QUICK RESOURCE SHEET #24
Blogging
“Blogs are easily accessible, easy to use, and require little html knowledge. In addition, they are a new technology, and as such, the format might appeal to students, who spend much time in front of their computers.
The most important argument for using blogs in teaching might be their format: the way they are set up, they invite participation. They also have the potential to democratize the classroom; as with other forms of computer-mediated communication, each student can participate equally. Issues such as shyness are of less relevance than in the face-to-face situation, and participation by quieter students increases online. In addition, blogs can be accessed anytime and anywhere, so students can write at their own convenience and determine their own pace and level of contribution. In this way, blogs give students not only more control over their own learning, but also the ownership of a personal space.”
Many teachers find that students who previously showed great reluctance to participate in writing activities get hooked on writing once they start their own blogs. To get your students started, have a look at the following resources.
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html
This site introduces three ways that weblogs can be used to support ESL classroom learning. After defining what a blog is, the author shows how they can be put into immediate use in the ESL classroom by means of three distinct types: the tutor weblog, the learner weblog, and the class weblog. He includes a variety of links to sites which will help you for create and maintain weblogs.
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/resources/blogging.shtml
This article from a member of the Barcelona British Council office gives an overview of blogging websites, suggests why you might want to use them, and gives some practical advice on setting up blogs for use with your own classes. Topics include:
http://crookedtimber.org/2004/09/23/academic-blogging/
http://twoyearcomp.blogspot.com/
http://hipteacher.typepad.com/schoolblog/
I’ve grouped these three links together since all three are examples of the web logs of teachers. In the first case, many different individuals contribute their writing to the same site. The three blogs have distinct styles, contexts, and points of view (as well as different hosts), and may inspire you to not only use blogs with your students, but create and maintain your own blog. Unlike other professionals, teachers often work in relative isolation, and the reflections these individual teachers share are not only revelatory, but humorous and comforting as well. We can gain insight from reading them, and by writing our own, offer advice to other teachers half a planet away.