Why+Blog?

Research on Blogging
If authentic audiences are proven to be a motivating factor, then students should write in contexts that provide those real audiences. Blogging is one of those contexts.


 * The authors infer that “students’ motivation to write may increase when they are able to publish their work online for an authentic audience” (Handsfield, Dean, & Cielocha, 2009, p. 41).
 * The potential benefits of blogging described by MacBride and Luehmann (2008) include the “ability to The authors offer a solution to the time constraints within a school day: “blogs allow for extending reflections and discussions beyond a lesson.
 * promote reflective thinking
 * nurture collaboration and relationship-building
 * increase perceived accountability and therefore quality of student work
 * encourage peer support for one another
 * increase opportunities for students to receive feedback…” (p. 173)
 * [It allows] the students more time to reflect and wrestle with ideas than what they could have accomplished within the constraints of a class a period” (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008, p. 182).
 * Blogging offers more time for critical thinking and genuine response to one another’s opinions.
 * Emphasis can also be placed on the blog’s ability to practice college preparedness: “Posting…to a class blog is similar to the academic requirements they will face in college when they are asked to post to …computer-mediated coursework programs,” explains Read (2006, p. 44).
 * Not only is this activity realistic and purposeful, but it also sets students up for familiarity and success in a future higher education setting.

Handsfield, L. J., Dean, T.R., Cielocha, K. M. (2009). Becoming critical consumers and producers of text: Teaching literacy with Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. //The Reading Teacher//, 63, 40-50.

MacBride, R. & Leuhmann, A. L. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study of classroom blogging. //School Sciences and Mathematics//, 108, 173-183.

Read, S. (2006). Tapping into students’ motivation: Lessons from adolescents’ blogs. //Voices from the middle,// 14(2), 38-46.

5 Reasons You Should Consider Using Blogging in the Classroom
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