Educational Blogging with Elementary Students · Educational blogging is a Web 2.0 tool used to...
Transcript of Educational Blogging with Elementary Students · Educational blogging is a Web 2.0 tool used to...
What is blogging?
Educational blogging is a Web 2.0 tool used to communicate ideas for educational purposes through the use of blog posts. Blog posts are frequently updated webpages which are “primarily textual, but they may contain images, photos or other media content” (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008, p. 173). Why blog with students? Research conducted in elementary to post-secondary education institutions suggest students would benefit from utilizing educational blogging for the improvement of student learning, specifically with the development of literacy skills. Key benefits of blogging include collaborative learning, increased engagement, feedback from a global audience, reflective thinking, improved writing, and development of technology skills. Students benefit from working with their peers through sharing and discussing knowledge rather than working in isolation, which can be the case with paper journaling (Angelaina & Jimouianis, 2012; Chen, Liu, Shih, Wu, & Yuan, 2011; Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008; Wang & Hsua, 2008; Zawilinski, 2009). Blogging tools such as the commenting feature provide additional opportunities for student and teacher feedback (Deng & Yuen, 2009; Fessakis, Tatsis, & Dimitracopoulou, 2008; Manfra & Lee, 2012). Working with an authentic audience motivates students to improve their writing, as students want their work to be understood and read (Fessakis et al., 2008; Howard, 2011; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008; McGrail & Davis, 2011).
Students have opportunities for questioning texts and thinking critically about subject matter when blogging activities are designed to respond in this manner (Arena, 2008; Zawilinski, 2009). Students are more engaged with blogging than with writing traditional papers (Armstrong & Retterer, 2008; Ellison & Wu, 2008; Frye, Trathen, & Koppenhaver, 2010). The incorporation of visual literacy is often introduced when blogging (Arena, 2008; Drexler et al., 2007; Richardson, 2010). Students learn how to select media, which is appropriate for their content such as images, videos and sounds.
Educational Blogging with Elementary Students
Chelsea O’Leary Twitter: @Chelsea_OLeary
http://whosgreenaz.com/2012/11/29/do-‐you-‐love-‐blogging-‐we-‐want-‐you/
How to plan for blogging?
There are four key components of learning designs necessary for the implementation of blogging activities. Teachers need to understand their role when blogging (Deng & Yuen, 2009; Drexler et al., 2007; Howard, 2011; Parisi & Crosby, 2012; Richardson, 2010; Vance, 2009). Blogging should be incorporated into current instructional design (Ellison & Wu, 2008). Students need to be provided with instructional and technological support throughout the blogging process (Armstrong & Retterer, 2008; Deng & Yuen, 2009; Howard, 2011; Manfra & Lee, 2012; McGrail & Davis, 2011; Richardson, 2010). Students also need to be provided with ongoing assessment through the form of feedback (Howard, 2011; Manfra & Lee, 2012; McGrail & Davis, 2011; Richardson, 2011). These components share similar instructional design elements with ADDIE’s instructional approach (Branch, 2009), ID4T teaching model (Carr-Chellman, 2010) and the Teaching for Understanding with Technology Framework (Wiske, Franz, & Breit, 2010). These characteristics focus on teacher processes such as planning and instruction, placing an emphasis on pedagogy, as opposed to the application of technology to learning.
Additional Resources: http://chelseaoleary.wordpress.com/category/blogging/ http://www.middleweb.com/7921/get-your-students-blogging/ http://gregmillerprincipal.com/2013/02/08/student-blogging-a-year-and-a-half-later/ http://eduslam.me/2013/11/04/the-power-of-blogging-and-quality-comments-with-linda-yollis/
Recommendations for Elementary Teachers
Select a blogging platform, which provides secure access to the
site and a limited number of tools. Discuss digital citizenship and blogging expectations to ensure
a positive blogging experience for students.
Model literacy activities through the use of sample blog posts and provide a rubric to outline blogging requirements.
Select activities that meet curriculum outcomes and are
relevant to student skills and interests.
Allow students to communicate ideas through written or audio blog posts with or without supporting media (photos, animation, videos, hyperlinks) in order to personalize learning.
Provide weekly in-‐class time for blogging activities, such as
during computer sessions, centers or during literacy activities. Offer opportunities to blog at home for those students who wish to blog about topics of their choice.
Provide ongoing instructional support, guidance and feedback
to ensure students are able to achieve blogging outcomes.
Take advantage of the commenting feature as a way to praise and motivate students to continue discussing blog topics.
Involve students throughout the blogging process to ensure
they are engaged during blogging activities and address any technical or scholarly issues.
Encourage students to peer mentor each other to enable
mastery and confidence of skills
References
Angelaina, S., & Jimoyiannis, A. (2012). Analysing students' engagement and learning presence in an educational blog community. Educational Media International, 49(3), 183-200. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2012.738012
Arena, C. (2008). Blogging in the language classroom: It doesn't "simply happen". TESL-EJ, 11(4), 1-6. Retrieved from http://tesl-ej.org/ej44/a3.html
Armstrong, K., & Retterer, O. (2008). Blogging as L2 writing: A case study. AACE Journal, 16(3), 233-251.
Branch, R. M. (2009). Instructional design: The ADDIE approach. Boston, MA: Springer. eISBN: 9780387095066
Carr-Chellman, A. (2010). Instructional design for teachers: Improving classroom practice. Florence, KY: Routledge. eISBN: 9780203847275
Chen, Y. L., Liu, E. Z., Shih, R. C., Wu, C. T., & Yuan, S. M. (2011). Use of peer feedback to enhance elementary students’ writing through blogging. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(1), E1-E4. doi:10.1111/j.14678535.2010.01139.x
Deng, L., & Yuen, A. H. K. (2009). Blogs in higher education: Implementation and issues. TechTrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 53(3), 95-98.
Drexler, W., Dawson, K., & Ferdig, R. E. (2007). Collaborative blogging as a means to develop elementary expository writing skills. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 6, 140-160.
Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the classroom: A preliminary exploration of student attitudes and impact on comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122.
Fessakis, G., Tatsis, K., & Dimitracopoulou, A. (2008). Supporting "learning by design" activities using group blogs. Educational Technology & Society, 11(4), 199-212.
Frye, E. M., Trathen, W., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2010). Internet workshop and blog publishing: Meeting student (and teacher) learning needs to achieve best practice in the twenty-first-century social studies classroom. Social Studies, 101(2), 46-53. doi:10.1080/00377990903284070
Halic, O., Lee, D., Paulus, T., & Spence, M. (2010). To blog or not to blog:
Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in a college-level course. Internet And Higher Education, 13(4), 206-213. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.04.001
Howard, M. (2011). Not an unfeasible "extra”. Science And Children, 49(4), 32-35.
MacBride, R., & Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study of classroom blogging. School Science And Mathematics, 108(5), 173-18.
Manfra, M., & Lee, J. K. (2012). "You have to know the past to (blog) the present": Using an educational blog to engage students in U.S. history. Computers In The Schools, 29(1-2), 118-134. doi: 10.1080/07380569.2012.656543
McGrail, E., & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary student writing. Journal Of Research In Childhood Education, 25(4), 415-437. doi:10.1080/02568543.2011.605205
Parisi, L. & Crosby, B. (2012). Making connections with blogging: Authentic learning for today’s classroom. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wang, S., & Hsua, H. (2008). Reflections on using blogs to expand in-class discussion. Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 52(3), 81-85.
Wiske, M. S., Franz, K. R., & Breit, L. (2010). Teaching for understanding with technology. Hoboken, New Jersey: Jossey-Bass.
Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. doi:10.1598/RT.62.8.3