Blogging...one of the hottest tools one the web. Approximately two new blogs are added to the web every second. (Richardson, 2009, p. 19) What exactly is a blog??? Wikipedia defines it this way:
"A blog (a contraction of the term "web log")[1] is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog". Since you have found this blog post and are reading it, you have an idea of what a blog is and how it works.
The Learning Process
Unlike all of the other Web 2.0 tools I have had to learn about over the past three months, I actually have experience using a blog. It started with a PD opportunity in 2007 while I was employed with Edmonton Public Schools. I spent a morning learning about blogs by creating a "practise" blog and adding content to it. The ease and simplicity of the entire process impressed me which is probably why I created my own personal blog and regularly added posts to it for a period of two years. You see, I was preparing to move overseas with my family in order to teach at the International School of Macau. I really wanted to be able to share my experiences with family and friends, albeit easily and in a way that they would enjoy.
As I was new to blogging at that time, my blog was quite basic. No widgets, gadgets, or add-ons; just regular posts of our experiences, many of them with pictures. I was quite proud of my creation and I enjoyed sharing so many different experiences with friends and family abroad.
Fast forward to 2010. I'm a grad student (swore I never would be) and I'm blogging again, although for educational rather than personal reasons. In fact, this blog has been a place (the only place) to demonstrate new knowledge, show evidence of research, and display my skills. Wow, I never thought a blog could do so much. My weekly posts have helped me discover my "voice" or my personal writing style that hopefully informs, engages, and keeps people coming back for more. It has been difficult at times considering my posts get evaluated for content, so I have tried to find a happy medium. It is a work in progress to be sure, but the process of regularly writing, reflecting on comments, and reading classmate's blogs has gone a long way to improving my posts.
The learning process has been primarily hands on and practical. I have done very little reading about and research of blogging. When I speak about blogging or introduce blogs in my classes, (which I plan to do) I want to be able to share my personal experiences and hopefully my excitement and enthusiasm will be contagious to others!!
My Personal Learning
Although I started blogging in 2007, I didn't realize the "power" of the blog until my return to Canada in 2009. So many friends, acquaintances, and previous co-workers mentioned that they "loved my blog" and the stories & pictures that came with it. Even last month someone commented to me about my blog. How many people actually viewed it I don't know, but I do know that many more viewed it than I thought ever would! I also heard (from a friend) about a teacher in Edmonton who found my blog on the web; she is planning to move to Macau to teach at the same school I did. How cool!!
While I did not appreciate the scope of the audience that ended up viewing my blog, I did quickly appreciate how much time my blog actually saved me. Early on in my overseas adventure, I tried to keep in touch with close friends via email. I wanted to make my emails unique for each friend but this translated into a lot of time at my computer. I began to dread writing another email, bringing my friend ______ up to date on things. Slowly I began to rely on email less and less and in turn began to rely on my blog more and more. I ended up putting more time & energy into one post that everyone could see. For me, that was huge!
I also learned that my blog is more than a communication tool, it is actually a historical reference for me and my family. I never considered this aspect when I first signed up, but looking back at our blog, we now have a record of so many aspects of our life overseas. Each post "tells a story" of an event or trip which in turn brings so many memories rushing back for all of us. Consider this. How many times have you looked at an old photo and asked yourself questions like: "Where was that?" or "What year was that taken?". I know I have. The blog remedies this problem for me. Even better, I was able to publish my entire blog into a hardcover book. It makes a great keepsake for the entire family to reminisce with and it is something easily shared with visitors into our home. If you are interested in this option, check out Blog2Print.
Blogs are also a great source of information not readily found on the web or any reference book. For example, I just interviewed for a job in India (two days ago) and while the schools' website and Wikipedia offer some interesting tidbits, I want to know what it's like living there and working there. Fortunately, many of the staff have their own blogs! Voila, instant information from people living and teaching in some small part of the world I might find myself someday. Here are a couple of blogs (1 & 2) that I have checked out. Looks like fun!!!
Lastly, I have learned how to improve the aesthetics of my blog over the last three months. As mentioned earlier, my first blog was quite basic. That was partly due to the fact that I didn't know how to imbed video, make use of widgets & gadgets, jazz up the layout etc. Now that I have learned some of these skills, my next personal blog will certainly be different.
