To blog or not to blog - will it enhance learning?

Weblogs, or blogs as they are commonly known, are being created two every second on such sites as Facebook.com and MySpace.com (Richardson, 2009). The ease with which adolescents and other young adults create blogs as avenues for social networking raises the question of their use and possible effectiveness in the world of academia.

Such a question, however, has already been answered in the many stories and testimonies of pioneer educators who have long applied the use of blogs in their teaching practice (Richardson, 2009). They have laid the foundation upon which future educators, like myself, can build their practice. As a result of the careful efforts of these pioneer edu-bloggers to leave behind evidence of their work with using digital technologies to enhance learning, many examples of their use have been identified and recorded as good ways of accomplishing given class goals that are standards-based.

How then can I synthesize what is out there to create a learning package that will not only engage my students (Reeves, 2001), but will facilitate the development of higher order thinking skills? What can a blog do different, that which has never been possible before?(Laureate Education, 2008)

According to Richardson (2009), 'blogs are easily created, easily up-dateable websites that allows an author or authors (my students) to publish instantly to the Internet from an Internet connection.' Take note, the idea of my students being 'authors' is a 'new' concept, in the real-life sense of the word, and this is something different that I would like to develop in my classes. As authors, then, they will 'take more responsibility in managing their work, in turn, adding value to the world' (November, 2008). Again, take note, they will 'add value to the world'. Previously, the only addition would have been to the class wall designated to display students' work, however, the audience would now expand to the World Wide Web (Richardson, 2009).The plethora of evidence from educational blog users predicts an improvement in their critical thinking skills, their analytical skills, and their basic word processing abilities (Laureate Education, 2008). Consequently, the experience will not only motivate the students to learn, but it would lead to the development of a generation that is digitally savvy and ready to make their productive mark in society, advancing the knowledge already known in ways not yet considered or realized.

My desire, therefore, is to use a blog in my grade 11 English Language group as a class portal. It will not only provide basic information on assignments, syllabus, rubrics and handouts, but I would like it to be used as a means to encourage quality informed discussions amongst them. The blog would address content, yes, but it will be structured in such a way that their responses should include and incorporate their present societal realities, so as to develop one of the required writing skills they would need to be good at, which is persuasive writing, in time for their terminal exams in the next two years.

The creation of a class blog at this stage of their learning will provide pioneering data for the school at large, but more so for my successive grades to which I teach English Language and Literature. I envision an increase in reading amongst my students and an improvement in presentation, organization and coherency of their thoughts in their writing (Laureate Education, 2008).

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Program Two. Evolution of technology and pedagogy.[Motion Picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work and society. Baltimore:Author

Laureate Education, Inc.(Executive Producer). (2008). Program Six. Spotlight on technology:blogging in the classroom.[Motion Picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work and society. Baltimore:Author

Reeves, D.B.(2001). What do all [engaging] scenarios have in common? In Making standards work:How to implement standard-based assessments in the classroom, schools and district (3rd., pp. 113-116). Denver, CO: Advanced Learning Press.

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms.(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press