Blogger.com: An effective tool for classroom

management and student collaboration

Nikki Mattson and

Ruth Parrish SauderIntensive English Communication Program

Penn State University

Presentation Components

Benefits of blogs in language teaching Blogs for classroom management Blogs for collaboration Blog creation and activity

Benefits of Blogs in Language Teaching

For teachers, blogs…

Aid in classroom management (Gerich, 2013)

Expand the options for reflective writing and active reading activities(Gerada, 2012)

Allow for tracking of assignment submission dates and times (Al Fadah & Al-Yahya, 2011)

Facilitate the connection of familiar and unfamiliar in the classroom(Yunus, Tuan, & Salehi, 2013)

For students, blogs…

Facilitate collaborative, peer-to-peer learning(Amir, Ismail & Hussin, 2011)

Allow for opportunities to be subject-matter experts(Ducate & Lomicka, 2005)

Increase feelings of ownership(Ducate & Lomicka, 2005)

Give access to a discourse community, including a real audience(Yunus, Tuan, & Salehi, 2013)

For both groups, blogs...

Are free or low-cost and easily accessible(Gerada, 2012)

Foster community-building within the class group outside the classroom(Ducate & Lomicka, 2005)

Encourage the expression of diverse perspectives(Ducate & Lomicka, 2005)

Support the practice of negotiated meaning(Yunus, Tuan, & Salehi, 2013)

Blogs for Classroom Management: Accessible Course Content

Blogs for Classroom Management: Reading and Reaction Example

The titles and dates update automatically,

making it easy for a teacher to see when students

complete assignments.

Blogs for Classroom Management: Creating a Chronological Writing Portfolio

Why Are Blogs Useful for Classroom Management?

Link to other sources of knowledge Can be used to provide course details and documents and review

student assignments remotely Serve as an accessible space for announcements and homework

descriptions and deadlines Can be accessed at any time from any place, especially with mobile

devices Allow students to find the answers to course-related questions

(repository of important course documents and policies) Archive student work in chronological order Automatically date (hourly) assignment submission Can display individual student blogs on the course blog for easy

access to peer work

Blogs for CollaborationStudents as Readers, Authors, and Critical Responders

Readers

Authors

Critical Responders

Blogs for CollaborationDiverse Perspectives

Teacher training -- discussing the use of chatting for ESL in China

Blogs for CollaborationPeer Learning

Blogs for CollaborationNegotiating Meaning – Reacting to an Article

Student Topic Sentence

Comments

The first two commentsseem to push the author to clarify her views, and the final comment questions the meaning/implicationsof using the word “goods”in this context.

Why Are Blogs Useful for Collaboration?

Encourage the articulation of ideas and opinions – perhaps even more so for students who are hesitant to speak during class

Increase opportunities to engage with multiple perspectives and knowledge sources

Build communities and create opportunities for interaction outside of class

Provide a “real” audience for students (the teacher is not the only reader/reactor)

Help students create links between course content, their own ideas, and the ideas of peers

Support reader commentary and engagement Allow subject/topic “experts” to share their knowledge and learn from

other “experts” Connect multiple classes and/or populations Accessed remotely at any time (scheduling difficulties can be reduced) Allows for careful reflection since interactions are not in real time

Let’s Get Started!

Go to blogger.com

If you don’t have a gmail account, click on the red “sign up” button at the top right of the page.

If you already have a gmail account, sign in.

Create your Blog Once you

have signed in, click on “New blog” (a grey button on the left side)

Set up Your Blog

Type the title and address of your blog› these cannot be

changed later Choose the

template› this can be

changed later Click “Create

blog!”

Manage Your Blog

Get help

Change your template (the way your blog looks)

See how often your blog is viewedView your blog

Write a new post

Learn more

Online Activity and Troubleshooting Resources

Accessible from the workshop blog:› http

://threeriverstesolblogworkshop.blogspot.com/

Includes› Student instructions for setting up a blog› Student blog commenting etiquette

exercise› Activity ideas› Common technical issues and suggestions

Leave a Comment

Once you have your blog set up, please leave us a comment on the post called “Your ideas here!” › http://threeriverstesolblogworkshop.blogsp

ot.com

› Tell us about how you use or might use blogs in your classes.

ReferencesAl-Fadda, H., & Al-Yahya, M. (2010). Using web blogs as a tool to encourage pre-class

reading,  post-class reflections and collaboration in higher education. US-China Education Review, 7(7), 100-106.

 Amir, Z., Ismail, K., & Hussin, S. (2011). Blogs in language learning: Maximizing students’

collaborative writing. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences. 18, 537-548.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.05.079 Ducate, L. C., & Lomicka, L. L. (2005). Exploring the blogosphere: Use of web logs in the

foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 38(3), 410-412. Gedara, D. S. P. (2012). The dynamics of blog peer feedback in ESL classroom. Teaching

English with Technology, 12(4), 16-30. Retrieved from http://tewtjournal.org Gerich, D. (2013). Beyond the class blog: Creative and practical uses of Blogger for the

ESL classroom. TESOL Journal, 4.1, 175-181. Yunus, M., Tuan, J. L., & Salehi, H. (2013). Using blogs to promote writing skill in ESL

classroom. In Fujita, H. and Sasaki, J. (Eds.), Recent Advances in Modern Educational Technologies (pp. 109-113). Retrieved from

http://www.wseas.org/multimedia/books/2013/Morioka/EDU.pdf

Thank You!