Teachers and Team Blogging · Teachers and Team Blogging Montegrotto, 15 Luglio 2015 Paola Cortiana...

Teachers and Team Blogging

Montegrotto,15 Luglio 2015

Paola Cortiana

FISPPA – Dept. Of Philosophy,

Pedagogy, Applied Psyhcology

Padua University

Teachers involved

Paola Cortiana, I Docenti e l'esperienza di Team-blogging

Teachers

Class facilitators Team observers Mentors

63 81 15

159

Teachers per reagion

Facilitators Observers Mentors Regions

8 11 2 Lazio

15 13 2 Lombardia

4 3 2 Piemonte

14 23 2 Puglia

9 10 2 Sicilia

5 10 3 Toscana

8 11 2 Veneto

Teachers involved arranged according to the subject taught

Materie Letterarie

Matematica

Lingue Straniere

Ed. Musicale

Tecnologia

Sostegno

Religione

Ed. Fisica

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


‘OBLOG: blogging for teachers

'OBLOG posts

CLUSTER1 215

CLUSTER2 170

CLUSTER 3 102

Stimulus questions:

- Do students talk through their blogs?

- What Differences are there between blog

writing and writing at school ?

- What suggestions can you make to improve

your experience?


ENTRY SURVEYS

1. The research project is intended to establish whether and how interactiveblog writing can help students enrich their dialogue skills. Does the projectinterest you?

83%

16%

1%

Molto

Abbastanza

Poco


ENTRY SURVEYS

2. Do you think it will be possible to efficiently integrate the experience intothe school curriculum? If so, how?

83%

7%

4%

6%

Sì

In parte

No

Non risponde


ENTRY SURVEYS

How?

23%

20%

19%

15%

14%

9% Promuovendo il dialogo e l’interazione

Promuovendo l’utilizzo di nuovi mezzi di comunicazione

Favorendo l’espressione personale degli alunni

Favorendo il coinvolgimento deglialunni, anche su tematiche a lorovicine

Migliorando le competenzecomunicative degli alunni

Favorendo l’aggiornamento dei docenti


ENTRY SURVEYS

3. What expectations do you have on the effectiveness of Team blogging toimprove your students' writing skills?

29%

27%

21%

13%

7%3%

Favorirà la ricchezza e la libertàespressiva

Favorirà la riflessione sulle sceltecomunicative

Favorirà la motivazione

Favorirà la riflessione su di sé

Favorirà il dialogo

Non ho aspettative


ENTRY SURVEYS

4. What opportunities does the experience of team - blogging that is about to start offer in your opinion?

42%

14%

15%

10%

8%

8%3%

Occasione di dialogo

Utilizzo dei nuovi mezzi dicomunicazione

Occasione per gli alunni diraccontarsi

Occasione per i docenti diconoscere gli alunni

Opportunità di arricchimento perdocenti

Attività motivante

Occasione per il miglioramentodelle abilità di scrittura


ENTRY SURVEYS

5. What are your concerns about the following activity of action research?

25%

22%

22%

15%

6%

6%

4%

Strumenti a disposizioneinadeguati

Atteggiamento superficiale deiragazzi

Tempi troppo ristretti

Impreparazione dei docenti

Demotivazione per mancanza dicontatto diretto

Timore per mancati commenti aimessaggi degli alunni

Altro (reali benefici, seguitodell'esperienza, carico di lavoro,età alunni)


EXIT SURVEY

lA. What are your considerations about the following aspects of this experience? A.1. Students’ attitude

33%

14%

12%

7%

11%

21%

2%

Entusiasmo

Impegno

Curiosisità

Disponibilità al dialogo

Spontaneità

Partecipazione

Delusione per l'assenza dicommenti


EXIT SURVEY

A.2. Students' output

33%

27%

12%

2%

3%

2%

13%

7%

1%

Adeguata

Sincera

Frettolosa e simile al parlato

Originale

Attenta al contenuto più che allaforma

Occasione di espressione ancheper i meno bravi

Diversificata a seconda dellasettimana

Diversificata a seconda alunni

Non adeguata


lFrom 'OBLOG...

l

WHAT DIFFERENCES ARE THERE BETWEEN BLOG WRITING AND WRITING AT SCHOOL?

For students blog writing is more stimulating , spontaneous and immediate because it does not involve assessment or judging.

There is attention to the style/language because they want to make themselves understood by their peers: the audience makes it

motivating!

It would be appropriate to find a way to integrate the two forms of writing in order to motivate students.


lFrom 'OBLOG...

Writing school assignments involves effort and attention because of the awareness thatwhat is produced will be evaluated by teachers. When blogging spontaneity instead isstriking. Pupils tell their story freely, without thinking about how you to write it, but letting"their fingers move on the keyboard" to tell their experience. Therefore spontaneity doesnot indicate superficiality, but rather depth.

