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BLOGGING INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE

Blogging Instructional Course

Research &Development Project Proposal

Rachel M. Mudrich

University of South Alabama

Summer 2012

2BLOGGING INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE

Table of Contents

Abstract………..…………………………………………………………..………..…3

Purpose of proposed project………………….…………………………………….….3

Statement of need……………………….……………………………………….…….3

Literature review ……………….……………………………………………...……...4

Goals and objectives ………………………………………………………………….6

Overview of instructional project…………………………………………6

Design and development of instruction………………………………...…7

o Entry skills………………………………………………………...7

o Task analysis………………………………………………………7

o Delivery system and materials…………………………………….8

o Instructional strategy and procedures……………………………..8

Constraints…………………………………….………………………………………9

Assessment approach …………………………...………………………………….. ..9

Formative evaluation (actual)……………………………………..…………………10

Summative evaluation (proposed)……………..…………………………………….10

Dissemination…………………..……………………………………………………11

Gantt chart……………………………………..…………………………………….12

References……………………...………………………………………………….…13


Abstract

In the public school system there are students of all cultures and backgrounds. The

educational system is progressing in a positive way on a national scale, however the foundational

practices of core subject areas are falling by the wayside in the swiftness of this progressing.

The language arts subject area, specifically writing, has been somewhat lacking in progression

over the years. Common writing practices have been sidestepped with the growth of social

media and informal writing. However, recent literature discusses information on how blogs can

be used to enhance writing. Generally speaking, blogging is a social platform within society

rather than seen as an educational platform. This research project will be to develop instruction

for middle school students in the appropriate use of blogs to improve their writing skills.

Purpose of Research & Development Project

The purpose of this research and development project is to enhance the writing skills of

middle school students by developing instruction on the appropriate use of blogs within the

classroom. After viewing the work samples and products provided by teachers, it is apparent that

students writings are not on the level of expectations for their age and ability. Designing and

implementing a unit of instruction on using blogs to enhance creative writing techniques will

provide the outlet for writing needed to captivate students and therefore improve skills and peer

communication within formal writing.

Statement of Need

About a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students, and roughly a quarter of its high

school seniors, are proficient writers, according to Dillon’s (2008) article published in The New

York Times. These results are mirror images of the results from the same examination given in


the year 2002. Thus, the writing standards and skills of students progressing through the

educational system have met a stalemate. Writing and communication techniques have shifted

from a primary focus of educators and students and the results in research are showing this gap.

Although there are several approaches to improving writing, for this project blogs are the source

of writing enhancement. There is a need for such an instructional unit on blogging to assist in

improving the overall writing and communication language of students which will in turn result

in increased test scores on a national scale.

Literature Review of Research & Development Project

Using Blogs for Language Arts Classes

In the year 2007, the National Assessment of Educational Progress assessed through their

series of tests that about a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students, are proficient writers. The

national writing test was given to 140,000 eighth graders selected to form a representative

sample of all students nationwide. Each student wrote two 25-minute essays intended to

measure skills at writing to inform, persuade and tell stories. Where thirty-three percent scored

at or above proficiency level, eighty-eight percent scored at or above the basic level. These

results are up from eighty-five percent in 2002, but are still substandard from where they should

be as a nation. James H. Billington, the librarian of Congress, states that the lack of clarity in

the sentences of students is what has been killing writing. Billington also explains that there is a

slow destruction of the sentence, due to the fact that young Americans do most of their writing in

disjointed prose composed in Internet chat rooms or in cellphone text messages. (Dillion, 2008).

One such research based area that this project will look at as a way to enhance writing within a

classroom is the use of blogs. Research shows that many students are already constructing

microblogs hourly, via Twitter and Facebook, so having a way to use those same concepts to do


school work would also increase participation and motivation within a writing course. Students

love to write to their friends for fun, so having a personal website that allows them to do this,

respond and collaborate among other students during the process of writing (Abidin, Pour-

Mohammadi, & Hamid, 2011). There have been several roadblocks on the road to immersing the

educational world with new-aged technology that is often viewed as “social media”. However,

research shows that there are a plethora of benefits to instructional blogging when used within an

educational setting. The enormous potential of this instructional outlet along with the benefits

makes it a shame not to put such an educational asset to use in the classroom.

McGrail and Davis (2011) pointed out in their research that blogs facilitate literacy

development through storytelling and dialogue and this is based upon the facts that the format in

which blogs are composed are more personal in nature. Martindale and Wiley (2005) noted that

blogging has emerged among a variety of web-based instructional possibilities as a leader, in part

because it allows students the ability to interact in a more public venue, sharing their thoughts,

ideas, interpretations, hopes, and fears with anyone willing to spend time looking on the internet

(as cited in Brescia & Miller, 2006, p. 45). Blogging expresses the importance of social and peer

interaction as focus of the learning community. When used by instructors within a well

disciplined knowledge area, blogs allow for students to contextualize real-world experiences.

