The authors, two English teachers from Manitoba, Canada, introduced blogging into the curriculum for 10th grade AP English students in an attempt to enhance classroom participation. Students were assigned 12 possible questions relating to both Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Students were randomly assigned an identifier such as Student #1, etc. Online Forum Standards were established to include: respectful dialogue, constructive criticism of ideas not people, appropriate language usage, anonymity of postings, post limitation of 150 words, and teacher approval.
Redekopp and Bourbniere, with 20 years of teaching experience, recognized that while small group (cooperative) instruction generated more classroom participation, it did not enable shared understanding for the whole class. In an effort to promote communication that engaged whole group reading, reflection, and response, the teachers introduced blogging.
The premise for blogging was based on the belief that "interesting and valuable contributions can occur with change of time, space, anonymity, and voice". Redekopp and Bourbniere, prior to the introduction of blogging, had categorized their students according the following four levels: 1) frequently participates in class discussion, 2) occasionally participates, 3) rarely joins in discussion, and 4) participates under extreme duress.
In the article, the authors provided examples of the 12 aforementioned questions and the responses to them according to the participation level of the students. Interestingly, level 2, 3, and 4 students posted analytical, insightful responses that often led to further "deep" reflections by their fellow classmates. Before the opportunity to blog, one of the level 4 students had explained his reticence to share ideas in class by saying, "By the time I think of them and figure out how I want to say my ideas, the discussion is over or has moved on, and I would look stupid if I tried to share". Altering the variables of time, space, and anonymity gave this student his 'voice'.
Two strengths of this article are its illustration of how motivating blogging can be when used in a culturally responsive classroom and how blogging aligns itself with Vygotsky's theory of social constructivist learning. The level 2, 3, and 4 students facilitated the social construction of knowldege amongst their peers only through blogging. They played their part in reaching for the "zone of proximal development". Blogging provided an opportunity not only for the students for whom participation was challenging, but also for the shared understanding of the whole class.
A weakness of this article would be its brevity and the shortness of the application of blogging in the classroom.
This article was found under International Society for Technology in Education, 2009.
I think many instructors have seen the four categories of students mentioned in the article. Some students are vocal in the classroom and a few tend to dominate the discussions. Some students appear shy and say little. Others are reluctant to speak out in class. Many of these same students are just as intelligent as the more vocal students but for various reasons fail to participate. I see blogging as an avenue for these students to contribute and share with their peers.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is a great way to involve the entire classroom in the discussion. But I have concerns as most of us that it takes away from the interaction of face to face conversations. Blogging, texting, emails are a great way to communicate. Most will express what they feel this way, but if wouldn't if they were in person. We have to teach them to be comfortable in a public setting. It only helps them later in life. Great article.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this review.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to me how anonymity allows people to open up and share ideas that they wouldn't necessarily share otherwise. As I mentioned earlier, this is my first educational blogging experience, and I have found it to be engaging and can definitely see how I could leverage a similar model in some of the courses that I work with.
Many writers have stated that blogging does not facilitate the higher level writing skills required of academic settings. Personally, I always thought engaging people in the practice of writing was part of the issue with getting them to improve their writing skills. I am curious if what others think on the issue. Anyone?
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that if we were asked to write a paper on an issue, then writing skills would be necessary. As for blogging and other web tools, the new generation has already established their own glossary. Besides,this tool was for people engaging in conversation. If we were to help the student, we should help them interact with people in the social setting.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that blogging is an excellent outlet for students to collaborate. It gives them time and opportunity to develop their thoughts and effectively publish them for further discussion. This is particularly true in a high school environment when peer pressure often has a negative effect on students who do not want to "look stupid" for various reasons (to much input, to little input, communication barriers, fear of retribution from others) and thus do not speak up.
ReplyDeleteFor the same reason, it could potentially have a negative impact as teenagers find yet another outlet to communicate. For this reason, it is imperative that education administrators develop and adhere to standards regarding what can and can not be posted and what manner it is reviewed.
The only other concern is that all students/learners are afforded the facilities to access these resources and tutoring, if needed, on how to use them. Many may not have the financial means to have these capabilities at home.
As far as development of writing skills, I think that for instructors to effectively utilize blogging and other Web 2.0 tools to enhance writing is to standardize and publish writing guidelines. Without these standards, students (particularly in high school) may revert to IM lingo and concepts they they have developed for faster communication and less typing (ie...LOL....C U LTR, etc).
Regarding the concept of blogging. From my perspective there are two disparate concepts addressed in the paper. One is the ability to delay comment in order to provide "voice" to the "voiceless." Another concept is anonymity. I was thrilled to read that blogging provided an avenue to those who take time to digest before commenting, but I was left wondering if the participation would be impacted by positive identification.
ReplyDeleteFrom my foxhole, blogging is relevant to both the educational and the business world. At first critics believed that internet collaboration would never achieve a team, but the reality is that teaming is done virtually in many organizations and businesses. What is not allowed is anonymity. I would advocate that we not allow anonymity as it does not reflect the real world of application.
Royce Ann, regarding the ability to increase writing skills - I advocate that a discussion is the oil that lubricates most pens or keyboards - for the better.
I think blogging has significant potential to improve writing. I see the factors critical to accomplishing this goal as the announced instructor expectations with respect to the purpose of the blog and the learning environment co-established on the blog by the instructor and her students. Bottom line – let the students know up front that how they write on the blog is important and then monitor the blog to help maintain a high writing standard. One example might be catching errors in the date for a citation…
ReplyDeleteKathryn,
ReplyDeleteIt appears many agree with the benefit of anonymity for the student. I had not thought of blogging enabling the voice of a student, who may otherwise feel uncomfortable speaking out in a traditional classroom environment.
I am not sure I agree with other comments regarding the usefulness of blogging in initiating, and hopefully improving, writing skills for students. I have no evidence to base my opinion, but a student's familiarity with Web 2.0 tools may lead them to regress to a more familiar format when composing comments...idk?
Writing, as many of us are aware, can be a challenging process. Formal writing seems to demand more attention than blogging. Yet, as I write this I realize how many people are in the "blogosphere" and I see the inaccuracy of my remark. I'll just be quiet now...
I think I agree with Jay on the formal writing issue. As long as the instructor applies standards to the writing on the blog, then it will be OK. It should be somewhat like a discussion, however, no twitter language or shortcuts. Also, it should be proof read before posting.
ReplyDeleteThe other issue of providing a venue for silent students is equally tricky. Just because they are silent in class does not mean they will be brilliant on a blog, as you all know. So what do you do with them when they don't respond to the blog route either? We are working advanced teaching methods here. So if one technique doesn't work we just keep trying alternate means. They may respond or there may be something else working.