Weblogs classroom
From IntegratedMedia
Contents |
Weblogs in the Classroom
Background
A weblog (web-log), or more commonly known as a blog, is a 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 and hypertext plays a huge role. The idea of using weblogs in the classroom has been a relatively new idea, but for many teachers, the idea has caught on quickly and today in 2008, the idea is becoming more and more common with many others following trend.
Blogs in the classroom can be used in a number of ways. Firstly, the teacher may have access to the main teaching blog where students can read daily posts relating to course work, class announcements and extra information etc but they cannot add to the content. They might be free to comment creating a type of conversation but they might not be the sole blogger. An example of this is Seth Keen's teaching blog at RMIT which is linked with the subject Networked Media.
Secondly, another way blogs can be used in the classroom is if there is one blog for the whole class where again course work, announcements etc are posted on, but everyone in the class has access to the blog and can write what they wish. An example of this style of using a blog was in Chuck Tryon's English 518 class and students could add to the blog, as well as the teacher, Chutry.
In addition, another way of using blogs in the classroom is when every student is given a blog of their own, and they use this to relfect on their classwork related to the subject as well as other interests which may or may not be related to the class. We, being Integrated Media students at RMIT University in Melbourne, are a prime example of this style of using blogs in the classroom. Links to all the students' blogs can be found here, with the actual links on the right hand side column under 'Integrated Media Students'.
Either way, there are many ways to incorporate using blogs in the classroom which have all proven to be very effecive and in some cases, addictive. As for the future of using blogs in the classroom, only time will tell.
Distributed Learning Communities
PODCAST by Robert Fitzgerald
Download our PODCAST of Robert Fitzgerald discussing the Distributed Learning Communities Project to find out more. This podcast was recorded by Robert Fitzgerald in April 2008 for the purpose of contributing to our iiki research assignment and sharing his project's work around social software in the classroom. Click here to view the Podcast transcript
About the project
In Semester 1 2008 Robert Fitzgerald from the University of Canberra hosted a discussion group with some students taking the Integrated Media subject at RMIT. He asked the students about their (mine, becky's, karin's) views on using blogs and other social software programs as part of their course. This information was used as research for a project titled Distributed Learning Communities: A project about social software in higher education. "The project is exploring the role of social software and social networking in supporting peer learning in higher education."
The project is working closely with RMIT University and Adrian Miles, as well as Queensland University and Axel Bruns. The project team understands that many young people know and use social software such as facebook, wikis and blogs, but more for social purposes. Therefore, one of their main intentions of the project is that these tools might also provide a social ground for learning.
As of April 2008, as the project is coming to an end, the project has done a wide variety of things and experiments including surveys about social software both on campus and off campus, as well as running a series of pilot projects across the univerities involved.
Once completed in mid 2008, the project is designed to promote and advance learning and teaching in universities by using social software to foster the development of digital learning communities. The project will produce: (1) an assessment of the communication and information processes and tools preferred by current university students; 2) a set of guides and exemplars, demonstrating strategies for engaging students in pervasive modes of learning and teaching with social software(reference).
The project also has an online wiki project for the course of the project. Included in this is a CookBook which talks about and has links to many terms related to social software and web 2.0, all of which are directly related to using weblogs in the classroom, as well as Chuck Tryon's work with these types of software also.
Examples of weblogs in the classroom
Chuck Tryon and weblogs
There have been some studies done on the using social software in education and within universities themselves. Chuck Tryon who is an assistant professor of film and media studies at Fayetteville State University, USA, has presented on this topic as an invited lecturer at Atlanta and Statesbro in Georgia, USA. While Chuck uses his own blog called The Chutry Experiment, for personal as well as research uses, he has also been a significant figure in instigating the integration of new media into teaching methods. By doing this, Chuck hoped to find a new way for students to take charge of their writing and provide them with a sense that writing matters.
Some of Chuck's teaching blogs include:
- Writing to the moment which was used as a teaching blog for Chuck's English 1101 course at Georgia Tech at the beginning of 2004. This blog was used for class discussion focusing on the langauge and images used in political campaigns, focusing primarily on the 2004 presidential election. On this blog, Chuck added class notes and students were expected to keep up with the blog as it was where announcements, relevant external articles and new information was placed for the class.
- Democracy Rehtoic and Democracy which was used at the end of 2004 as a discussion and announcement site again for Chuck Tryon's English 1101 courses at Georgia Tech. Like the previous blog mentioned above, this blog was used as a teaching material which allowed Chuck to further extend his reach to his students and contact them outside of classtime.
- English 518 was a Graduate course on technology in the language arts classroom and this was the teaching blog used as part of the subject in 2007. The blog served as a means for professor and students to keep the class discussion going throughout the week. This class also involved students thinking about the role of blogs, wikis, and other media in the language arts classroom. This is very similar to the works media students at RMIT undertake in second year and in terms of the wiki, this idea relates directly to the iiki research project you're reading right now.
Interview - Dr Chuck Tryon speaks to students in Australia
A video starring Chuck Tryon was been filmed (on 8 April 2008) especially for the use of this iiki reserach assignment. The basis of the video is on Chuck's contribution towards the online blogging world, and discusses ways he has been involved in blogging, in particular using blogs in the classroom. The video also discusses Chuck's thoughts on the iiki research assignment and his experiences, if any, with using the wiki environment within his teaching schedule.
As of May 8 2008 the video is now available online via youtube and it's titled Dr Chuck Tryon speaks to students in Australia.
View the transcript of Chuck Tryon's video.
Other classroom blog examples
Classroom blogs in Melbourne
At RMIT University in Melbourne, Media students are introduced to the idea of using blogs as part of their everyday uni life in the subject Networked Media. In a semester 1 course called Editing Media Texts, students start off using a visual diary, and then in semester 2 in Networked Media, they're given wordpress blogs to make the shift from writing in a physical book to writing online and in a public space. The transition may be immediate or take some time.
Classroom blogs in Western Australia
The Western Australian Department of Education and Training are another group in Australia who understand the positive aspects that come with using blogs in the classroom. "Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilise with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom." The department can also see the benefits from a teachers point of view, commenting "from an education perspective the availability and ease of use of blogging software makes creating Weblogs a viable classroom activity and a means for teachers to communicate with other teachers."(reference)
Other classroom blogs
Writing Katerina was a class blog created by students enrolled in English 2151 at the University of New Orleans in Fall 2005. As part of an attempt to 'witness' Katrina's aftermath, the class blog was set up to act as both a collective research hub for students to utilise for their writing and as a space to create their own archives as a public memorial for all those affected by the hurricane and its aftermath. This is yet another example of the different ways blogs are being utilised in schools around the world.
Virtual Reality in the classroom
In 2007 student studying Integrated Media 2 at RMIT University experimented with the 3D Virtual world Second Life, by becoming 'Residence' of this community. The purpose of this exercise did not aim to simply teach the students how to use the virtual world, but instead make students think about what sort of media Second Life is, what it means to make content or be content in this environment, and what it is to be a media producer in these kind of worlds. By participating in this exercise, students were encouraged to consider what these worlds would tell them about themselves, the net, and identity. This is an example of an interesting mode of practical teaching, that has been made possible through the evolution of virtual worlds.
Want to view more?
Using blogs, as well as wikis in the classroom is a very relevant and interesting idea in 2008. Here are some links to some notable videos available online that discuss using blogs and other social software in the classroom.
- Teaching with WIKI
- Wikis in education
- Blogs in the ESL classroom
- Using blogs in the classroom
- Blogs, wikis and podcasts in the classroom
Author's Note
View a note from the Author.
