To blog or not to blog: the efficacy of the blog
By: Brian Bolton
Technology as part of pedagogy is not new and teachers have been using web pages and other ICT for some time. Recently however, the introduction of Web 2.0 tools has created opportunities for interactivity and building a community of learners. Web 2.0 tools will support the building of relationships and will help to create and support independent learners. Of the many Web 2.0 tools, the use of a blog can indeed enhance student learning by developing the relationship between student and teacher beyond the confines of the classroom. A blog enhances student engagement, independent learning, and the creation of a community of student learners. Unfortunately there are some issues around ICT such as the technology moving more quickly than divisional policy and an inequity of student access to computers. Even with these issues the use of Web 2.0 tools such as a blog can only improve the relationship between teacher and students and in turn benefit learning.
Upon introduction to the course 07:598 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Teachers, one of the first objectives of the course was to create a blog where we could journal many of our thoughts and personal exposure to different Web 2.0 tools. The format of the blog can easily be incorporated into any course, in this case it was high school math. The first trial of the blog was with a Grade 11 Pre-Calculus class comprised of 25 students. The blog incorporates a number of different sections for students to use. The daily notes are uploaded in PDF format for the students. The lessons are recorded using Smartboard software that records both the writing on the Smartboard and the verbal lesson. These lessons are uploaded to the blog on a daily basis. The blog also provides a place for the students to ask clarifying questions about the math lessons, what is referred to in assessment documents as “the muddiest points.” The blog also has information about Homelogic, a program that allows both students and their parents to access their current mark and attendance and the course outline.
For this blog to be a successful communication tool it had to become part of the course with information to be posted everyday after each class. That way the students could never complain that the information was out of date and irrelevant. The end result is that now if a student happens to miss a class for any reason, they have access to the notes and can listen and watch the entire lesson from home that same day. Many of my students have commented that they love the resource since they do not have to worry about falling behind in math if they miss a day. One of the other additional benefits to the blog is that if a student does not understand a topic they can use the video to review the lesson and hopefully understand it a little better. If that still does not work they know they can always come in for extra help on a one-to-one basis. Although these same supports could be in place with a web page, the interactivity of the blog creates the possibility of dialogue between student and teacher that is both engaging and beneficial to the student.
As we develop technologically rich environments in the classroom, the technology will help push the boundaries of knowledge and student initiated learning. If teaching strives to achieve the constructivist point of view teachers need to push for a more student driven problem-solving approach. Janet Murphy of the ABEL program at York University discusses this need. (Murphy 2007) The question becomes how to engage students when they are used to being passive sponges that soak up the information presented to them through direct teaching alone. To use an analogy, instead of giving them ice cream toppings we need to make them want the ice cream that will allow them to dig deeper into educational topics and become independent learners. This was a very interesting analogy discussed on a website called U Tech Tips. (Utecht 2007) The math blog allows the students to have access to a virtual place where they can ask questions for clarification of a topic. It also gives them a place to find links to other resources to help them with their math skills. It allows for immediate feedback if the student is struggling with either the math or the technology. As one student commented:
Dear Mr. Bolton, as I told you previously to this message that due to my busy schedule I would unfortunately have to study Sunday night (now) for the test for I had no time during the weekend. I’m not sure if other students are having the same problems I am currently having but when I open any of the PDF files you left they only come up as gibberish and I have tried many things but I can't find a way to convert it to anything understandable so I am not sure exactly what to do, I will try to study and do the review without answers and I will come in early if your there to see how I did, big test tomorrow get a good rest sir! Night Night
Upon reading this I was immediately able to email the student the answers in a different format to help with his problem. I have heard from a many of my students that just knowing they can review the lessons or make contact with a teacher gives them a confidence when they are completing homework or studying for a test.
Technology and student usage is irrevocably linked, you cannot walk through a school without seeing students interacting with technology. They have created a whole other language dedicated to texting on their cell phones, which is by far the most constant communicating that students do today. By using technology in the class and by using something the students can connect with we engage the student in their learning. Rather than competing with cell phones and computers, why not embrace them and use them to our teaching advantage? Instead of asking students to come in and talk about getting math help, they can use the math blog to ask their questions and may often find their own answers, which develops their independent skills. To return to the analogy presented earlier, this is like giving the students ice cream instead of just the toppings. The timely manner in which information is exchanged with the blog will help to alleviate the frustrations that many students encounter when trying to understand a math topic or even review what they have learned while working at home without the help of the teacher. Math has traditionally been a source of difficulty for many students and by having access to the blog, which has the daily lesson in PDF format, the student is able to review their learning from the class and move forward rather than waiting for help from the teacher the next day. The blog allows the student to have access to a paper copy but also to have the verbal and electronic text. (Bradshaw 2005)
Web 2.0 tools are an important part of the LwICT curriculum of the Province of Manitoba. (LwICT Committee 2006) This curriculum encourages teachers to provide the scaffolding that will help students develop a higher level of critical thinking and a deeper understanding of a topic. If we provide students with a solid and creative learning environment, and support that learning environment with an ICT tool such as the blog, the students will eventually start to take responsibility for their learning. One student talks about how this blog fosters independence, “I think that this math blog is quite useful. If I need to review a certain lesson, it is right there at my fingertips. In fact, say someone was going to take this course then they could get a head start. Will you be doing this for any other of your classes?” Independence is a key point in student learning. If teachers model effective learning behaviours, and gradually release the responsibility to the learners, this will translate to students modelling these behaviours, practicing them and applying them to become independent learners. (Lock & Redmond 2006) The math blog has created an environment whereby the students can go back and review and solidify the concepts they have learned. They are becoming independent learners. The classroom allows for direct teaching of the students, but after that the students can use the math blog to check and enhance their own learning. There, they can independently review and hone their math skills. This gradual release of responsibility allows the students to become more responsible and engaged in their learning while still supporting the learning.
