So what is it?

TECHNOLOGY ENHANCE LANGUAGE LEARNING
REPORT ON BLOGGING
For the purpose of this paper I created this blog to illustrate what it is and what it can be used for.
What is a blog?

Click on the link for the wikipedia definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog As you can see links to other related sites are possible. Wordpress defines it as a diary type personal website. “A blog is a frequently updated, personal website featuring diary-type commentary and links to articles on other Web sites. Blogs range from the personal to the political and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects”. (Codex)
The first blog I saw was created by a colleague for her ESoL level 4 class in St George TAFE.http://cork2007.blogspot.com/ I was amazed at how professional it looked. Blogs can be similar in appearance to a conventional website but unlike a website it doesn't just sit there. It can be given any name you like as long as the name is available, much the same as an email address. It is located in the same way as a website. Viewers can look at your blog at any time as long as they have internet access and they can post a comment by registering their email address. Access is gained by the author with a password which allows you to open the page and “post/publish” anything you want such as text, photographs or sound (Podcasts). Articles are listed chronologically, newest entry last much the same as a diary. The articles can be organised into categories down the side and can also be archived. With the minimum of skill you can create a site on which you can write your opinion, show your family photographs and have people respond to you in a similar way. Links to related websites and other blogs can be added. I found the possibilities of the comment feature very exciting......the opportunity to ask students to respond in a very real and personal way to the teacher and to each other gave authentic texts a whole new meaning........................And all this for free.It seems it is no longer necessary to be skilled in creating websites or indeed to teach yourself to code HTML . With Social Software Web 2 the web is no longer the domain of IT experts and enthusiasts but is accessible to everyone regardless of skill as it have become as easy as sending an email.

Click on Rosa's How to make a blog in 'Useful Links.'

Where did it come from?

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Do you need computer skills to blog?

For the purpose of this assignment I have looked at two different blogs currently being used in my college. I have chosen these (one being my own) to highlight what can be achieved with a little time and minimal skill and the second to show what is possible with a greater commitment to and knowledge of social software web2 learning.

This blog was used with students enrolled in Statement of Attainment Certificate 2
http://amep-b.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html is my first attempt at blogging. I used photographs of the students in my AMEP-B Level 3 class on an excursion to generate interest in the idea of blogging. I wrote the blogspot address on the board and the students were amazed to see pictures of themselves with funny captions appear on their screens. How did I do it, they all wanted to know, even my seasoned graphic designer and bored IT programmer were impressed.
These students had varying levels of computer skills from beginner to professional. A basic knowledge of word is useful for blogging. A lot of time was spent setting up email addresses for the beginners with the advanced students helping the less skilled. This in itself proved to be a very positive activity, the lesson was no longer teacher focused but a collaboration of skills and needs. The goalposts had shifted, language acquisition was no longer the aim the need to SAY something had become the focus. Every student wanted to create their own blog regardless of English language or computer skills. The blog it seemed had exposed a very strong desire to make one’s mark.
The exercise I posted was a straightforward reading task, a link was provided to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald featuring the Aboriginal rock carvings we had visited. (One of the problems with blogging is the ease with copyright can be infringed!) The students were then asked to post a comment, this proved unsuccessful and was ignored mostly.

With this introduction to blogs I now proposed the students create one for themselves. The response was overwhelming; here it seemed was an opportunity to communicate both visually and with text. The personal nature of a blog instantly appealed to the students. I have experienced such enthusiasm once before on a project I had previously undertaken with a group of ESL students during which they photographed their local area at designated times throughout a selected day. These pictures were then collated and narratives written by the students. These were exhibited in the college and the response was extraordinary. Not only were the participating students engaged in a way I had not experienced in the classroom but the NESB visitors to the exhibition reacted in an instinctive way which transcended language. The camera had become a tool of communication for students unable to express their feeling in L2, it had captured their world view and again English had become the tool and self expression the goal.

How far can you go?

This is a blog created for a level 4 full-time class http://ourclass2007.blogspot.com/
It's an excellent example of a well researched and organised site. The lay out is clear with text and photographs in the main body and links and archived posts on the right.
The teacher Rosa uses her blog to direct and instruct her students, she creates exercises and tasks around the four macro skills and uses these to solidify previous classroom teaching. Articles and questionnaires are posted which teach reading skills, descriptions are written by students and posted on their own blogs. Podcasting and story telling are used for both listening and speaking practice “everything is interconnected and compliments each other”. (Rosa Ochoa 2007)
Student’s blogs are used in much the same way as a portfolio for assessment purposes. Rosa has created a rubric and entries are assessed in the same way as classroom activities. She uses a communicative task based methodology in her blog.
Useful links on the right include ESL links and previous class blogs. There is also a section for tutorials where Rosa has provided instructions on how to use a number of tools including
Making a blog http://esl.osu.edu/staff/bloch/bloggertutorial/pages/ and
How to how to podcast http://rosaspodcast.blogspot.com/2005/11/instructions-to-record-your-voice-for.htmlPodcast
A section for teachers contains links to new technologies and latest developments in Social software. Other links include Student blogs, Other College Blogs, Internet Courses, Listening/Podcasting to name a few.
Rosa has also facilitated global contacts between her students and herself with teachers and students from all over the world including Barcelona, Brazil, Portugal, New Zealand and here in Australia. ESL Class Blogs for p2p Exchanges
The ability of the students to maintain these blogs is evidence of a fifth skill being acquired in the classroom. The use of CALL software is a transferable skill and a valuable asset for future work and training.
The success of this blog is in large due to the commitment on the part of the teacher. This is not only evident in the level of complexity and variety of tools it offers but in the involvement on the part of the teacher. She has embraced it as a teaching tool but also as a means of communication to a wider audience. Evident in her post during her holidays in Spain and comments posted by four students…..it moves in and out of the classroom which is a large part of its appeal.