Blog Pedagogy

I've always thought of blogs as a way of allowing students a chance to follow up with each other and the instructor in an asynchronous way. A chance to report on homework, successes and failures they've experienced since the last time you were class together. The blogs I explored this morning were more than that. They were a place for students to record thoughts about the day's lesson and a way to help each other on assignments. However, there are a lot challenges with blogging (mostly the time and work required to maintain them) that permeated the blogs I investigated.

From the list of suggested blogs I was drawn to the fifth graders because that is the year my oldest is just starting. The Oakridge students use their blog as an activity for the teacher to get feedback from all of the students. The teacher poses a question and the students are encouraged to respond to the post with their thoughts and ideas. I like this usage because it allows for more discussion than a typical in-class conversation. It isn't as restricted by time and space. Kids could keep commenting on each other's posts when they get home that evening.

Other blogs seemed to be more for the parent's usage, to keep them up on what is happening in class. This is useful because parents can be more involved in what is happening in the classroom and find opportunities at home to help reinforce the learning. However the blog isn't directly being used for the students' learning. It's mostly a collection of the happenings of the school. This isn't going to be effective because it doesn't require any introspection or discussion. It's just fluff.

A few weeks ago a found a very different kind of educational blog. This one is maintained by a high school math teacher who believes that there are much better ways of presenting information to students. Teaching math concepts in a way that engage the students and creates problem solvers, rather than kids that can just figure out how to use a formula and regurgitate an answer. His blog isn't for his students. Instead he is blogging about his experiences in developing new curriculum. He uses his blog and Twitter to engage educators around the world. Ideas are posted and shared. In-class instruction is improved. It is a fantastic experiment in improving instructional technology and learning sciences.

One of the greatest problems inherent in blogging is keeping them current. It requires a lot of work on the part of the facilitator and sometimes just doesn't get done. Another problem I've encountered is getting student participation. I recently incorporated blog homework assignments into my online workshops. Participation has been low. I attribute this to the fact that my students aren't used to actually doing anything after class. As the facilitator one of my greatest challenges with using the blog is to create activities that will allow the students to apply what they have learned but also be engaging enough to illicit responses.

I believe there are two factors that will lead to a successful blog: active writing and active participation. When those two elements are found you are likely to have a blog that will aid in student learning and development.