For Students
For Teachers
Urtech 2007
Students commented (Ellison and Wu, 2008) that:
- They were disappointed if nobody posted a comment on their blog. This was particularly distressing because of the knowledge of the size of the potential audience (p 113) (Also commented on in Glogoff)
- They didn’t really know how to respond to other people’s ideas. (p 114)
- Many of the comments were similar, so they didn’t know if they were being honest or just nice.
- Didn’t think blogs were effective because people just expressed their same idea on other people’s blogs – they weren’t actually responding.
- Some students actually think blogging is more casual than traditional formal writing. (p112)
- Blogging may have encouraged a different, less formal, writing voice.(p112), which could result in less focused writing and editing (p. 117)
- Technical problems were a challenge for some student s as well.for example, delays in approing new posts, multiple posting or being riddled with advertisements.
- Students had problems accessing other students’ blogs (p.114)
- Writing about a topic that a student doesn’t know well, can change what seems like a friendly technology into a very threatening task. (Hurlburt, 2008).
- Students who are unsure about exposing their work to the group, may also be timid about commenting (i.e. read, criticize) on their classmates’ work. (Hurlburt, 2008)
- Skills must be taught not assumed that they are known just because the students are surrounded by technology. They need to learn how to question, participate in an online community, provide feedack. (Reingold, 2006 in Zawilinski, 2009)
- Students have not been taught how to provide feedback to others, how to question for deeper thinking.
- Time not given in class, or at home, to be able to read and respond to feedback and other blog posts.
- Keyboarding / general computer skills may not be as efficient. (This is a difficulty that can be solved given time to practise and the expectation to blog)
For Teachers
See Pedagogy [Ellison and Wu] about guidance required in giving feedback and ethical questions about students’ digital persona extending into the future.
Urtech 2007
- Marking blogs is time consuming
- Reading blogs can be tedious
- Concern about predators on internet
- If teachers don’t give opportunities to bring the conversations in blogs back into the classroom – the conversations in blogs are no different to written assignments which are handed into the teacher to grade.
Kriby & Kaillio ( p 18)
- School administrators need to know where the school’s authority for blogs begins and ends (concerns over comments posted on student blogs)
- Organizing and compiling content for the blog is time consuming
- Teachers may have to spend more time answering student questions online than it would take them to explain in class
From General Discussions With Teachers
- Teachers not understanding the potential benefits for teaching and learning, engagement and motivation. Not having time to explore their pedagogical beliefs.
- Teachers not understanding or willing to engage in the technology.
- Pressure from parents who have only experienced the 'traditional' school - the way they were taught.
- Schools not providing clear information to help parents understand the benefits and advantages.
- Lack of professional development and time to explore 'new' learning, therefore there is no 'buy in' from teachers in the implementation of blogs in their classrooms.
- Lack of enough technology to support blogging in the classroom.
- Other technology issues - internet connection and speed, age of the technology, etc.
- Teachers unwilling to share 'part of themselves' in an open environment. High level of trust needed.
- Teachers feeling that they have to have something 'profound' to share, otherwise it's not worth sharing.
- Expectation that they need to be 'experts' in what they are blogging about.
- Fear of being judged by others.
- 'Competition' factor - feeling that their blogs need to have as much of the 'wow' factor as other blogs.
- Manageability of reading the posts, commenting on them and giving feedback to their students while maintaining their own blogs.
