To Blog or not to Blog
Sometimes technology has been called a solution in search of a problem. So I’ve been trying to nut out some uses for blogs in the classrooms. Especially for face to face classrooms. A lot of the blogs I’ve seen have their authors engaging in a great deal of reflection. This wouldn’t be a bad thing for classrooms I think. All too often we’re so focused on getting the work done we often forget to sit back, relax and reflect on what’s been done, what worked, what didn’t and generally how we feel about it. Getting kids to be reflective is also about helping them become metacognitive.
I suppose the trick is trying to convince kids of the value of being reflective. Perhaps this is the medium to do it. A blog is a bit like computing in casual clothes. I’m here at my office, in bare feet, listening to The Who and typing out what’s running through my head. I mean, it doesn’t feel like work! I’m not too fussed that the stuff I’m typing doesn’t sound that “academic”. This doesn’t mean I don’t care what I’m typing, quite the contrary, I’m probably closer to this stuff than anything I’ve probably written in unit notes or journal articles. So maybe that’s what kids need; a place to be real. I dunno (see that, I typed dunno).
Anyway back to the classroom. The RSS feeds from blogs offer a great opportunity for teachers who can subscribe to their students blogs so when anything is posted they get an update. This is called “push technology” as the information is being pushed out to us subscribers. The old fashion “pull technology” meant we would have to go looking for this stuff. So imagine you’ve got a classroom of 25 kids all blogging. If you’ve subscribed to each of their blogs you can check out what each kid’s up to in one fell swoop through an aggregator or live bookmarks. I reckon I’d rather do that than lug home 25 exercise books for marking.
Another opportunity would have the students commenting on each other’s blogs. When I thought about this my first reaction was what if kids posted comments that were hurtful and offensive? I suppose the first defence is that all comments can be moderated so anything that got sent would only go public with the permission of the author. This doesn’t stop the stuff being sent in the first place but it can limit any potential damage. Besides you wouldn’t let kids on this technology without clear guidelines about what is and what isn’t appropriate.
Anyway a little food for thought. The picture? If you haven’t guessed it’s The Great Wall of China. UNE does a trip for a TESOL Practicum every year. I hope to be going back again to China this year for a wedding.
Zaijian!
April 25th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Pete Townsend will never die!
April 25th, 2007 at 11:05 am
At least not before he gets old!
April 25th, 2007 at 11:48 am
One of the papers I will be presenting this Friday to the MUE2007 conference in Seoul is entitled:
A Research Proposal to Address the Learning Strategies Used
by Second Language Students in Accessing Online Resources
One of the research questions it asks is:
Are new metacognitive language learning strategies (LLS) being evolved during online learning that favour nonlinear cognitive behaviour?
Following Feng and Mokhtari (1998), Upton (1997), and Chun (2001), I propose to use think-aloud protocols together with retrospective interviews to access student metacognitive LLS. Typically, following careful demonstration and explanation of the procedure involved, think-alouds involve students commenting on their approaches and strategies used while undertaking set tasks. In second language acquisition, think-alouds might either be restricted to the L1, the L2, or the researcher might allow either depending upon the momentary state of mind of the student. During this process, students are observed by trained observers for specific LLS used, and their think-alouds recorded. These observations and recordings are later analysed, and students retrospectively interviewed (both immediately afterwards and a few days later), where necessary, to clarify LLS used. Metacognitive LLS have been found to correlate with L2 aptitude and L1:L2 usage patterns.
I hope to provide empirical evidence that LLS used in online learning qualitatively differ from those used in traditional classroom-based L2 learning, and thus support Prensky’s, and Shetzer and Warschauer’s theoretical schema.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Sounds like good stuff. I’ve got a M.Ed(Hons) student who’s just completed his thesis titled the “Treatment of Error in Students’
Second Language Writing: An Investigation of Two Online Approaches”. This found some interesting results. I passed your posts onto him as there might be an opportunity for you to get some dialogue happening.
April 25th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Many thanks Mitch.
Rob.