Writing beyond the classroom:  Blogging as a

medium for citizen engagement?

Pamela Tracy, Communication Studies and Theatre, Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol, Assistant Instructional Design Librarian,

Lee Bidwell, Sociology, Longwood University

Blogging Writing in Public + 4 the Public

Image by Flickr user batmoo and used under the Creative Commons license

Benefits of Course BloggingAcademic Blogs provide a medium for:• reflection and engagement with the course

content (Granberg, 2010; Joshi & Chugh, 2009)

• communication and peer feedback (Xie, Ke, & Sharma, 2010)

• development of a learning community (Hodgson & Wong, 2011; Halic, Lee, Paulus, & Spence, 2010)

Publishing platform for an engaged academic community

763 sites & 1,392 users

Searches, hits, & visits

Total search visits:  97,417

Comm200 (online) & Comm325 (hybrid):Theory and Analytical Blogging

• Why I use blogging.• How we blog.

– Theory blogging– Media analysis blogging– Peer response

• What’s next.– Group blogs for 4th graders.

Academic Blogging: Engaging with Theory

• Balancing narrative and academic tone– “Blogging has allowed me to compose within a

balance of creative and scholarly writing. It has also sparked my interest to continue blogging.”

• Using the LEE method*– Label– Explain– Example

• Presenting the personal• The creative possibilities of blogging*the LEE method was developed by Dr. Naomi Johnson

Writing for the public

• Considering the rhetorical situation– “ As I re-read my work, I realized that when

I first started blogging, I was writing how I spoke, instead of actually thinking about how it would sound to other readers.”

• Using invitational language• Avoiding the familiar

The Blog Audit

• Guided self-evaluation/reflection of blog posts – Themes within blog posts?– How posts have changed?– Ideas/threads worth re-visiting?– What aspects of blogging value most?– Did blogging help you understand theory?

The Blog Audit:Peer to Peer Learning

• “reading my peers’ blog posts helped me to understand the theories I did not choose to write about…it gave me a whole new viewpoint”

• “It was exhilarating to get feedback on my blog posts so I could see how others felt about my interpretation of certain theories.”

The Blog Audit:Writing to Teach Others

• Blogging “challenged me to present my understanding of the material in such a way that I would be able to teach others.”

• “when trying to explain the theory for others, I was able to understand it better myself”

The Blog Audit:Value of Blogging

• “Blogging is so much better than writing papers that you turn in to a professor. The posts are just the right length to convey your main points and keep the reader’s attention. I found that, after reading my classmates’ posts wanting to know more about their thoughts on theories discussed.”

• “I am a visual learner so being able to apply the theories with blogging has truly helped me grow in the field of communication”

SOCL 351: Motivation for Blogging• Practical—not for “bells and whistles”• Blog assignment enabled improved and more

engaged student academic writing:– Students not feeling accountable for their work to

anyone except the professor;– Students being disengaged from the project—

don’t see the value of the research and writing; “it’s just another academic hoop”

– No lasting value of term papers for students– Students cannot express what they learn in the

research in a creative way

Blogging to Showcase Student Research

•is more public, •creates more accountability, •and allows for more creativity than the traditional term paper assignment.

The Assignment

1. Students submit individual research questions and research their topic as they would a traditional term paper;

2. Students with research questions in similar topic areas are grouped together;

3. Students submit individual papers to the instructor, answering their research question; this serves as a draft of what will eventually get incorporated into their group’s blog page.

The Assignment4. Students receive instruction on finding & evaluating sources

(information literacy) and building blogs (technological literacy);5. Group dynamics are established early in the semester;6. After each student’s individual paper has been graded, the

students work in their group to create a blog page that incorporates all of the information of each paper. The blog page must have a theme and give clear answers to the research questions for the public.

7. The blog is graded on content, creativity, consistency of voice, and clear & correct documentation. Grading rubric posted early in the semester makes these criteria clear.

8. Each group presents its blog to class at end of the semester, discussing the theme they were conveying and why they made the choices they did in the delivery of the content.

The Product

For more information on the assignment, contact Lee Bidwell bidwelllm@longwood.edu

http://blogs.longwood.edu/familyviolence2011

Value of the Assignment—Expected Outcomes

The goal of using the blog—a public forum—to present research was to make students feel (1) more accountable for the quality and clarity of their

research and writing; (2) more enthusiastic about investigating and reporting

their research question, and (3) more invested in the project because it has lasting

value.

Value of the Assignment—Unexpected Outcomes

• The assignment had unexpected value and outcomes. Students gained:– a broader knowledge of information literacy

(having to cite not only written sources, but digital sources as well)

– Enhanced critical thinking—especially in coming up with a theme or purpose for the page

– Enhanced teamwork skills and appreciation of the different talents colleagues bring to a group.

Take Away Tips…

Image by Flickr user Dvortygirl and used under the Creative Commons license

Take Away Tip # 1Embrace the possibilities of course blogging. As a versatile technology, blogs can be employed :• to facilitate communication• to showcase student writing• to develop a learning community• to teach course content using a variety of

assignments• to build professional portfolios• to engage in a dialogue with the public

Take Away Tip # 2

Discuss with students what writing in public and for the public means:• responsibility for tone, grammar, spelling, and voice• respect for intellectual property• balance between self and the other• keeping the audience in mind• engaging with the audience• writing for a potentially diverse audience• PR/Marketing your blog

Take Away Tip # 3

Develop a grading rubric & share with your students:• clear assignment criteria• clear instructions for both blogging and

peer responses• helps students to know what is

expected of them• eases faculty grading

Take Away Tip # 4Create assignments that encourage originality:• scaffolding assignments• change your categories (organization

of student posts)• beware of the “lived-in” blog• drafts & low stakes initial blogging

assignments • Turnitin (as a tool)

Take Away Tip # 5

Give up some control & be flexible:• technology fails• experiment with your students• develop a community of learners• encourage problem-solving• inspire creativity

Take Away Tip # 6

Find your support and broaden your network:• your library liaison• your colleagues• your department/ discipline• across disciplines and colleges

Take Away Tip # 7

Cheer for your students and yourself:• blogging as iterative pedagogy• fine tuning

Questions???

Questions for you…

• What obstacles, challenges and frustrations have you faced with blogging?  

• What opportunities has blogging created in your learning environment?

• How can student blogging inform and educate a larger public?

BibliographyGranberg, C. (2010). Social Software for Reflective Dialogue: Questions about Reflection and Dialogue in

Student Teachers' Blogs. Technology, Pedagogy And Education, 19(3), 345-360.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, 206-213.Hodgson, P. & Wong, D. (2011). Developing professional skills in journalism through blogs. Assessment and

Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(2), 197-211. Joshi, M., & Chugh, R. (2009). New paradigms in the teaching and learning of accounting: Use of educational

blogs for reflective thinking. International Journal Of Education & Development Using Information & Communication Technology, 5(3), 1-11.

Kerawalla, L. L., Minocha, S. S., Kirkup, G. G., & Conole, G. G. (2009). An empirically grounded framework to guide blogging in higher education. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(1), 31-42. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2008.00286.x

Sharma, P. (2010). Enhancing student reflection using Weblogs: lessons learned from two implementation studies. Reflective Practice, 11(2), 127-141. doi:10.1080/14623941003683201

Xie, Y., Ke, F., & Sharma, P. (2010). The Effects of Peer-Interaction Styles in Team Blogs on Students' Cognitive Thinking and Blog Participation. Journal Of Educational Computing Research, 42(4), 459-479. doi:10.2190/EC.42.4.f