As technology becomes more accessible many more students are enrolling in online courses at the university level. In fact most registrations have doubled in the last few years. Two authors, Farhang Mossavar-Rahmani and Cynthia Larson-Daugherty talk about the use of a blended approach to teaching. (Mossavar & Larson 2007) They discuss how a part of the course is taught in the traditional sense and the other part of the course is taught through technology. The model’s effectiveness was measured through student success and how well the course was delivered. Will this trend of using blended instructional methods eventually translate to the high school scenario? In many ways it has, but we have to ask ourselves, what are we doing as educators to prepare for this change or to prepare our students to use technology as a part of their learning? Online learning is not going away and more importantly it is no longer confined to the computer literate teacher. (Teo Siew Chin & Williams 2005) For online learning to be effective, educators must make the learning memorable while achieving expected outcomes. The Manitoba provincial LwICT continuum shows how students move through the continuum from dependent learners to independent learners. They move from comprehension to synthesis and evaluation. The math blog creates this independence but not without support from the teacher. The interactivity of the blog creates this interaction between the course and independent learning.
Assessment is an important part of student learning since it provides feedback and information about learning to the teacher, the learner and the parent. The Province of Manitoba (LwICT Committee 2006) uses this description in the document Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind. (Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth 2006) Assessment has to be current and feedback has to be prompt and relevant. If it takes too long the student will not receive the benefit of the feedback. One area that blogs help with this feedback is by creating a space whereby students can ask their “muddiest points” questions. These may be questions they might not think of while processing the information in class or questions they would not ask within an audience of their peers. The “muddiest point” is a valuable tool for the teacher as it tells the teacher where the students are in their learning. JISC Infonet in the United Kingdom talks about the advantages of students using VLEs (virtual learning environments), by allowing students to become responsible for their own learning. (JISC infoNet Service 2006) The “muddiest points,” strategy allows the students to post questions to the teacher and to other students. An open forum allows for immediate feedback on the question. The teacher is able to moderate the answers to make sure they are correct. If they are not they can then the teacher can provide guidance and direction of the answers. Sometimes the wrong answers will allow a teacher to gauge whether or not others in the class may be on the wrong path and allow the teacher to correct this.
Students sometimes make the best teachers because they speak the same language, in this case a technological language. If we can create positive attitudes towards technology this will help students become life-long learners that respect and understand learning through technology. (LwICT Committee 2006) As information technology continues to develop at exponential rates students have to have the skills to manage data and information and communicate ideas in a variety of mediums. Mathematics has traditionally been a pencil and paper subject, but with the use of Smartboards and blogs it has moved to an electronic medium. The math blog helps to organize and control the flow of information to the students. It allows them to review and learn at a slightly different pace than if learning occurred in the classroom alone the classroom. Students do not always have time within the school day to confer with other students and the blog allows them to see other student’s questions, the answers to these questions and perhaps the opportunity to help another student to learn. The interactivity of the blog connects the students beyond the classroom. They are able to help each other and answer each other’s questions if the teacher is not available and a learning community is created.
One of the main downfalls with technology and blogging is that not all students have access to computers and the Internet at home or for that part even at school. It is difficult for teachers to push the connection between technology and classroom learning if not all students have equitable access. Another issue that has been brought to the surface with regarding blogging and technology is that often schools and divisions are behind in their technology policies. The math blog that is used for delivery of my course is outside the guidelines of the division, there is no policy and few supports in place to aid in the course development with Web 2.0 tools. This is an issue discussed provincially:
Resources and timely access to ICT: School leaders provide opportunities for all students to use ICT to support and extend their learning. While the continuum identifies the cognitive and affective behaviours demonstrated by all students, school leaders also indicate their expectation that all teachers and students will use ICT to learn, teach, and assess. For example, school leaders arrange for teachers to have common preparation time, peer coaching, and access to ICT and the Internet in classrooms for student use, as well as other resources and supports. (LwICT Committee 2006)
Many schools and divisions could have problems with this issue as the use of the tools is moving faster than professional development and availability of both software and hardware. First, the supports and resources are not in place yet for ICT to be implemented across the courses and across the grades within the school setting. This work is occurring at the elementary level but has not yet transferred to the high school. At this moment our school is at an early stage of connecting ICT to other curricula. We are just at the point of fascination with technology. Some teachers are trying to move forward with technology and administration is excited about these initiatives, but there is no real push for it to be implemented school wide. A second problem is that of the digital divide, not all teachers or students have full access to ICT within their classrooms. Some are far ahead of the curve while other classrooms may only have one computer that the teacher mainly uses for attendance. The Brandon School Division's strategic plan states in Goal 4 to continually develop schools that are relevant, reflective and adaptive to changing times. (Brandon School Division 2006) To achieve this goal there is a need for school and divisions to push for integrating ICT into pedagogy.
The introduction of Web 2.0 tools, especially blogs, enhances student learning and achievement and creates a community of learners both within the classroom and beyond. Even teachers that are not technologically literate can use these tools because of their simplicity. By building up the foundations and supports of ICT within the school system teachers maximize the curricular outcomes and help to foster critical and creative thinking as well as independent learning. The technological aspect of learning engages most students and helps them to focus on their learning as it moves beyond the traditional teaching and learning style. Practice may be ahead of policy with many of the school systems but that should not limit the progression of ICT in pedagogy, teachers just have to be careful and use a common sense approach in the incorporation of ICT. To blog or not to blog becomes an easy question, it is in the best interest of the students, to blog is the answer.
References
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Brandon School Division. (2006). Strategic Plan 2006-2007. We are all related.
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