The Ultranet Blog
Blog
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The internet continues to reinvent itself with new technologies emerging for literacy, search engines, emails and blogs, wiki and social networking, and each of these applications requires skills and strategies and new literacies (Zawilinski, 2009 page 651). According to Perseus (Business Editors, 2003) blogs are currently the province of the young, with 92.4% of blogs created by people under the age of 30 and half of those bloggers are between the ages of 13 and 19. These figures show us the young adolescents can use these tools without instructions, but simply using a blog does not equate to efficient use of a blog.
When participating in a blog, the online reader practices higher order thinking skills by gathering information, critically evaluating, synthesizing texts and communicating with others. These are the new literacies of online communication and blogging.
Blogging provides motivation for writing. Traditionally, a student writes for their teacher, however, through blogging, students write for an audience, their peers, their parents and anyone else in cyberspace. Pickworth (2010) created a study whereby teacher-librarians used blogs between a number of schools worldwide to reflect upon their reading of novels, and the following are a few of the comments regarding the boy’s learning through a blog:
I enjoyed just writing to see each other’s opinions’ (Michael) and
‘I enjoyed communicating with the boys in the US’ (Jack).
I wanted the boys in the US to see that I am well organised with my punctuation’ (Andrew) (Pickworth, 2010 page 3)
These comments illustrate the powerful nature of writing for an audience, the enjoyment and satisfaction, as well as the need to edit their own writing. Students are more likely to spend more time on the content and editing process of their writing if they have a real and authentic audience.
Blogging allows both students and teachers to work collaboratively through interacting with one another, sharing and expressing ideas and thoughts, and contributing to one another’s journal. Blogging flattens the classroom walls, it bridges the gap between school and home literacies and allows parents into the classroom, to read and respond to their student’s work. Blogging gives all children a voice. In every classroom, you will find the ‘silent student’ and blogging can encourage children to participate in classroom activities, contribute to classroom discussions online in a non-confronting way. Blogging enables students to write about their experiences and prior beliefs, as well as using critical thinking skills, through self reflection and problem solving.
There are four main types of blogs and each work well in a classroom environment and with the Ultranet.
- The Classroom News Blog allows the teacher to share information with parents and students, such as homework, assignments and upcoming events.
- The Reflective Blog is a reflection of thinking, both the teachers and students, and comments can include thoughts about lessons, activities and what has been learnt.
- The Showcase Blogs presents a showcase of students artwork, writing, sport results, even a place for the second language learner to develop their writing and respond in their second language.
- The Literature Response Blog occurs when a class is reading a novel, and students are requested to respond to prompts about the novel.
One of the first applications we used in the Ultranet was the blog. I wanted to engage the students in online conversation and interaction with their peers through reading and responding to comments. A community space was created and each student became co-moderator. By becoming co-moderator, each student could create their own posts and reflect upon their learning, as well as creating their own page within the space and had the ability to add further applications and design their page.
Business Editors, H.-T. W. (2003, October 6). The Blogging Iceberg: Of 4.12 Million Weblogs, Most Little Seen and Quickly Abandoned, According to Perseus Survey. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from Business Library: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2003_Oct_6/ai_108559565/
Pickworth, M. (2010). Boys, blogs and books. 39th International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference, (pp. 1-7). Brisbane, Australia.
Sawmiller, A. (2010). Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning? The Clearing House , 83, 44-48.
Zawilinski, L. (2009). Hot Blogging - Higher Order Thinking. The Reading Teacher , 62 (8).
When participating in a blog, the online reader practices higher order thinking skills by gathering information, critically evaluating, synthesizing texts and communicating with others. These are the new literacies of online communication and blogging.
Blogging provides motivation for writing. Traditionally, a student writes for their teacher, however, through blogging, students write for an audience, their peers, their parents and anyone else in cyberspace. Pickworth (2010) created a study whereby teacher-librarians used blogs between a number of schools worldwide to reflect upon their reading of novels, and the following are a few of the comments regarding the boy’s learning through a blog:
I enjoyed just writing to see each other’s opinions’ (Michael) and
‘I enjoyed communicating with the boys in the US’ (Jack).
I wanted the boys in the US to see that I am well organised with my punctuation’ (Andrew) (Pickworth, 2010 page 3)
These comments illustrate the powerful nature of writing for an audience, the enjoyment and satisfaction, as well as the need to edit their own writing. Students are more likely to spend more time on the content and editing process of their writing if they have a real and authentic audience.
Blogging allows both students and teachers to work collaboratively through interacting with one another, sharing and expressing ideas and thoughts, and contributing to one another’s journal. Blogging flattens the classroom walls, it bridges the gap between school and home literacies and allows parents into the classroom, to read and respond to their student’s work. Blogging gives all children a voice. In every classroom, you will find the ‘silent student’ and blogging can encourage children to participate in classroom activities, contribute to classroom discussions online in a non-confronting way. Blogging enables students to write about their experiences and prior beliefs, as well as using critical thinking skills, through self reflection and problem solving.
There are four main types of blogs and each work well in a classroom environment and with the Ultranet.
- The Classroom News Blog allows the teacher to share information with parents and students, such as homework, assignments and upcoming events.
- The Reflective Blog is a reflection of thinking, both the teachers and students, and comments can include thoughts about lessons, activities and what has been learnt.
- The Showcase Blogs presents a showcase of students artwork, writing, sport results, even a place for the second language learner to develop their writing and respond in their second language.
- The Literature Response Blog occurs when a class is reading a novel, and students are requested to respond to prompts about the novel.
One of the first applications we used in the Ultranet was the blog. I wanted to engage the students in online conversation and interaction with their peers through reading and responding to comments. A community space was created and each student became co-moderator. By becoming co-moderator, each student could create their own posts and reflect upon their learning, as well as creating their own page within the space and had the ability to add further applications and design their page.
Business Editors, H.-T. W. (2003, October 6). The Blogging Iceberg: Of 4.12 Million Weblogs, Most Little Seen and Quickly Abandoned, According to Perseus Survey. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from Business Library: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2003_Oct_6/ai_108559565/
Pickworth, M. (2010). Boys, blogs and books. 39th International Association of School Librarianship Annual Conference, (pp. 1-7). Brisbane, Australia.
Sawmiller, A. (2010). Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning? The Clearing House , 83, 44-48.
Zawilinski, L. (2009). Hot Blogging - Higher Order Thinking. The Reading Teacher , 62 (8).