Aristotle Meets the Internet: Using Blogging Effectively in First Year Composition

Aristotle Meets the Internet

Using Blogging Effectively

in First Year Composition

Katt BlackwellTexas Woman’s University

Benefits to Blogging

More students are becoming more comfortable with the blog environment and more resistant to the word processing environment.

Instructors have a chance to see the student’s writing much earlier in the process and provide feedback on the writing at various stages.

Four Types of Blogging Assignments

Essay Oriented

Between Essay

Peer Review

Essay Reflection

Essay Specific

Blogging

Advantages

Gets students thinking about the assignment

Gets students drafting earlier in the unit

Provides students a chance to practice writing without concern for audience

Gaining Student Interest

Share student brainstorm lists with the class.

Use student blogs to discuss what makes a good paragraph in class.

Place several of the best blogs under a section of your blog where you mention them as the best.

Between Essays

Blogging

AdvantagesGood way to introduce the next essay

Gets students thinking about the modes of writing

Provides students a chance to practice this mode before feeling the pressure of writing their essay

Gaining Student Interest

Review student blogs in class and use them to begin a discussion on the topic.

Have students expand on their blogs during a class discussion.

Peer Review Blogs

AdvantagesAllows student to begin responding earlier and

become more accustomed to the peer review

Students learn to be more honest before the pressure of the final peer review overwhelms them

Instructors have a chance to comment on student peer reviews earlier and help guide them to create better responses.

Gaining Student Interest

Have students comment on peer blogs before the peer review.

Assign students a blog that allows them to create a “peer review” of a movie they’ve seen recently, or a CD they recently listened to.

Essay Reflective Blogs

Advantages

Students become aware of improvements they need to focus on in future assignments.

Instructors have the chance to see how well students assess their writing in a more relaxed environment

Gaining Student Interest

Instructor reads through the comments and makes a list of most common weaknesses to be addressed in class.

Student suggestions for improvement for blogging assignments.

For More on Blogging

in First Year Composition

Visit My FYC Blog

http://rhetoricallyspeaking.wordpress.com

There you can view my blog and link to my students’ blogs as well.