Teaching & Learning With Blogs
Blogs as learning tools?? It's true. The great thing about a blog is its versatility. It can be used as a personal communication tool (as noted above) but it can also be used as a teaching and learning tool. However, for a blog to be educational, its use must become engaging and collaborative. Check out this definition by Will RIchardson:
"Blogs engage readers with ideas and questions and links. They ask readers to think and to respond. They demand interaction". (p.18)
This definition raises the bar don't you think? Educational blogs require thought, analysis, questioning, sharing and refining. Teachers and students who use blogs in this way are on their well on their way to improving their teaching and learning. Here are some examples of uses of blogs as learning tools:
1) Using blogs to demonstrate knowledge.
This blog I've created is an example of this. My instructor requests evidence of understanding and learning of a tool or concept and I provide it via a blog entry. I can use text, links, pictures, video, or sound to show what I've learned. I follow a specific rubric in order to channel my thoughts. She uses the rubric to assign a grade.
The positive? Students can use a variety of different methods (the ones that suit them best) to demonstrate what they have learned.
2) Using blogs as a networking tool. For some teachers, teaching is something done in isolation. (Sad but true) I think most of us know that teachers improve when they can collaborate & share ideas, thoughts, successes, and failures with their peers. Blogging creates new ways to interact! Even if a teacher is the only English teacher in a school, blogging and following other English teachers' blogs is an easy and effective way to interact. Bloggers that connect and follow one another typically go out of their way to share and support one another.
3) Using a blog as a professional development tool. At my last school I was required to create and submit a professional growth plan each year. Typically I would think of one or two objectives for the year, jot them down, submit them and then file my objectives away. Most often I would get an email in late May reminding me about the need for me to reflect and discuss on my progress. Yikes!! I think a great way to document and reflect upon my growth plan would be via a blog. Regular posts would capture my experiences and peers or administrators could comment on my progress. Another positive it that I can maintain a record of my own professional development to share or reflect upon at a later date.
4) Blogging as a learning tool. "The public nature of a blog raises the stakes because it resembles presenting at a meeting or teaching in a classroom. In fact, many of the attributes of preparing and giving a classroom presentation apply to blogging". (Karrer, 2007, p. 21) This 'learning to present' or 'learning to teach' is really 'learning to learn'. This is probably one of the most important skills for students and teachers to master. Regarding students, they need to be able to adapt for careers that don't even exist yet. For teachers, they need to keep learning and adapting in order to be effective in the classroom.
5) Blogging for all. I recently attended a "student led conference" at my daughters school (she is in grade 2). I enjoyed following her around the classroom and watching her demonstrate her skills at using the whiteboard, her artwork, etc. But the high light of the conference was left for last. "Dad, you have to read my blog". We walked over to the laptops and she logged in and showed me all of her posts. Although her posts were quite basic, I was impressed with how she shared her thoughts about the many things she had been learning over the last few months. For some reason, these entries made her feel very proud. She couldn't explain why (all I got was "I don't know") but there definitely was something powerful going on there.
6) Teaching about online safety. For all of the positives that blogs present, there always seems to be a negative. Most articles and readings I've viewed do warn about the "risks" of having students post material online. There are issues of identity, online predators, and access to inappropriate material. These are legitimate concerns however the potential risk is often overblown I feel. However, by introducing blogs, teachers can start having conversations with their students about online safety. What information can be shared, what shouldn't be shared, involving a parent or a teacher, and using a "pretend" name are some examples. Learning about blogs should involve "how to use them" but also "how to use them safely". A common sense approach, communication with parents and administrators, and appropriate privacy settings will solve these concerns.
If safety and privacy are very touchy issues within your school, a more secure blog hosting site might be required. Edublogs is such a site. While there is a cost to setting up a "pro" account that offers many additional features, privacy and security can be very strict and content can be controlled by the teacher at all times.
Conclusion
Creating and using a blog has been one of the more enjoyable activities for me over the duration of this course. My knowledge of the many potential uses of blogs has grown and thus I feel comfortable creating and maintaining a blog for personal and professional use. The versatility and power of the "blog" is something to be encouraged and celebrated. I look forward to creating many more.
References
Edublogs. Retrieved from www.edublogs.org
Karrer, T. (2007) Learning and Networking With a Blog. American Society for Training and Development. September, Vol. 61, Iss. 9
Richardson, W. (2009) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Corwin Press
wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
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