BLOGS
A blog can be quite interactive. It is an
online medium where individuals can share their thoughts and opinions. It is
defined as an electronic journal (Darling-Hammond & Adamson, 2010). A blog can be an essential tool for providing
students with opportunities to read and write. Reading and writing are
essential skills for the 21st century (Darling-Hammond &
Adamson, 2010). Yang (2009) stated that when students post their writing and
collaborate by making comments about their peer’s work, this action facilitates
or promotes an active literacy community. This medium also provides the learner
with an opportunity to reflect on his or her work and is accessible at school
or at home. Additionally, Gardner (2014) posited that when students engage in
blogging, the bar is raised higher as students move beyond simply writing for
their teachers, and instead are writing for a larger audience (real readers).
As an innovative tool,
a blog is applicable to the learning context (education) because it can provide
students with opportunities to communicate in the digital landscape (Yang, 2009).
One blogging platform is Edublog, which
is a secure site that learning leaders can utilize to post class information
and have students engage in online forums. Students can collaborate by sharing
materials, ideas, and knowledge. Educational blogging has
other benefits which include serving as a motivational factor to stimulate language
learners to read (Liaw, Chen, & Huang, 2008) and allowing individuals to
add to the body of learning resources through the use of hyperlinks within blogs (Godwin- Jones (2003) in Yang, 2009).
Image
of students using blogs in the language arts classroom
References
Darling-Hammond,
L. & Adamson, F. (2010). Beyond Basic Skills: The role of performance
assessment in achieving 21st century standards of learning. Standford Center for Opportunity Policy in
Education. Retrieved from https://scale.stanford.edu/system/files/beyond-basic-skills-role-performance-assessment-achieving-21st-century-standards-learning.pdf
Gardner,
T. (2014). Strategy guide: Teaching with blogs. ReadWriteThink: International Reading Association. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-blogs-30108.html
Liaw,
S.S., Chen, G.D., & Huang, H.M. (2008). Users’ attitudes toward Web-based
collaborative learning systems for knowledge management. Computers and Education, 50(3), 950 – 961.
Yang,
S.H. (2009). Using blogs to enhance critical reflection and community of
practice. Educational Technology &
Society, 12(2), 11-21. Retrieved from http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_2/2.pdf
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