Using Blogs in the Classroom Overview Bloggingcanimprovestudents’writingskillsandbuildtheirconfidenceaswriters.Byblogging,studentscantakeownershipoftheirwriting,becomebetterobserversofothers’writing,anddevelopamoreimmediateandpowerfulunderstandingofaudience.Blogsencourageexperimentingandrisk-taking,seriousnessandplay,andtheyfosteranincreasedawarenessofprivateandpublicwriting.Bloggingblendsboththefreeingaspectofshortpiecesthatcanbewritteninarelativelylow-stakesenvironmentwiththesenseofclaimingone’sownvoiceandlearninghowtodevelopanalysisandarticulateideastoalargerpublic.Guidedbyclearexpectationsofwhatisrequiredinaclassblog,studentscanseetheirwritingdevelopoverthecourseoftheterm.Thishandoutdescribesstrategiesforusingblogsasawritingtoolintheclassroom.

TableofContents GeneralConsiderationsEmpoweringStudentsPossibleUsesForInstructorsPossibleUsesForStudentsInPractice:ChoosingAPlatformAWordAboutWordPressPrivate,Classroom-Only,orPublicClassBlogsandIndividualStudentBlogsTechSupportResources

General Considerations Althoughatfirstitmayseemsomewhatdauntingwhenconsideringtheperceivedtechnicalskillsinvolved,usingblogsintheclassroomcanbeveryrewarding.Thelearningcurveisnotassteepasyoumayimagine,andmanyresourcesforinstructors(seeTechSupportsectionbelow)existoncampus.Also,somestudentswhenlearningtonavigatetheplatforminitiallymayresistblogging.Butmoststudentschangetheirmindsastheybegintoblog.

Empowering Students StudentsareusedtowritingandcommunicatinginthedigitallandscapewhetheritbeTwitter,FaceBook,Tumblr,oremail.Whilereadingtheirfellowstudents’blogsandcomments,andrespondingonlinewiththeirowncomments,studentsrecognizethevalueofclarityandwhatmakesforstrongandengagingposts.Studentshavetheopportunitytopracticewritingandanalyticalskillsintheirownblogsthatwilltransferintoessaysandotherwritingendeavors.Studentsareabletoseetheirownwritingassomething“real”withapracticalapplication.Creatingablogcanbeabridgeforstudentsbetweenthefamiliardigitalworldandwhatisbeingaskedoftheminacademicessays,projectsandotheruniversity-basedassignments.Bloggingcanbeseenasagatewayexperienceforstudentswhowilllikelybeusingdigitaltechnologiesandmediaintheirfutureendeavorsregardlessoftheirdiscipline.

Possible Uses for Instructors Youmayusebloggingfor:

• communicatingannouncementsandassignmentsinaformatthatstudentsmayperceivetobemore“friendly”thanCTools

• sharinginstructor-generatedexercisesorprompts

• communitybuilding

• creatingapublicplacewherestudentworkcanbe“published”

Possible Uses for Students Studentsmayusebloggingfor:

• respondingtoreadings

• maintainingawriter’snotebookorjournal

• postingpersonal,reflective,exploratory,oropenentries(campusobservations,“whereI’mfrom,”picturesfromhome,orfavoritebookorpieceofwriting)

• sharingstudent-generatedresearchorlinkstoclass-relatedarticles

• exploringvisualrhetoric

• practicingwriting

o developingvoiceo workingontitles,concisenesso consideringtoneo brainstorming,drafting,facilitatingpeerreview