Students begin to make an investment in their writings through blogs, because it allows for them

to advance their own perspectives and experiences. Macbride and Luehmann (2008) outlined

seven potential uses for blogs with the classroom which include:

Promote reflective thinking

Nurture collaboration and relationship-building

Increase perceived accountability and quality of student work


Encourage peer support for one another

Increase opportunities for students to receive feedback

Extend learning outside classroom walls

Allow and encourage interactions with experts and others outside the classroom

When taught an implemented correctly, blogs have a vastly positive impact on students and their

ability to write. Getting students to blog simply isn’t enough – blogs must be monitored through

feedback, and must be activity-centric. Blogs provide the outlet for students to practice their

creative writing skills and peer communication skills needed in informal and formal writing. As

Nedeva and Nedev (2010) concluded, blogging is one tool that has the ability to be used cross

discipline and effectively in extended learning beyond classrooms.

The Goals and Objectives of this Research & Development Project

Overview of Instructional Project

Using the Dick and Carey Model of Instructional Design, instruction will be developed

for middle school Language Arts classes to enhance their creative writing courses with the use of

blogging. This process will start by analyzing data to assess the performance instruction need.

After analyzing all instructional needs, instructional methods will be designed and developed,

instruction will be implemented, and the effectiveness of the instruction will be evaluated in the

end. An instructional unit will be designed and developed, along with PowerPoint and SMART

Board presentations, handouts, and an instructor packet for instructional materials.

A performance analysis will be conducted to gather formal and informal data to help

achieve this goal. I will conduct a further review of the literature, interview teachers, and review

annual test scores. The learners will be middle school 8th grade Language Arts students, in a


public school setting. I will conduct a learner analysis to see what knowledge and capabilities

the learners currently hold in the area of writing and technology use through an Entry Skills test,

which will be included in the final report. The instruction will take place in a Language Arts

classroom and adjoining computer lab, to involve both intellectual and psychomotor skills, as

learners are to construct and navigate a blog, and physically operate a computer. An evaluation

of the course and instructor will be given via questionnaire at the end of the instruction, to weigh

the effectiveness of the course. This will be completed by mentor teacher, and students who

participated. Questionnaire will be included in final report.

Design and Development of Instruction

Entry Skills

Learners must identify mandated objectives for the course of writing as set forth by

Mobile County and ALCOS standards. Learners must be able to identify programs for media,

navigate websites, and maintain an email address communication throughout instruction.

Positive and frequent communication skills are necessary for this project as well.

Task Analysis

The task analysis for blogs to enhance creative writing will be completed by using the

ALCOS (Alabama Course of Study) as well as a review of current English/Language Arts county

pacing guides in relation to course syllabi. The Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) here will consist

of the teacher, the current Subject Grade Level Chairperson, and the Media Technologist.

Alabama Course of Study objectives for English Language Arts standards will be included in

final report.


Delivery System and Materials

The instructor will deliver instruction in a lecture style model while providing

demonstrations through Microsoft PowerPoint and SMART Board. Learners will be provided

with time for small group break-out sessions to practice the skill they have learned. These

breakout sessions will take place in nearby computer labs that house the required equipment, all

of which must been correctly set up. Materials needed for instruction include the required

electronic equipment mentioned previously, a Blogging Instructor Packet to guide the instructor,

and various handouts for the students for rubrics, checklists, notations and future referral on the

lecture procedures. Evaluation questionnaires, entry skills tests, and pretest for students,

instructor, and collaborating teacher will also be needed and supplied for this project.

Instructional Strategy and Procedures

Gagne’s Conditions of Learning (1985) identified nine events that should take place

during instruction to facilitate the internal process of learning. These nine events will be

present in this unit of instruction, and will be included in the appendices in the final report.

The blogging instructional unit will be broken down into three main parts. The first will

be a background component, starting with an entry skills test to analyze the current skills the

learners hold. The course begins with the foundations of writing and blogging. The second

component will be the design and development phase of creating a new blog and all the potential

uses they allow for, along with following and reviewing others’ blogs. The third component is

the assessment phase, where the training gives a student an assignment to answer via created

blog, along with a posttest and questionnaire.


