SURVEYING THE LITERATUREWhat do the academic journals have to say about blogs?

“Understanding class blogs as a tool for language development’

Doris de Almeida Soares, Language Teaching Research 12, 4 (2008); p 517-533

Integrating blogging can be a puzzle (p. 517)

Three ways to do manage it: 1) Course Management 2) Learner (Individual Student) Blogs 3) The Class Blog (like a website or wiki)

Course Management

Use it like Moodle or with Moodle in conjunction with individual student blogs

“This kind of blog is best used as a collaborative discussion space, an extra-curricular extension of the classroom, encouraging students to reflect more in depth, in writing, on the themes touched upon in class” (Stanley, 2005, qtd. in Soares).

http://creativewriting-dighton.blogspot.com/

Learner (Individual Student) Blogs “According to (Campell, 2003, qtd in

Soames) the learner blog can be described as an ‘online journal that can continuously update with his or her own words, ideas, and thoughts’.

Perfect for reading and writing courses since the students can bring in their own interests and comment on their peers blogs, fostering an academic community.

http://dightonshaweng110.blogspot.com/

Class Blogs

This kind of blog is a collaboration between teacher and student, creating one class blog. Could be project-based or group-based for larger classes.

Campbell (2003, qtd. in Soames, p. 520) states “learners can be given the opportunity to devlop research and writing skills by being asked to create online resources for others.

Students collaborate on texts by adding to editing each other’s posts—peer correction and feedback.

Class Blogs Resources

http://theedublogger.com/2010/01/05/week-1-create-a-class-blog/http://billingsmiddleschool.org/beta

http://itbabble.com/2011/02/15/wordpress-how-to-set-up-your-class-blog/

How do I get students to blog?Strategies to Facilitate Blogging

Reflections on Using Blogs to Expand In-class Discussion by Shiang-Kwei Wang and Hui-Yin Hsua published in TechTrends Vol 52, 3 May/June 2008

To begin, provide questions and samples to provide a framework—discuss the importance of diverse opinions.

Relate in-class discussion to the blog—talk about students’ blog work in class=Motivating!

Add resources based on students blog posts

Strategies (cont’d)

Find a lab, at least for setup day, and lead students through the setup process—also let them help each other.

Send reminders through Moodle, email, and class discussion.