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Blogging. Week 1 Lecture 2. Website Focus. Language guide http:// www.languageguide.com Picture Dictionary Multiple Languages Good quality sound files and images. What is a blog?. Intro Basic form it is a diary It is created on-line Can be read by whoever you decide
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Blogging Week 1 Lecture 2
Website Focus • Language guide http://www.languageguide.com Picture Dictionary Multiple Languages Good quality sound files and images
What is a blog? • Intro • Basic form it is a diary • It is created on-line • Can be read by whoever you decide • Usually written but you can make video blogs too • Normally made by one person • Date stamped
Features • Access to massive audience (if cultivated) • Allows embeds, images • Vote,Favourite • Control access • Entries can be labelled • You can allow comments • Offers plug-ins ( growing) • Indexed by Google and other search engines • Generally easy to learn
How to view blogs? • Think about the roles • Students make blogs • Students read blogs ( consume) • Teachers make blogs • Teachers read blogs (consume) • Class make blogs
Examples of blogs in ELT (creating them) • Teachers using them to add information for the class-class read • Teachers using them to talk about their teaching-other teachers read • Students for reflection on a course-teacher/students read • Students for writing practice (simple diary)-teacher/students read • Students for homework, weekly questions to answer etc
Famous Blogs in ELT General Blogs ( for reading) • Ken Wilson http://kenwilsonelt.wordpress.com/ • Scott Thornbury http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/ • Jeremy Harmer http://jeremyharmer.wordpress.com/ ELT Blogs ( for getting information) • Nik Peachey http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/ • Ozge http://ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org/ • Ian James Blog http://tefltecher.wordpress.com/ Vicky’s Blog http://educationaltechnologyinelt.blogspot.com/
What things go wrong with blogs? • Used too frequently • An audience isn’t developed • Teacher is too removed • Tasks are boring/not defined enough • Motivation levels drop • Technical problems • Students don’t buy into the idea • Institutional resistance
The readings • Carla Arena”Blogging in the classroom: it doesn’t just happen” Blogs need to be a conversation Develops digital literacies Higher order thinking skills Give a voice to all students Teachers relinquish control Importance of the audience-impact on editing Offers real communication (write for an audience) Tagging and labelling
Augmenting learner autonomy through blogging Bhattacharya/Chahan Blogging develops autonomy Especially in the area of cognitive skills ( generating ideas/purpose/research skills etc) Decision making ( at all levels-content/style/actual blog system) Motivation-sense of achievement ( intrinsic above extrinsic)
My thoughts • Good Feeling of ownership/achievement as new Learn some technical skills that are transferable Broadens and changes the nature of a course Generates a communal interest Course audience widens
My thoughts • Difficult to assess • Hard to keep up reviewing/commenting on • Danger of setting too much/too little • Getting the tasks right • Problems with the initial curve to learn the tool
Readings • Carla Arena http://tesl-ej.org/ej44/a3.html • Gloria Smith http://www.jmle.org/index.php/JMLE/article/viewFile/37/8 • Claudia Trajtemberg http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/content/65/4/437.full.pdf+html • JózsefHorváth http://tesl-ej.org/ej48/int.html • Atanu Bhattacharya and Kiran Chauhan http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/content/64/4/376.full?sid=6e00617f-dee2-4b49-b77d-e99a6af9c492