Using Blogs as an Instructional Strategy.
Blog is short for Web log and is described as:
- a form of micro-publishing or documenting your thoughts about an issue on the Web
- Spontaneous journaling
- An online personal diary (date/time stamped)
- A frequent chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.
The act of blogging is based on the reverse chronological posting of news items and the opportunity for readers to enter personal responses to articles (Jacobs, 2003).
A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
1. What are some best practices for this strategy? How would I use it?
Blogs have become common tools for communicating and collaborating online. While setting up a blog takes only a matter of minutes, effectively incorporating blogs into online teaching requires purposeful planning and structuring of activities to leverage the power that blogging brings to the learning environment.
Begin simply. Most uses of blogs in the classroom began with the instructor using blogs to post class information such as lists of readings and assignment deadlines. This fosters in the teacher a familiarity with the technology and with students a habit of regularly checking the online resource.
Lead by example. Before requiring students to blog, instructors should lead by example, creating their own blogs and adding links to interesting resources and commentary on class topics. This not only produces a useful source of supplemental information for students, it creates a pattern and sets expectations for when students begin their own blogging.
Read. Students should begin their entry into blogging by reading other blogs. Teachers should use this practice not only to demonstrate how other people use blogs to support learning but also to foster critical thinking and reading skills. Teaching how to respond to blog posts is as important as creating blog posts.
Create a context. Like the author facing a blank sheet of paper, a blogger will be perplexed unless given something specific to write about. Have students blog about a current issued, about a specific piece of writing, or some question that comes up in the course.
Encourage interaction. Blogging should not be a solo activity. Encourage bloggers to read each other's works and to comment on them. Teachers, also, should subscribe to student blogs and offer comments, again setting an example of the expected practice.
The courses I teach on Reiki healing are short courses - maximum three days long. The group sizes are much smaller. I would definitely use this technique as a journaling tool to encourage articulation and reflection on course readings and journaling questions to guide postings.
communicating announcements and assignments in a format that students may perceive to be more “friendly” than CTools•sharing instructor-generated exercises or prompts•community building•creating a public place where student work can be “published”
2. What are role(s) of the educator using this strategy?
Because the focus in this model has shifted from planning lessons and delivering content to , the classroom teacher’s role can expand in challenging and stimulating ways. There are several being a facilitator of student learningstrategies instructors can use to improve the use of the tool in the classroom. One of the simplest is to offer training sessions to the students on how to use the tool, why it is being used, and how it will be graded (Smith, 2008; Wang, 2008). A second, and very critical, aspect is to provide prompts or questions to the students as a starter for their posts (Wang, 2008). Third, students would be more motivated to post if the instructor included some of their ideas into the content or lectures of the course. This would allow the student to see that what they wrote was important and relevant to the course. Finally, instructors who provide feedback that is “quick and simple” are more engaged.
3. What are the role(s) of the learner in this strategy?
4. What are the pros and cons of this strategy?
Blog is short for Web log and is described as:
- a form of micro-publishing or documenting your thoughts about an issue on the Web
- Spontaneous journaling
- An online personal diary (date/time stamped)
- A frequent chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.
The act of blogging is based on the reverse chronological posting of news items and the opportunity for readers to enter personal responses to articles (Jacobs, 2003).
A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
1. What are some best practices for this strategy? How would I use it?
Blogs have become common tools for communicating and collaborating online. While setting up a blog takes only a matter of minutes, effectively incorporating blogs into online teaching requires purposeful planning and structuring of activities to leverage the power that blogging brings to the learning environment.
Begin simply. Most uses of blogs in the classroom began with the instructor using blogs to post class information such as lists of readings and assignment deadlines. This fosters in the teacher a familiarity with the technology and with students a habit of regularly checking the online resource.
Lead by example. Before requiring students to blog, instructors should lead by example, creating their own blogs and adding links to interesting resources and commentary on class topics. This not only produces a useful source of supplemental information for students, it creates a pattern and sets expectations for when students begin their own blogging.
Read. Students should begin their entry into blogging by reading other blogs. Teachers should use this practice not only to demonstrate how other people use blogs to support learning but also to foster critical thinking and reading skills. Teaching how to respond to blog posts is as important as creating blog posts.
Create a context. Like the author facing a blank sheet of paper, a blogger will be perplexed unless given something specific to write about. Have students blog about a current issued, about a specific piece of writing, or some question that comes up in the course.
Encourage interaction. Blogging should not be a solo activity. Encourage bloggers to read each other's works and to comment on them. Teachers, also, should subscribe to student blogs and offer comments, again setting an example of the expected practice.
The courses I teach on Reiki healing are short courses - maximum three days long. The group sizes are much smaller. I would definitely use this technique as a journaling tool to encourage articulation and reflection on course readings and journaling questions to guide postings.
communicating announcements and assignments in a format that students may perceive to be more “friendly” than CTools•sharing instructor-generated exercises or prompts•community building•creating a public place where student work can be “published”
2. What are role(s) of the educator using this strategy?
Because the focus in this model has shifted from planning lessons and delivering content to , the classroom teacher’s role can expand in challenging and stimulating ways. There are several being a facilitator of student learningstrategies instructors can use to improve the use of the tool in the classroom. One of the simplest is to offer training sessions to the students on how to use the tool, why it is being used, and how it will be graded (Smith, 2008; Wang, 2008). A second, and very critical, aspect is to provide prompts or questions to the students as a starter for their posts (Wang, 2008). Third, students would be more motivated to post if the instructor included some of their ideas into the content or lectures of the course. This would allow the student to see that what they wrote was important and relevant to the course. Finally, instructors who provide feedback that is “quick and simple” are more engaged.
3. What are the role(s) of the learner in this strategy?
4. What are the pros and cons of this strategy?