søndag 20. mars 2011

Advantages and disadvantages of blogging with pupils...initial thoughts...

I will be completely honest...I have not started to blog with pupils yet, nor let them take part in a Wiki.
It is still  a bit of an alien concept for me and I am slightly apprehensive about it...
However,  I do have some thoughts  I would  to express, in order to allow  this blog to contain a degree of reflection, when I do finally get to work with my pupils.

Blogging Readiness by cambodia4kidsorg
source Flickr :    cambodia4kidsorg  

Here are some my initial ideas and hang-ups,  as they come to mind. I'd like to stress that this is a random order,  resulting from brain-storming...


Thoughts about the advantages of letting pupils blog in my English class:

  • some  will think it is a novelty - this may increase motivation.
  • they may see school taking more of an interest in their spare time Internet activities ...we bridge the gap between their world and ours
  • many students have their own blog and read many blogs...they can share their skills and knowledge and thus gain recognition 
  • they will hopefully work harder to produce a good result 
  • writing is a skill which develops with practice - they will get practice!
  • they will read the blogs of other students ..increasing their own vocabulary and skills 
  • they get to practice more cooperative learning - the use of CSCL 
  • The Knowledge Promotion and our curriculum are based on theories of social contructivism and constructivism ( knowledge is not a predetermined, unchanging entity simply to be reproduced , but something created and developed through active processes) ...Blogging encourages the latter..
  • they may see the values of peer evaluation and criteria.  Suddenly they are more focused on what others think of their  work and more willing to make improvements when they know it will be published. This will lead to increased knowledge and skills.
  • they will forced to focus on  the quality of the product they produce,,,since it will potentially be "public" for at least the class ...if not others as well. ( By  "quality" I mean the importance of content, structure  and language of the product to be published and that they focus on the reader and the genre as well )
  • the chance of increased self - esteem and self- confidence ...seeing the end product on the Internet.
  • they have to reflect a lot more when giving their opinion and supporting it with relevant arguments 
  • I can learn more practical data skills from my pupils..

Thoughts about the disadvantages of letting pupils blog in my English class:
  • they may think the whole idea is a bit lame  - they will  not be motivated
  • the less linguistically skilled pupils may have lots of hang-ups about publishing their work 
  • this leads to less self-esteem and weaker self-confidence for them - the opposite of my aim!
  • the more confident and skilled pupils get even better ...not that this is a disadvantage in itself , but  a combination of these two points would simply increase the distance between the groups instead of bridging the gap through cooperative learning processes.
  • I may have to correct the work of less-skilled pupils to such an extent before it's published, that the end product is not actually "theirs" ...what do they learn then? 
  • pupils may get negative comments and non-constructive feedback about their skills, knowledge or attitudes shown in a product - how do we tackle  that?
  • those who choose not to publish work for various reasons will feel left out of the class environment 
  • blogs can  create an unhealthy element of  competition ...with the talented , extrovert students stealing the limelight ...while  others simply give up...
  • I am concerned about students who have reading and writing difficulties...how can they present their skills for public viewing?
  • not all products/ contents are suitable to be published ...they may contain sensitive information unsuitable for public viewing
  • the nature of blogs and Wiki means that there is no spontaneous dialogue between the pupil and myself... my response will come later..after reading the product...
  • It may be too time-consuming  to administrate the blog/ Wiki, so  I choose to give it all up before we see the benefits..(I believe that practice is important for both parties to achieve success)
  • grading the task will be an issue...do I evaluate it before all the errors are corrected and the result published...or afterwards?
  • I have to be prepared that some of the pupils will be a lot more talented than me as regards the technical aspects of it all... ( this may not increase my self-confidence and they may lose faith in me...)

Well, these were some of my  ideas. It  will be interesting to see what really happens after they  blog and / or contribute to a Wiki ....!

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