Hi everyone.
Please watch the video below. We'd love to read your thoughts to get the discussion going.
Please add your ideas by clicking on 'comments' at the bottom of this post.
In the educational context, what subjects do you think would benefit from using blogs by assisting teachers to gain effective and productive outcomes? Why?
As an initial reaction to your question, I can't see why any subject couldn't benefit from the use of a blog. It may be that not all topics within all subjects are suitable, but it seems to me that some benefits can be gained for all subjects.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not their use leads to "assisting teachers to gain effective and productive outcomes" is less sure - how are you defining 'effective and productive outcomes'? For example, does this include a cost/benefit analysis? (So would the issues of running blogs, as you have identified in your 'blogging disadvantages' section outweigh the advantages?).
One of the best ways I see a blog being able to “assist teachers to gain effective and productive outcomes” is in doing as Urtech (2007) suggests and giving time and opportunity to bring the blogging conversations back into the classroom. In this way, I see one would be catering for many types of learners. Those usually reluctant to participate in classroom conversations, may in fact be enticed to write something on a blog and then, having had replies to their comments, may be encouraged to talk about it in the classroom? I imagine this might work, what to those you who have experience using blogs think?
ReplyDeleteHi Keryn ,,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your initiative to write in the blog.
In terms of the first part of your comment, I totally agree with you that some topic is more likely to gaining more appealing to students in blogs than others particularly if the blogs can be easily integrated with it .In addition to that, some subjects would benefit more than others especially at primary schools .
Regarding the second part, regardless the cost or the money, we need to know *how far blogs have assisted teachers to achieve deep learning at any subjects “deep learning is how learners stand back from an experience, seek out connections between concepts, and contextualise meaning (Rosie 2000)
*the outcome (student's thoughts and knowledge), on the other hand, does it provide students confident in his daily live?
Cheers
Leeana makes some very good points, particularly in terms of making the blog conversations relevant to the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWe share what we've written with others and the blogs have also become part of the school culture through links in the newsletter, sharing with other classes and schools, and also in our assemblies.
Our blog posts have a certain amount of 'set' tasks that are designed to foster discussion and learning through collaboration. This is only effective if it is shared in class and also when the students set some of the required tasks and discussions.
It will be interesting to see where the research on blogging as a tool to motivate and engage reluctant learners - particularly in reading and writing - goes.
Leeana asks about the increased conversation for quieter learners. From anecdotal evidence in our classes, this has certainly been the case. The students cannot wait to get back the next day to discuss comments from postings the night before. It has changed the dynamic of two of our rooms in particular.
One of the things you've talked about with regards blogs is the increased participation from quieter students - I wondered whether this is something unique to blogs, or whether it is something else - like the online nature, or the asynchronous nature - that is key here, rather than it being a blog per se . . . How much of what is done in terms of blogging actually really blogging, and how much of it is using the blogging tool for other purposes?
ReplyDeleteGood question Keryn! Ellison and Wu (2008) mention that one of the things that separates blogging from other forms of discussion groups is that the format emphasizes the individual and unique voice of the authors as opposed to other online forums such as newsgroups which are organized around a discussion thread, not author. (p. 101-02) This could perhaps explain why blogging draws out the quieter student.
ReplyDeleteAnother point and a reason that blogging resonates with me as a learning tool is the extent to which it facilitates peer-to-peer and peer-to-teacher collaborative learning. (Ellison and Wu, p. 102) Hurlburt (2008) stresses that the "instructor must take on the role of a student in this community." It could be that the combination of reduced power distance between teacher and student as well as the tendency to encourage the individual voice of the student combine to encourage the quieter student to express themself.
Ange said...
ReplyDeleteHi blog team - firstly Ka Pai on your great blog. You have loads of good info. plus plenty of great links. I have spent an hour or so exploring your blog and will definitely be back to check out more of your links.
This is the second time I am writing this comment as I wrote it all out but wasn't signed in, so going through the sign in process made my comment disappear - argghh!
In regards to your question I think all subjects could lend themselves to having a blog, I personally think it would depend on the age and what benefits the students will gain from having a blog page for the subject.
I was thrown a blog page to set up late last year, with no support from the person who wanted them set up. I felt as a New Entrants teacher I had to put in all the contributions, and have to agree with Lai & Chen on your disadvantages page "organizing and compiling content for the blog is time consuming" - I really felt quite lost and it went by the wayside. However it is something I want to upskill on as I want to be able to use a blog page with my class when I head back to the classroom late this year. I can see the benefits of using a blog page for topic time and especially during literacy time in combination with other technology tools such as camera, flipvideo, internet and the fabulous electronic whiteboard.
I also want to make parents more aware of the blog so it creates another important link between home and school. Upskilling here I come!!!
A question for those of you that have class blog pages, do you also have individual student blog pages? If so how is the content & discussion/feedback monitored? Do these pages get marked as part of the students course work? If so how do you find this as a teacher - easier to mark or not? If it's not marked what is the purpose of their blog pages? Very interested in reading comments on this.
Our blogs are beginning to form very important parts of the home-school link. This is going to be explored next term with the students running workshops for parents on blogging.
ReplyDeleteI would love to work with you to set up the blogs - it's a passion of mine as you might have guessed! :-)
We have class blog pages and some of us have started individual student blogs. All comments are moderated by the students and teachers. We talked at length about this and also talked to a police officer about safety. We decided that we need to teach our children to be cyber safe by teaching them how to deal with any issues that arise and know what to do , and who to go to for help. This is going to be an Inquiry for the school in the next term.
In terms of monitoring learning progress, I find them much easier than information / learning in a book. The fact that the blogs are public has lead to rapid progress in achievement, motivation and a higher level of audience awareness and purpose and reader courtesy.
I agree that the blogs must have a learning purpose or there is no real point in using them. We have a shared language of blogging and an expectation for showing learning in all our blogs.
Really sorry that you've had a frustrating time posting. I haven't seen this issue before but I will continue to problem solve. :-)