What is blogging?

Educational blogging is a Web 2.0 tool used to communicate ideas for educational purposes through the use of blog posts. Blog posts are frequently updated webpages which are “primarily textual, but they may contain images, photos or other media content” (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008, p. 173). Why blog with students? Research conducted in elementary to post-secondary education institutions suggest students would benefit from utilizing educational blogging for the improvement of student learning, specifically with the development of literacy skills. Key benefits of blogging include collaborative learning, increased engagement, feedback from a global audience, reflective thinking, improved writing, and development of technology skills. Students benefit from working with their peers through sharing and discussing knowledge rather than working in isolation, which can be the case with paper journaling (Angelaina & Jimouianis, 2012; Chen, Liu, Shih, Wu, & Yuan, 2011; Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008; Wang & Hsua, 2008; Zawilinski, 2009). Blogging tools such as the commenting feature provide additional opportunities for student and teacher feedback (Deng & Yuen, 2009; Fessakis, Tatsis, & Dimitracopoulou, 2008; Manfra & Lee, 2012). Working with an authentic audience motivates students to improve their writing, as students want their work to be understood and read (Fessakis et al., 2008; Howard, 2011; MacBride & Luehmann, 2008; McGrail & Davis, 2011).

Students have opportunities for questioning texts and thinking critically about subject matter when blogging activities are designed to respond in this manner (Arena, 2008; Zawilinski, 2009). Students are more engaged with blogging than with writing traditional papers (Armstrong & Retterer, 2008; Ellison & Wu, 2008; Frye, Trathen, & Koppenhaver, 2010). The incorporation of visual literacy is often introduced when blogging (Arena, 2008; Drexler et al., 2007; Richardson, 2010). Students learn how to select media, which is appropriate for their content such as images, videos and sounds.                          

Educational Blogging with Elementary Students

Chelsea  O’Leary  Twitter:  @Chelsea_OLeary  

http://whosgreenaz.com/2012/11/29/do-­‐you-­‐love-­‐blogging-­‐we-­‐want-­‐you/  

How to plan for blogging?

There are four key components of learning designs necessary for the implementation of blogging activities. Teachers need to understand their role when blogging (Deng & Yuen, 2009; Drexler et al., 2007; Howard, 2011; Parisi & Crosby, 2012; Richardson, 2010; Vance, 2009). Blogging should be incorporated into current instructional design (Ellison & Wu, 2008). Students need to be provided with instructional and technological support throughout the blogging process (Armstrong & Retterer, 2008; Deng & Yuen, 2009; Howard, 2011; Manfra & Lee, 2012; McGrail & Davis, 2011; Richardson, 2010). Students also need to be provided with ongoing assessment through the form of feedback (Howard, 2011; Manfra & Lee, 2012; McGrail & Davis, 2011; Richardson, 2011). These components share similar instructional design elements with ADDIE’s instructional approach (Branch, 2009), ID4T teaching model (Carr-Chellman, 2010) and the Teaching for Understanding with Technology Framework (Wiske, Franz, & Breit, 2010). These characteristics focus on teacher processes such as planning and instruction, placing an emphasis on pedagogy, as opposed to the application of technology to learning.

Additional Resources: http://chelseaoleary.wordpress.com/category/blogging/ http://www.middleweb.com/7921/get-your-students-blogging/ http://gregmillerprincipal.com/2013/02/08/student-blogging-a-year-and-a-half-later/ http://eduslam.me/2013/11/04/the-power-of-blogging-and-quality-comments-with-linda-yollis/

 Recommendations  for  Elementary  Teachers  

  Select  a  blogging  platform,  which  provides  secure  access  to  the  

site  and  a  limited  number  of  tools.     Discuss  digital  citizenship  and  blogging  expectations  to  ensure  

a  positive  blogging  experience  for  students.  

Model  literacy  activities  through  the  use  of  sample  blog  posts  and  provide  a  rubric  to  outline  blogging  requirements.    

  Select  activities  that  meet  curriculum  outcomes  and  are  

relevant  to  student  skills  and  interests.    

Allow  students  to  communicate  ideas  through  written  or  audio  blog  posts  with  or  without  supporting  media  (photos,  animation,  videos,  hyperlinks)  in  order  to  personalize  learning.  