• creatingashowcaseforfinalprojects

• craftinganon-lineimageorpresence

In Practice Choosing A Platform Severaluser-friendlybloggingplatformsarecommonlyusedinclassrooms.Nooneplatformisbettersuitedtoaspecificdiscipline.Mostlythechoicedependsonyourcomfortlevelandpersonalpreferencewhentryingouteachplatform.Forexample,Tumblr(tumblr.com)workswellforsharingimages,quotesorbriefchunksoftext,orconsolidatingandlinkingtoothersites.Google’sBlogger(blogger.com)isoneoftheflagshipbloggingplatforms;itisintuitiveandeasytostartup,andallowsforflexibilitywithcolorpalettesandmultiplefonts.BloggerandWordPressarebothsupportedattheUniversitybyInstructionalSupportServices(ISS)(http://www.lsa.umich.edu/iss),theLanguageResourceCenter(LRC)(http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lrc/)andMLibrary’sKnowledgeNavigationCenter(KNC)(http://www.lib.umich.edu/knowledge-navigation-center). A Word About WordPress WordPress(wordpress.com)isanall-purposeplatformwithmultiplefreedesigntemplates(“themes”)andhighcapacityfortext,images,andvideo.Facultyandstudentsappreciatetheextensivehow-tosupportfeaturesandvideotutorialsavailableontheWordPresssite.Ifyouareconsideringwhatplatformtouseinyourclassroom,theISSLearningTechnologies&ConsultingGroup(ISS-LTC)offersthisadvice:“WordPressisthemostcommonlyusedcontentmanagementsystem(CMS)intheworld,sothere'safairlygoodchancethatstudentswilluseitagainlaterintheirlives,forbloggingorjusthostingawebsiteofanysort.BothBloggerandWordPressallowfortext,imagesandvideo;forinstructors,abetterdistinctionmightbethatWordPressallowsforsortingpostsbyauthor,whichBloggerdoesn't(currently).”BoththeISS-LTCandtheKNCareabletoprovidesupporttofacultyasyoupreparetoteachbloggingandothernewmedia;bothalsoareavailabletoworkwithstudentsinaninstructor’sclassroom,workshoporcomputerlabsettings.Formoreinformation,pleaseseetheTechSupportsectionbelow.Foradditionalsupport,accessthefollowingdocuments:Supplement1:“UsingWordPress”(LaurenAtkins,InstructionalTechnologyConsultant)andSupplement2:“BloggingBasics”(CharlotteBoulay,creatorofSweetland’s“RhetoricofBlogging”course). Private, Classroom-Only, or Public YoumayfinditusefultotalkwithaconsultantatISS-LearningTechnologies&ConsultingGroup(ISS-LTC)aboutwhatmightbestfityourclassroomneedswhendecidingaboutwhethertomakeclassroomblogsprivate,classroom-onlyorpublic(andtowhatextentpublic—forexample,searchablebysearchenginesornot).PleaseseeTechSupportsectionbelowformoreinformation.Aclassblogorindividualstudentblogscouldbecompletelyprivateandclassroom-based,withtheonlyusersandviewersbeingyouastheinstructorandyourenrolledstudents.Aclassblogalsomaybecompletelypublicandaccessibletoanyoneonline.Thebenefitofmakingasite

publicisthatitcreatesabroadersenseofaudienceandofparticipatingnotonlyintheuniversitycommunitybutperhapsaglobalcommunityaswell.However,ifthesiteispublic,beawareofcopyrightissueswhenpostingarticlesorclassreadings;CToolsisamoresecurelocationforsharingcopyrightedmaterial.Generating and Facilitating Effective Blog Conversations Astrongblogdiscussionreliesonclearexpectationsaboutthepurposeoftheblogandthenatureofstudentparticipationonit,judiciousinstructorparticipation,asenseofinterpersonalcommunity,andstrongblogassignments/prompts.Whatfollowsisalittleadviceabouteachofthesecomponents:

Clearexpectations:Studentsthrivemostinblogconversationswhentheyunderstandfromthebeginningwhatthepurposeoftheblogis(i.e.whatthey’remeanttoachieve/learnfromtheirparticipationintheconversationsthere)andwhatyourexpectationsforstrongpostsandusefulcommentsare.

• It’sagoodideatotalkwithyourstudentsaboutwhatyouwanttoachieveontheblog.

• Providingclearguidelines(whetheryoucreatethemyourselforincollaborationwithyourstudents)aboutwhatmakesanexcellentpostorcommentgoesalongwaytowardgeneratingusefulconversations.

• Rubricshavethebenefitoflayingoutyourexpectationsaswellashelpingstudentsassesstheirownwork,especiallyifyou’regradingtheblog.

