007, November 29) Blogs in Plain English [video]. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from http://youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI