Rationale for educational blogging – Anne Davis

I feel it is a very appropriate focus as relates to the new literacies and blogging for educators. Donald Leu of Syracuse University expresses it far better than I ever could: http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~djleu/newlit.html ç

“The continuously changing technologies of literacy mean that we must help children learn how to learn new technologies of literacy. In fact, the ability to learn continuously changing technologies for literacy may be a more critical target than learning any particular technology of literacy itself.”

There are many skills and concepts that need to be addressed to effectively help teachers learn to use blogs throughout their curriculum to foster these new literacies.

Teachers need to address writing for a public audience, how to cite and link and why, how to use the comment tool in pedagogical ways, how to read web materials more efficiently as well as explore other ways to consider pedagogical uses of blogs.

Blogging requires us to teach students to critically engage media.

Blogging is educationally sound for teaching students because:

- A space where students and teachers can learn from each other.

- Blogs help learners to see knowledge as interconnected as opposed to a set of discrete facts.

- Blogs can give students a totally new perspective on the meaning of voice. As students explore their own learning and thinking and their distinctive voices emerge. Student voices are essential to the conversations we need to have about learning.

- Students feel more compelled (obligats, forçats) to write when they believe many others may read and respond. It gives them motivation to excel (sobresortir, millorar, brillar).

- The archive feature of blogging records ongoing learning. It facilitates reflection and evaluation. One student told me that he could easily find his thoughts on a matter and he could see how his thinking had changed and why.

- Students have the opportunity to read their classmates’ blogs and those of others. This is not possible in a regular classroom setting.

- Blogging provides the possibility of connecting with experts on the topic students are writing.

- Blogging affords us the opportunity to teach responsible public writing. Students can learn about the power of the published word and the responsibilities involved with public writing.