StrongBlogAssignments/Prompts:Decidehowyouwantthestudentstousetheblog,andthendesigntheassignment,and/orindividualprompts,accordingly.Yourpromptsshouldaddressmattersofbothcontentandtiming:

• Content-Doyouwantthemtobeusingtheblogtochronicletheirlearninginthecourse,likehandwrittenlearningjournalshavedoneinthepast?Doyouwantthemtobeloggingtheirresearch?Sharingresourceswiththeclassorapeergroup?Postingconversationquestions?Conductingclosereadingsonsmallportionsofthetexts?Somethingelse?Beexplicit.Evenifyouwanttogivethemplentyofleewaytodeterminewhattosay,youneedtobeclearaboutwhatthey’reaimingtoaccomplish.Forexample,ifyouwantthemtousetheblogtoreflectoncoursereadings,it’sprobablynotenoughtosaythat.It’smorehelpfultogivethemsomeguidanceonhowtoreflect.Doyouwanttheirgut-levelreactions?Doyouwantthemtoanalyzetherhetoric?Doyouwantthemtomakeconnectionsbetweenthereadingandtheirlivedexperience?

• Timing–Dotheyneedtopostweekly?Bi-weekly?Someotherinterval?Ordotheyjustneedtopostacertainnumberoftimes?Dotheyneedtocommentonpeers’posts?Ifso,howmany,andhowoften?Ifyouarehavingthemcommentoneachothers’posts,itcanbehelpfultostaggerwhentheypostversuswhentheycomment.Thatwaytheycanfocusontakingoneroleatatime.Thismethodalsohasthebenefitofpacingforyouasareader.Onewaytofacilitatethisisthroughbloggroups,whicharediscussedbelow.

InstructorParticipation:Agoodbalancebetweenfacilitatingandcontrollingtheblogcanmotivateyourstudentstoparticipatemostproductively.Researchshowsthatinstructorprominenceorhighactivitycanstiflestudentparticipation.

• Letyourstudentsknowaheadoftimewhatyourlevelofvisibilityontheblogwillbe(andwhy!)aswellashowmuchdirectingyou’lldowhileyou’rethere.

• Ifyoucheckinregularlyandrespondinpositiveways(“cheerleading”strongpostsandfollowingupwithquestionsthatencourageeverdeeperthought),yourstudentswillbemorelikelytoengagewithpurpose.

• Stepinenoughthatstudentsknowthatyou’refollowingandvaluingtheirwork,butnotsomuchthattheyrelyonyouforkeepingtheconversationgoing.

InterpersonalCommunity:Asenseofsharedpurposeandmutualcarecanmeanthedifferencebetweenalackluster,superficialconversationandadynamicinteractivespace.

• Havingstudentsaddresseachotherbynameintheirpostsandcommentscaninstillasenseofresponsibilitytoandfamiliaritywitheachother.

• Invitethemtoeachcultivatetheirownvoicesontheblog,leaningintotheirindividualityandpersonalitywhileengagingwiththematerial.

• BlogGroups-Manyinstructorsassignsmallgroupsofstudents(3-4inasmallerclass,amaximumof10inalargerclass)tobloggroupswhopostandcommentforeachotherforasetperiodoftime—sometimesallsemester,sometimesforthelengthofaunit,etc.,dependingonyourcoursestructureandpreference.Thishasthebenefitofhelpingstudentsgettoknoweachother’swaysofthinking,writingstyle,andlearningprocessesinmoredetail.Italsohelpstoreducethepotentialstressforyouofrespondingtotheentireclass’spostseverytime,whileensuringthatallstudentsalwaysreceivesomecommentsontheirposts.

Class Blog and Individual Student Blogs Therearemanywaystouseblogsintheclassroom.Someinstructorschoosetocreateaclassblogthatallenrolledstudentscancontributetobyaddingcommentsorbymakingindividualposts.HereisascreenshotofaclassblogfromWRITING200–winter2013.

Aclassblogcan:

• uniteallclassannouncements,assignments,andexercisesinonespaceorhubwiththeinstructorastheoperatorofthesite

• provideaworkspaceforstudentstosharethoughts,drafts,orprojectsinarelativelylow-stakesenvironment

• provideavenueforquieterstudentsto“speak”andcontributeideas

Belowisanexampleofastudentcontributor“post”fromWRITING200respondingtotheinstructor’sprompt.

Someinstructorscreateaclassblogandaskthateachstudentalsocreateanindividualblog.HereisanexampleofaclassblogwithindividualstudentblogsfromEnglish225–winter2013.

