Embedded Files
Entisar Elsherif, Libya
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Persuaded by my personal experience, as I was motivated by using blogs to write and post reflections and autobiographies on certain courses' blogs, this page explores how blogs can be used in teaching and learning in the ESL/EFL classroom. The page is an introductory page that includes a variety of resources that could be interesting to other teachers and researchers who are interested in using blogs in the ESL/EFL classroom and would like to explore this technological tool. Those varied resources show that blogs are not only popular as personal spaces but also as teaching and learning spaces.
"A blog is a web page that contains brief, discrete hunks of information called posts. These posts are arranged in reverse-chronological order (the most recent posts come first). Each post is uniquely identified by an anchor tag, and it is marked with a permanent link that can be reffered to by others who wish to link it."
"Blog is a shortening of Weblog. A Blog is an online journal, a personal diary. A collaborative space in which you can share with the world. You can create your blog to be whatever you want it to be. Essentially blogging makes anyone a columnist. When blogs were first created they were used by people who wanted to share their voice. Now blogs are even used in the professional world with a targeted audience to help build credibility and name recognition. A blog is a great place to get out information about a business especially if it home based. Creating a blog is also beneficial for educational use" (Jackson, 2010).
“Blogs provide a multi-genre, multimedia writing space that can engage visually minded students and draw them into a different interaction with print text. Students at all levels learn to write by writing"
Learning & Leading with Technology 31(2), p. 33
This article is one of the British Council’s Teaching English related articles. It discusses blogging by raising points of significance and providing information that would stimulate teachers to the use of blogs. The article covers the following points: What is a blog?, Types of blogs used in language teaching, Why blog?, Where to start?, Tips for managing learner blog settings, Keeping students interested, Some ideas for activities, Pitfalls to watch out for, and Advanced feature.
Blogs in TEFL: A new promising vehicle
The article starts by providing a definition of a blog as well. Then it analyzes the features of a blog with the aim of formulating possible ways of using blogs in the EFL classes. It also discusses the potential advantages and shortcomings of using blogs in EFL.
Blogs: Wikis:
Best Blogs for Writers to Read in 2012 Blogs In Education
Blogosphere Teaching with Technology
Harriet, the Blog (Poetry Foundation)
Make a Living Writing, by Carol Tice
7 Ways to Attract More Blog Readers
Internet Safety
The following are websites that promote learners' online safety, especially young leareners' safety:
Important Scholars
The following are pages that provide information about impostant scholars who promote the use of blogs and are creative bloggers themselves:
Books (Good Reads)
The following are some books that discussed the use of some technological tools in teaching, and some are focused on the use of blogs:
Beach, R., Anson, ., Breuch, L. K., & Swiss, T. (2009). Teaching writing using blogs, wikis, and other digital tools. Norwood, Massachusettes: Christopher-Gorden Publishers.
Hussey, T. (2010). Create your own blog: 6 Easy projects to start blogging like a pro. Sams Publishing.
Penrod, D. (2007). Using blogs to enhance literacy: The next powerful step in 21st-century learning. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Powers, S., Doctorow, C., Johnson, J. S., Trott, M. G., Trott, B., & Dornfst, R. (2002). Essential Blogging: Selecting and Using Weblog Tools. Sebeastopol, CA: O'Railly Media.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wilber, D. J. (2010). iWrite: Using blogs, wikis, and digital stories in the English classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann.
Dissertations/Theses
Jones, S. J. (2006). Blogging and ESL Writing: Acase study of how students respond to the use of weblogs as a pedagogical tool for the writing process approach in a community college ESL writing class. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Kennedy, E. M. (2010). Blogs, wikis, and e-portfolios: The effectiveness of Technology on actual learning on college composition. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Sims, E. M. (2012). First year composition students’ perceptions regarding the use of classroom blogs to improve student writing. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Sukasem, N. (2012). Digital literacy practice: Blogs and authorship in developing multilingual TESOL professionals in a graduate program in the United States. (Doctoral Dissertation).
Which Online Blogging Platform Should I Use?
There are different blogging plaforms. So, which one should I use?
What type of Blog Should I Run?
There are different types of blogs. In teaching, there are tutor/teacher blogs, learners blogs, and class blogs. So, what's your blog?
Using blogs to teach English as a Foreign Language
Blogs can promote students' creativity and critical and analytical thinking while enhancing their language skills. Blogs also give the students the chance to read each other’s written texts and comment even after class hours. For that reason, blogs can be used to teach English as a Foreign Language. Here are some videos that explain how to incorporate this useful technological tool for EFL teachers.
A brief Introduction to Blogging
Using Blogs in Your Classroom
Using Blogs in the Classroom
Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog
Integrate Blogs in English
Engaging Students in the Curriculum through the Use of Blogs; How & Why?
Here are some PowerPoint preseantations that discuss using blogs
Slideshare:
11 advantages of using a blog for teaching
How can blogging improve the quality of sentence structure?
Worth Reading
Interviews that would provide more info and insight about blogging:
An interview with TEFL blogging pioneer Aaron Campbell
An interview with EFL Geek, the real grandfather of TEFL blogging
An interview with Katie of TEFLlogue (History of TEFL blogging Part Three)
This page was created as part of Dr Pagnucci's Technology & Literacy website assignment.
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