A Blogging Experiment: Part I

After reading three very intriguing articles regarding blogging in the classroom (Witte, 2007, Brooks-Young, 2005, Zawilinski, 2009) I decided that I had to get in on the action. Naturally, I could relate to being on the "student" side of blogging: I am writing as a student right now! At the same time, what benefit would this be to me if I was unable to implement what I have been learning to my own teaching practices? So, I have decided to begin blogging with one of the students for whom I tutor.

I predict that blogging will be a very motivational tool to use with this young student. He has identified himself as someone who does not like to write at all. He finds no enjoyment in writing, however he recognizes the benefits and necessity of writing for multiple purposes. Interestingly, when given the opportunity to write on a self-selected topic in an informal setting, he wrote four pages of a narrative (quite a lot considering it is a struggle to get him to write two sentences for homework)! It can be concluded that this student identifies writing for "school" purposes to be laborious and not meaningful to his own life. I am hoping that by giving him the opportunity to share his writing in a blogging space that he will seize the chance to write using this new medium. This idea is supported by Leu and Minzer (2000), who write, "the convergence of literacy instruction with Internet technologies is fundamentally reshaping the nature of literacy instruction as teachers seek to prepare children for the future they deserve" (p. 111).

The next question is in what context the blog will be used. While it would have been interesting to have  this student keep an electronic journal that his parents could have commented on, I was intrigued by the Zawilinski article that outlined HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Blogging. Based on the various types of blogs outlined by the author, I have narrowed the type of blog down to two: a mirror blog or a literature response blog. The use of a mirror blog would allow this student to reflect on his performance of a particular aspect that was covered that day (his reading fluency, spelling, useful strategies he used, etc.) It would be a wonderful way to keep track of his own, personal goals and achievements. On the other hand, a literature response blog may be more conducive to a dialogue of comments (between the student and his family, myself, etc.) If this student blogs about a particular text, he thus becomes the expert that can answer questions posed by others. Not only is this a great teaching tool, but a way to increase his self-confidence as a writer AND reader.

Within the next couple of days I hope to iron out the details (perhaps even let my student assist me in planning the blog?) for Brooks-Young warns to not jump into a blogging experience without a clear purpose. I am confident that no matter which direction this experiment goes, it will greatly benefit my student. It is with high hopes that he becomes a more willing, fluent writer with the introduction of blogging to our sessions each week.

Here are two potential blog accounts that I have set up:
Kid Blog
Edublogs

Stay Tuned!!