  Provide  weekly  in-­‐class  time  for  blogging  activities,  such  as  

during  computer  sessions,  centers  or  during  literacy  activities.  Offer  opportunities  to  blog  at  home  for  those  students  who  wish  to  blog  about  topics  of  their  choice.  

  Provide  ongoing  instructional  support,  guidance  and  feedback  

to  ensure  students  are  able  to  achieve  blogging  outcomes.    

Take  advantage  of  the  commenting  feature  as  a  way  to  praise  and  motivate  students  to  continue  discussing  blog  topics.  

  Involve  students  throughout  the  blogging  process  to  ensure  

they  are  engaged  during  blogging  activities  and  address  any  technical  or  scholarly  issues.  

  Encourage  students  to  peer  mentor  each  other  to  enable  

mastery  and  confidence  of  skills  

References

Angelaina, S., & Jimoyiannis, A. (2012). Analysing students' engagement and learning presence in an educational blog community. Educational Media International, 49(3), 183-200. doi: 10.1080/09523987.2012.738012

Arena, C. (2008). Blogging in the language classroom: It doesn't "simply happen". TESL-EJ, 11(4), 1-6. Retrieved from http://tesl-ej.org/ej44/a3.html

Armstrong, K., & Retterer, O. (2008). Blogging as L2 writing: A case study. AACE Journal, 16(3), 233-251.

Branch, R. M. (2009). Instructional design: The ADDIE approach. Boston, MA: Springer. eISBN: 9780387095066

Carr-Chellman, A. (2010). Instructional design for teachers: Improving classroom practice. Florence, KY: Routledge. eISBN: 9780203847275

Chen, Y. L., Liu, E. Z., Shih, R. C., Wu, C. T., & Yuan, S. M. (2011). Use of peer feedback to enhance elementary students’ writing through blogging. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(1), E1-E4. doi:10.1111/j.14678535.2010.01139.x

Deng, L., & Yuen, A. H. K. (2009). Blogs in higher education: Implementation and issues. TechTrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 53(3), 95-98.

Drexler, W., Dawson, K., & Ferdig, R. E. (2007). Collaborative blogging as a means to develop elementary expository writing skills. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 6, 140-160.

Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the classroom: A preliminary exploration of student attitudes and impact on comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122.

Fessakis, G., Tatsis, K., & Dimitracopoulou, A. (2008). Supporting "learning by design" activities using group blogs. Educational Technology & Society, 11(4), 199-212.

Frye, E. M., Trathen, W., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2010). Internet workshop and blog publishing: Meeting student (and teacher) learning needs to achieve best practice in the twenty-first-century social studies classroom. Social Studies, 101(2), 46-53. doi:10.1080/00377990903284070

Halic, O., Lee, D., Paulus, T., & Spence, M. (2010). To blog or not to blog:

Student perceptions of blog effectiveness for learning in a college-level course. Internet And Higher Education, 13(4), 206-213. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.04.001

Howard, M. (2011). Not an unfeasible "extra”. Science And Children, 49(4), 32-35.

MacBride, R., & Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study of classroom blogging. School Science And Mathematics, 108(5), 173-18.

Manfra, M., & Lee, J. K. (2012). "You have to know the past to (blog) the present": Using an educational blog to engage students in U.S. history. Computers In The Schools, 29(1-2), 118-134. doi: 10.1080/07380569.2012.656543

McGrail, E., & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary student writing. Journal Of Research In Childhood Education, 25(4), 415-437. doi:10.1080/02568543.2011.605205

Parisi, L. & Crosby, B. (2012). Making connections with blogging: Authentic learning for today’s classroom. Eugene, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.

Wang, S., & Hsua, H. (2008). Reflections on using blogs to expand in-class discussion. Techtrends: Linking Research And Practice To Improve Learning, 52(3), 81-85.

Wiske, M. S., Franz, K. R., & Breit, L. (2010). Teaching for understanding with technology. Hoboken, New Jersey: Jossey-Bass.

Zawilinski, L. (2009). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661. doi:10.1598/RT.62.8.3