My students have started a bit as they usually do: underestimating the emotionalinvolvement of what was being proposed. But as soon as they began to read and tochoose the blog to answer, the general climate changed. They began to wonder if whatthey were writing was fine (from what point of view? Content? Language?) So the firstresult was this: more concrete attention to what they were writing and how they werewriting it. Writing to real people who would read and discuss in their turn was not likepretending to be writing to a hypothetical reader, but a real blog, with real people.


From 'OBLOG...

I'd like to quote the excited, almost scared, comment a student has made in the class I amobserving: "Mrs ..., have you read that question? Now I'll have to give a meaningfulanswer!!" Blogging seems to awaken the students' spontaneous desire to makethemselves understood through writing, to be clear, incisive, not to be boring andsuperficial, activating in our children a meta-linguistic reflection, which they are oftenreluctant to do.

Showing corrected/marked class tests involves primarily showing a list of errors orsuggestions for improvement/change: the relationship is one-way: those who judge andwho is judged. The exercise is strictly personal: the comparison with one’s mates' work isoccasional or marginal. Assessment in blogging is different, it is more hidden and morediscreet, the author is left to reflect on what he has written and also on what his peershave produced. The elements on which kids can reflect are the comments received (or notreceived), the questions asked by readers, the degree of appreciation of a blog comparedto another one, comparison. Especially the latter is a powerful element.Paola Cortiana, I Docenti e

l'esperienza di Team-blogging

From 'OBLOG...

I believe that blog writing involves more “sharing” compared to school writing andtherefore it is an important step towards dialogue. For true understanding of the other Ihave to put myself in the position of the listener, in the case of blogs before answering Ineed to read carefully. This seems straightforward and obvious in blogging but it is notnecessarily so at school.

I addressed this question to my students at the end of their Team Blogging. They focusedmainly on the language and time needed to write blogs compared to writing at school.Blog writing is motivating for the use of new technologies ("because we use the computerat home to chat with friends on Facebook"); easy, since there is not the concern of beingassessed by the teacher ("we write as we want, as there's no mark for it"), and then thereare the smiley faces and pictures that make up for the "empty expression" ("when we wantto better understand "); Fast, for the responses almost in real time of what iscommunicated and gratifying ("comment if you like my blog").


From 'OBLOG...

CRITICAL VOICES

Some answers are given because " I’d rather do so " and not necessarily because " I feel like doing it”. It was true dialogue just for a few of them.

"The Freedom ” expressed by some pupils may be in some cases " inhibited " by the awareness of being observed and perhaps , in this case,

“judged ".

The pupils feel empowered to little care, in a writing using "the spoken language". They do not re-read what they write, because you cannot "

listen again to what you have said!"


EXIT SURVEY

A. What are your considerations about the following aspects of the experience had?

B. A.3. Personal learning

17%

34%

7%

17%

14%

11%

Occasione per sperimentaremetodologia più vicina agli studenti

Occasione per conoscerepotenzialità studenti e mondoadolescenti

Occasione per vedere alunnidialogare e riscontrare valori comuni

Opportunità per mettersi alla prova

Opportunità conoscere alunni nelladimensione extra-scolastica

Importanza nuove tecnologie


EXIT SURVEY

A.4. Unexpected situations

51%

40%

4%5%

Serietà e profondità mostrata daragazzi più difficili

Disponibilità degli studenti adaprirsi e raccontarsi

Scarsa confidenza con le nuovetecnologie

Nessuna


EXIT SURVEY

A.4. Points of strength

27%

60%

5%

8%

Potenzialità della rete

Coinvolgimento degli studenti èpossibile!

Familiarità con le nuove tecnologie

Bisogno di comunicare dei ragazzi


EXIT SURVEY

A.5. Problems in relationship dynamics and dialogue

The absence or the limited number of comments to some posts have generated disappointment

Declining motivation after initial enthusiasm

Initial embarrassment

The absence of true dialogue


From 'OBLOG...Is there any dialogue in blogs?

There is little real dialogue in the exchanges, that look more like text messages,quick notes, shallow considerations. There was therefore no real dialogue, as studentswere more inclined to talk about themselves rather than asking questions and listening totheir peers and in most cases there were never more than two exchanges. Some of themwere only concerned about getting a comment, the Facebook "like". The causes? Thestudents’ age, the lack of familiarity with dialogue and deep reflection, their interest inthemselves, their limited skills of active listening, generational characteristics (‘speed,'liquidity').