The design and development phase will include a course of action for creating and

establishing a student blog for creative writing purposes. Steps for posting, reviewing, and

commenting on peer blogs will be covered also and provided within the handouts the students

will receive. The assessment phase will consist of an assignment to post an additional blog and

respond to another classmates’ posting within a week. Students may refer to a checklist provided

within the handouts to complete the assignment. Upon completion, the instructor will evaluate

the students based upon the objective provided on a given rubric in handouts. A posttest will

then be given in short answer form to assess mastery of all skills taught. During this final phase,

the students will also complete a questionnaire about the overall effectiveness of the instruction

for creative writing enhancement.

Constraints of Research & Development Project

A limitation of the learning context is the fact that only few sets of equipment are present

in that particular classroom and/or lab. It is possible to open up a few nearby classrooms and

additional labs for hands on practice in small groups, but the instructor will have to travel back

and forth without being able to see and speak with all learners at once. Finding time to

participate in a full two weeks of uninterrupted instructional and training for all the students can

also present a challenge.

Assessment Approach for Research & Development Project

An entry skills test will be administered to identify any background knowledge about the

skills leading to the instructional goal. It will consist of a written test and a checklist, since the

skills for this goal contain both verbal information and psychomotor skills. An ending

assignment will be given, while a checklist and rubric for its completion will be provided within


the student handouts. Following this checklist, rubric, and assignment, a posttest will also be

administered. During this final phase, the students will also complete a questionnaire about the

overall satisfaction of the instructional unit that prepared them for blogging, and the use of

blogging as a creative writing outlet.

Formative Evaluation for Research & Development Project

The formative evaluation will occur during the instruction itself. After each skill, the

students will be provided with time for small group break-out sessions to practice the skill they

have learned, while the instructor will go around and conference with the students to ensure the

directions and information were clear and understandable. Student assessment questionnaires

will be a formative evaluation of the effectiveness of the lesson as a whole. Because of the

nature of technology as a potential risk in education, a complete post-phase review/discussion

will be conducted at the end of each event. The information gleaned from this discussion will be

factored into the development for the next delivery of this instructional unit.

Proposed Summative Evaluation for Research & Development Project

After full implementation, the blogging instruction will be evaluated via a questionnaire

on the basis of effectiveness. Effectiveness will be based on the states’ objectives for writing

perceptions of students. This will be determined by the quarterly National Assessment of

Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment, as well as county and state assessments

throughout the year.


Dissemination

The blogging training will be disseminated to the students and teachers through lecture

and deliverables. Handouts will be provided to the students for retaining the information from

the lecture, and for future referral as needed. A Blogging Instructor Packet will be provided for

the teacher for use in future classes for years to come, and it will allow for edits and additions to

the current lesson of instruction.


Gantt Chart

PhaseJULY1-30

AUG27

AUG28

AUG29

AUG30

AUG31

SEPT1

SEPT2

SEPT3

SEPT4

SEPT5

SEPT6

SEPT7

+ 5 MOS

DesignCourse

DevelopContent

Analysis

Objectives

Criterion Tests

Conduct & Verify

Evaluate & Revise

FORM FORM SUM


References

Alabama Department of Education. (2012). Alabama Course of Study [Data File]. Retrieved

from http://alex.state.al.us/standardAll.php?grade=8&subject=ELA2010&summary=2

Abidin, M., Pour-Mohammadi, M., & Hamid, F. (2011). Blogging: Promoting peer

collaboration in writing. International Journal of Business, Humanities, and Technology,

v1 n3: 98-105.

Brescia, W. F., & Miller, M. T. (2006). What’s it worth? The perceived benefits of

instructional blogging. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education,

v5, 44-53.

Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J.O. (2009). The Systematic Design of Instruction (7th ed.).

New York: Pearson.

Dillon, S. (2008, April 4). U.S. Students achieve mixed results on writing test. The New

York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/education/04writing.html

McGrail, E. & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary school

writing. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25: 415-437.

MacBride, R. & Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study

of classroom blogging. School Science and Mathematics, v108 n5: 173-183.

Nedeva, V. & Nedev, D. (2010). A new approach of e-learning education using blogging.

Petroleum - Gas University Of Ploiesti Bulletin: Educational Sciences Series, v62 n1B:

162-169.

Poling, C. (2005). Blog on: Building communication and collaboration among staff and

students. Learning & Leading with Technology, v32 n6: 12-15.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/education/04writing.html

http://alex.state.al.us/standardAll.php?grade=8&subject=ELA2010&summary=2


United States Department of Education. (2011). National Assessment of Educational

Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment [Data File]. Retrieved from

http://nationsreportcard.gov/writing_2007/w0003.asp

http://nationsreportcard.gov/writing_2007/w0003.asp

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