Student Blogs

  

Are student blogs the missing piece to the writing process? It seems so! I am learning that blogs are a great way to practice written communication and promote interaction between students using a digital platform, which can support a positive learning environment. One way to incorporate blogs in the student learning process would be to invite students to begin writing a blog post about an engaging topic (for example, a sport, animal, or book). Peers can then comment or ask questions about the topic and this develops into a written conversation with the student author. To adapt this exercise for the kindergarten learner, a visual image could be supported with a sentence starter for students to complete. In addition, I think that blogging about a vocabulary word would be an excellent way to engage students in broadening their vocabulary knowledge. Peers can add related words or synonyms to the blog post. Collaboration between different grade levels and proficiency levels may also encourage students to think outside the box in how they interact effectively with their peers.

In Dizon and Thanyawatpokin’s journal article, Web 2.0 Tools in the EFL Classroom: Comparing the Effects of Facebook and Blogs on L2 Writing and Interaction, many positive effects of student blogging were highlighted. “Commenting on blogs prompted students to spend time thinking up ways to respond to their peers” (Dizon & Thanyawatpokin, 2018, p. 31). This suggests that blogging encourages the students to take time to brainstorm and organize their written responses. In addition, “Students were observed to use more complex words after several weeks of completing an assignment where they had to blog collaboratively and comment on each other’s posts” (Dizon & Thanyawatpokin, 2018, p. 32).

Gone are the days of classroom walls. Our classrooms are much larger now that we have digital tools at our fingertips. Why not try blogging and other digital platforms in a safe learning environment where we can monitor and provide feedback? We can set our students up for future success if we give them the means to interact digitally with their peers. As educators, we need to model, model, MODEL the blogging exercise! I think it’s important to never underestimate the need to model the expectations for learners of all ages. Students will always benefit from teacher modeling, especially when utilizing a new digital tool.

 

Reference

Dizon, G., & Thanyawatpokin, B. (2018). Web 2.0 tools in the EFL classroom:       Comparing the effects of facebook and blogs on L2 writing and interaction. The  EUROCALL Review, 26(1), 29-42. https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2018.7947