Communication in action
This communication tool can be put to good effect in the ELT classroom. Blogging fosters interaction and, a well-structured blogging task can build confidence in reluctant writers.
Many students find writing the hardest skill of all, and some avoid doing writing tasks when they are set for homework. Many writing tasks appear meaningless and outdated in today's digital world. How many young people will need to write a formal letter of complaint? Nearly all communication is done online nowadays and students need to be working in appropriate platforms in order to value their learning.
Blogs (or web logs) are very easy to set up. Blogger is a Google application, accessed through Chrome, which simply requires a gmail account. Students can blog individually or as a group and chose who they share their blog with. Sharing is an important factor, as fundamental to blogging is the role of audience. This gives writing tasks a real purpose - not just to practise language and engage with ideas, but to use writing as a genuine means of communication - sharing ideas, discoveries and opinions with others and receiving comments in return. Receiving comments can encourage and motivate bloggers to write more, in that they feel their thoughts and opinions are valued and acknowledged.
Blogging can promote:
motivation language awareness self-expression self-evaluation learner autonomy
However, tasks need to be thought through and carefully managed, with learning outcomes clearly defined. The teacher needs to guide and support, ensuring that peer-feedback and interaction takes place. Teacher feedback will enhance self-esteem and promote motivation and lead to students evaluating their work, bringing higher-order thinking skills into play.
I would use the following YouTube video to explain to my students what a blog is and why and how they are used.
Blogging has the power to change your life!
In the movie Julie and Julia, we see someone's life turned around through the medium of blogging. I'm not claiming that blogging will change my students' lives, but signposting them to the film could be a fun and engaging way to show the power and potential of this tool - with the added benefit of being immersed in the target language for entertainment purposes. A lovely, heart-warming film - I recommend it.
You are absolutely right, blogging is very powerful,as it can promote both learner autonomy and collaboration/interactivity.I totally agree with you, since one of the affordances of blogging is the consolidation of students' metacognitive strategies.
ReplyDelete( What is more....I love Julie and Julia project!)
A great film, which happened to be on this afternoon, which was really helpful for my ideas! It's only by working with a blog that I've been able to appreciate the true affordances of this tool.
DeleteGreat that you are so enthusiastic about blogging. It can be a difficult medium to use with learners in my experience, as many of them find it hard to get motivated. It suits some people and as you rightly say, has great power in allowing a meaningful message to reach an authentic audience, but I think that this very public nature of the beast can be it's drawback, too, especially for learners who are conscious of their English level and inaccuracies. I think for it to be successful with learners, you probably have to spend a significant amount of class time on it. I look forward to hearing how you get on, though (sorry to be so negative!)
ReplyDeleteNot negative at all. In fact I'm determined to rise to the challenge! I do agree that the activity will need a lot of teacher control and it will take time and dedication to keep the activity on track. I read a very interesting study on effective use of blogging in a controlled environment and this has inspired me to try it in my classroom.
DeleteAmir, Z., Ismael, K., & Hussin, S. (2011). Blogs in Language Learning: Maximizing Students’ Collaborative Writing. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences. 18, 537-548.
I like the way you've addressed the position of formal writing skills in today's techno world, and introducing students to a new tech tool which also enhances their writing skills is an added advantage, but really can't deny the prime role of the teacher constantly motivating the students to remain sustained in this activity.
ReplyDeleteI happened to read the same article that you've mentioned in the comment above, and it definitely caught my attention. Rather, when I was reading your post on blogging, I immediately related to it.