Reflecting on .... blogs

To examine the potential of blogs in my teaching context, I used a PMI (below).

Plus	Minus	Implications
Sorted chronological – most recent posting first.	Owned by single student.	Not good for collaborative group work as owned by single student and others cannot change blog (only post comments).
Owned by student	Can’t be changed by others – can only add comments to post.	Because blogs are owned by the student, they can provide a sense of personal growth and learning as the student is “in control”
Reflects personal style (in writing, attachments etc)	Hard to monitor what student’s write as posts and comments go “live” instantly	Potential for bullying, or slandering or inappropriate information and ideas being posted by students.
Easy to add new posts.	Students may just blog for their teacher as part of their assessment requirements.	Teachers can update class or school blog information very easily and timely
Creates equity between students – everyone can have their say.	Students may need extra time to complete assessment when using blogging as they will spend extra time reading, reviewing and commenting on peers’ blogs as well as creating their own.	As soon as assessment is over, students no longer blog.
Students can gain insight into people who may not have been easily accessible (eg politicians, expert in the area they are researching), and provides two way communication with that person (can post comments to those blogs)	Teachers need extra time to assess blog assignments – as much more reading (blog posts and comments) and considering doing than just assessing a traditional assignment.	Students can learn more outside the classroom than they can inside the classroom.  However, there is the need to teach students how to critically analyse information, and to acknowledge that blogs contain opinions of others (and not necessarily accurate facts).
Student can reflect on what they are learning.	Inequality re technology – access to computers, internet etc.	Reflection allows for deeper understanding and thinking of the topic.
Potential to continue learning over longer period of time.		Learning may continue post the school project or subject finishing as student may continue the blog.
Can work well for assignments – from start to finish		One location for student to compile, sort and construct assignment.
Allows teachers and student peers to provide feedback on progress of assignment / task.		Enhanced learning as students can learn from each other, students can learn from teacher, and teacher can learn from students (through blog comments)

I think blogs could work well in a classroom situation, as long as they are used for specific, appropriate tasks.   I can see their use in assignments when you want each student to ‘own’ their individual blog, so that apart from comments made on the posts, the blog is essentially the work of one student.  I don’t think blogs would be appropriate for group assignments whereby you want equal contribution from all students, and for the group (and not one student) to have ownership over it.

Blogs should to be used as a tool to enhance learning outcomes (Hanson).   If students can’t see the reasoning behind using a blog for an assignment (ie the teacher thought it was a cool idea at the time), they are likely to not engage in the activity and therefore unlikely to maximise their learning experience.  In this case, blogging will seem like a chore, and chances are, the student will cease to blog once the assignment is finished.  This also indicates that the teacher did not structure the learning correctly under the TPACK framework, whereby it is important that the ICT tool (in this case, blogs) is incorporated into teaching so that it enhances the content and pedagogical knowledge of the intended learning (rather than used as an independent tool and not linked with the pedagogy and content).  

 

I think as a teacher, if we can show the students an example of how blogs were used in a past student’s same assignment (or do a mock-up assignment blog), they will see the benefits and how it can enhance their assignment and learning.  We also need to provide scaffolding so that they have structure around what needs to go in their blog.  I think to leave it open, would be to create a massive “where do I start and where do I go” feeling for many students.  The scaffolding needs to help students explore the issues of the assignment topic, so that they have all the information before evaluating and reflecting.  Another key component is to ensure students are clear how their blog is going to be assessed.  In her article “Avoiding the 5 most common mistakes in using blogs with students”, Ruth Reynard (2008) offers suggestions for blog assessment criteria, including reflection, commentary, new idea and application statements.   

 

One of the most exciting components of blogging for me is that students are able to personalise their assignments through their writing, research, attachments, look and design of their blog.  For the same assignment brief, I am sure no two blogs are going to look or read the same!  And hopefully by creating such a personal resource that students take pride and ownership over, they may wish to continue their blog and future learning after the assignment is finished. 

Blogging also provides many opportunities for ongoing feedback from teachers and peers. This can enhance learning, as through blog comments, students can learn from each other, and from the teacher.  In addition, the teacher can also learn from the students!  However, with this 'free range' feedback, comes some cautions.  Students commenting on their peers’ blog opens the potential for bullying, slandering or inappropriate information and ideas being posted.  This can be monitored by the teacher (and I am sure many students would report if they saw bullying or inappropriate material posted by their classmates), however, I think proactively, a lesson (or more) in online conduct that is legal, safe and ethical should be done before starting the blog.  Sites such as the Education Queensland web publishing risk management can provide direction and resources to ensure the students understand the risks involved, the guidelines to follow, and the consequences of misconduct clear.  The class could use this information to develop their own safe use of blog/wiki/website/web guidelines.  This would have the dual benefit of ensuring students know the ethical practice when creating their blogs, as well as when they are commenting on fellow student's blogs.

Another consideration is that blogging and commenting on blogs takes time.  Students are likely to spend more time reading and commenting on their peers’ blogs than if they were doing traditional, individual paper-based assignments.  Ruth Reynard (2008) suggests that blogs should be left open until the end of the course to allow students sufficient time to maximise the benefits of the tool, and provide extra time for those students who may need it.

Although blogging can create equity by giving all students the opportunity to have their say, I think it can also create inequity.  To use blogging as a tool for an assignment, is assuming that all students have a computer, and reliable internet access.  They may have access to these at school, but are we disadvantaging them as this limits the time they are able to work on their assignments (as opposed to other students who can work on them at home).  Technology costs money, and I think until we can be sure that all students have equal access to technology, using blogging (or other online tools) may not be appropriate yet.

 

References

Hanson, Thomas.). Using Blogs to Enhance Learning – Some Helpful Tips.   Retrieved 14 March 2013, from http://www.openeducation.net/2008/10/10/using-blogs-to-enhance-learning-%E2%80%93-some-helpful-tips/

Reynard, Ruth. (2008). Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Using Blogs with Students.   Retrieved 14 March 2013, from http://campustechnology.com/articles/2008/10/avoiding-the-5-most-common-mistakes-in-using-blogs-with-students.aspx