The impression is that we have talked about everything and nothing. I noticed that in mostcomments no aspect was dealt with seriously; very quickly students switched from onesubject to another, without stopping or pausing to reflect, or truly telling aboutthemselves. As a teacher I wonder if we have not been able to lead pupils in theconstruction of real dialogue. Writing takes time, even more if it springs from reading, andpupils are unaccustomed to taking time and care to devote themselves to any activity.


From 'OBLOG...

The less numerous answers and a blog, which became less intense in the third weeksuggest some considerations. Although they were trained and knew how it worked, pupilslooked "cooled down": was it because they were tired, because the topic chosen for themwas more difficult and because they had not chosen the topic themselves? Was it becauseit came at the end of the school year when pupils tend to be tired and inclined to escapismand distraction?

I felt sorry for the quiet conclusion of Team B.Even today some boys and girls (from high school) have not received any answer whilesome others have not started any dialogue at all. Surely all of this has to do withadolescents’ attitude, as they plunge enthusiastically into new experiences, but then theyhardly ever manage to commit for a longer period of time that is necessary to build arelationship. I also believe that the lack of physical contact had an impact; in virtualexchanges people can be easily replaced; no matter how hurt we feel by a non-response,we do not consider our own carelessness equally cruel.


EXIT SURVEY

... what was successful about relational dynamics and Dialogue

Dialogue was established

The involvement of weaker students, who often stayed at school longer hours because they had no PC at home.

The students’ willingness to tell about themselves

The politeness and the seriousness shown in comments

Collaboration with classmates

Their desire to go on with the project


EXIT SURVEY

B. What do you think about the methods and tools?B.1. Instructions and presentation

91%

6%3%

Chiare ed esaustive

Sufficienti Non sempre tempestive


EXIT SURVEY

B.2. Registration

9%

79%

12%

Problematica, soprattutto quelladegli alunni

Non ha dato problemi

Ha dato dei problemi che peròsono stati risolti


EXIT SURVEY

B.3. Online access to materials

83%

8%

9%

Di facile utilizzo

Molto buona

Ha creato dei problemi

Paola Cortiana, I Docenti e il Team-blogging

EXIT SURVEY

B.4. Mentoring/monitoring

95%

5%

Moltosoddisfacente

Non sempretempestiva


EXIT SURVEY

B.5. Technical Help Desk

36%

46%

2%

16%

Molto buono

Adeguato

Non sempre efficiente

Non ne ho usufruito


EXIT SURVEY

EXIT SURVEY

C. In your opinion how could this experience continue and develop?

30%

22%15%

11%

10%

4%

8%

Continuare il dialogo in futuro, magarianche con videoconferenze

Introdurre altre tematiche su cuidialogare

Dare riscontro ai ragazzi organizzandoun incontro non virtuale

Integrare l'esperienza con i programmicurricolari

Prevedere tempi più distesi

Rielaborare l'esperienza perl'aggiornamento degli insegnanti

Non so


From 'OBLOG…

How can the experience be improved?

First we should encourage the students to ask themselves some questions, to reflect, to express themselves and to discuss a key question and only then can they understand their position and write messages to publish in their blogs. Students should keep reflecting on

the experience well after the end of team - blogging.

The topics of discussion should be increased: in this way the students could discuss topics of different types, perhaps starting from a personal experience, a passage, a video and

invite other classes to comment.

We should ask the students to comment collectively on news or videos dealing with current issues and related to young people’s world such as cyber bullying or race

prejudices, or the conflicts related to the wish for independence and separation from parents, typical of this age.


There should be more than a topic of discussion, and there should be key questionsor instructions on what to discuss in detail.

Give the possibility to the young people of each class to choose the topic of the week for the students of the other class, anticipating the topic so that they can prepare for it.

Select different questions for different age groups, leaving the older kids the possibility to choose the topics.

Meet the protagonists of this experience with a final non-virtual meeting.

Add photos to make the students’ profile easy to recognize.

From 'OBLOG...


From 'OBLOG...

Develop the experience and continue it next year and involve all the teachers of the Class.

Provide more time, because the time presently given does not allow you to read the comments calmly and to reason about it.

Avoid having the experience over a period with holidays in between.

Set some rules, for example that every child has to write at least a number of comments to each class participant, in the weeks in which he is not blogging.

Enhance dialogue through the use of webcams.

" Prevent " teachers from checking the comments before posting them, and allow some time in class to discuss and correct what posted.


We, teachers, do not know, we never have enough time to really know who our students are, what they really think, how they live: we see them but know nothing about them.

Reading their comments allowed me to open a window onto their lives, their interests, on what they can do.

Thanks, Face to Faith!


Teachers and Team Blogging · Teachers and Team Blogging Montegrotto, 15 Luglio 2015 Paola Cortiana...

Documents

Transcript of Teachers and Team Blogging · Teachers and Team Blogging Montegrotto, 15 Luglio 2015 Paola Cortiana...