Blogs

Blogs

How to get the best results with the least effort

Milan, 23-25 March 2009 Maria Teresa Ciaffaroni

A couple of assumptions

Learning technologies are slowly and irrevocably changing the way students learn

Technologies are often unavailable for profitable use at school, whether for lack of equipment or for teacher reluctance


How to bridge the gap?

Grabbing things by the horns Starting soft That is, trying the easiest tools first,

in order to get the best results with the least effort.

BLOGS


Why blogs?

Are extremely easy to implement Even the least savvy person can create one

in a few minutes Plenty of free available blog service providers Can be updated at home both by teachers

and students Are powerful tools to share original content or

embed existing Internet resources. Allow teachers and students to interact on a

different and more equal basis


Tools


My favourite tool


Blogs for students

Also known as Tutor blogs, can be used to Provide extra material Quickly link to Internet resources Make the most of multimedia Share references Sum up main ideas about topics Explore themes Offer suggestions Assign tasks and activities


A few examples


Blogs by students

What for

Collecting students’ production Recording experiences Sharing …. (ideas documents, pictures etc.)


Sample blogs


Blogs for and by students

Also called class blogs Shared space to which both teacher and

students can contribute Sort of classroom extension Teacher can provide prompts and/or

instructions Students contribute with their own

production


A few Samples


Blogs for projects

Blogs are ideal spaces for developing

projects, especially projects carried out

between classes in different countries


Pros

Advantages are numerous. In fact blogs can be used even in an extremely technologically poor

environment provide a basic approach to technology resources help widen scope enhance variety be used as storage devices for reusable materials provide audience for students’ production offer visibility help improve language skills, particularly reading and

writing (but alslo listening)


Cons

There might be a few drawbacks Creating and updating blogs means extra work

for the teacher Correction becomes an issue Comments – or the lack of – might create

problems Privacy IS an issue Interaction might be difficult to get started and

kept going so you might need a different kind of tool

facebook


A few tips Start soft: choose the type of blog which best suits

your needs and experimente with one or a couple of classes

Find a special reason for starting a blog and try students’ reaction

Do not expect students to be over-enthusiast Remember: it’s you who have to keep things going


Conclusions

Though blogs are by no means the “cure it all”

tool they might prove useful to Get familiar with technology Start using technology based resources Try different teaching approaches Provide scope for students’ activities Get access to authentic material ……. (name your own)


References

A few useful resources if you wish to know more on the

matter Campbell AP 'Weblogs for use with ESL classes'

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html Downes, S., Educational Blogging,

http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/EducationalBlogging/40493

Stanley, G., Blog-EFL, http://blog-efl.blogspot.com/ Stanley, G., blog for ELT,

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/blogging-elt

Ciaffaroni, M.T. Blogs, http://www.slideshare.net/ciaffaroni

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