Aninstructor’sclassblogcan:

• serveasafocalpointforwritingexercises,modelsandprompts

• communicateusefulclassroominformation,announcements,onlinelinksandreadings

• includelinkstoalltheindividualstudentblogsinacomprehensivelistsothatstudentscaneasilyfindeachother’ssitesforreading,commentingorpeer-reviewing

***

HereisanexampleofastudentblogfromEnglish223:

Astudentblogcan:

• provideaworkspaceforassignments,brainstorming,process-orientedactivitiesandquestionsofdesignandvisualrhetoric

• helpstudentsdevelopasenseofaudience,voiceandownership

• serveasanarchiveofthewritingprocessbystoringdraftsandworksinprogress

• displayandpublishfinalpolishedprojectsandnewmediaprojects

Forfurtherreadingontheusesofbloggingandonhowindividualwriterscancontributetotheblogosphereinoriginalways,consultSupplement3:AndrewSullivan’sWhyIBlogandSupplement4:RebeccaBlood’schapter“FindingYourVoice.”Setting Up Individual Student Blogs Itmaybehelpfulforyoutocreateacourseblogbeforeclassbegins;youthencanuseyoursiteasamodelaswellasforotherpedagogicalpurposes.Herearethreepossibleoptionsforsetup:

• before classmeets, sendmaterial (Supplement 1: “UsingWordPress”) to the classand ask that students set up their accounts and sites before the first class session[Formore information, consultSupplement5:Getting StudentsReady toBlog.]

• duringclasstime,teachthestudentshowtosetupthesite

• duringclasstimeoroutsideofclasstime,inviteISS-LTCorKNCtoholdaworkshopfor creatingablog

Tech Support Youwillfindabroadrangeofsupportexistsforfacultychoosingtoincludeblogsintheircourses.Someimportantuniversityresourcesareexplainedbelow.ISS-LearningTechnologies&ConsultingGroup(ISS-LTC)(lsa.umich.edu/iss)

• workswithfacultyindividuallyinplanning,learning,implementingorevaluatingabloggingplatformtoprepareforintegratingbloggingintoaclass

• offerspedagogicalsupportforcoursebloggingprojectsregardlessoftheplatformused

• holdsfacultyworkshopswithKNC

• visitsclassesforintroductiontoWordPressworkshops

• hostsopenWordPresslabsforstudentswithindividualquestionsKnowledgeNavigationCenter(KNC)(lib.umich.edu/knowledge-navigation-center)andFacultyExploratory(lib.umich.edu/faculty-exploratory)

• workswithfacultyindividuallyforspecificclassroomneeds

• consultsonPhotoshop,GarageBand,iMovie,InDesign,andmore

• hostsworkshopsforfacultyorstudentclassesattheKNCorMacLabinShapiro(UGLi)

• managesTechDeck(http://www.lib.umich.edu/techdeck)inShapiro(UGLi)providingtechsupportforstudents

Notes on Blogging in the Classroom Infacultymeetings,manyinstructorshavecommentedonhowamazedtheyareaboutthequalityofthewritingandanalyticalthinkingwhenstudentshavetheopportunitytousebloggingasamedium.Instructorswereabletoseehowstrengthscouldbeidentifiedintheinformalblogpostsorcommentsandthenwereabletohelpstudentstransferthesestrengthstootheracademicwriting.Hereareseveralinstructorcommentsthataddressthebenefitsofusingblogsandofferthoughtsabouthowtheirclassroombloggingcouldbeimprovedinthefuture.“It’softenveryuseful(nottomentionarealpleasure)toreadstudentwritinginadifferent,morepersonalvoice.It’seasytoseehowsomestudentsarestymiedbytheirperceivedexpectationofa“formal,”“academic”tone,wheninfacttheyhaveawell-developedandengagingvoiceintheblog.”“OnethingIlearnedaboutblogs:readingdiscussionblogsorclassblogsarebetterwithpromptsorquestionsprovidedbyme.Askingthemtojustwritesomethinginresponsetoreadingscausesthemtoomuchandtheywriteverylittle.”“OnethingIreallylovedaboutblogswastheopportunitytohavestudentsblogabouttheirwritingprocesswhileitwasgoingon.Ihadaseparateblogjustforbloggingaboutprocessandgavethemafewpromptstorespondto.Thisreallycreatedcommunitybetweenstudentsastheysharedtheirstrugglesinprogress.Ifounditwasimportanttohaveasetnumberofblogpostsrequired(4)andcleardeadlinesforcompletingthem.”“Ilovedthatstudentscouldincludemultimediaintheirprocessandreadingresponseposts.Ilikedwhenthey'dpostacartoonoranimageoftheirprocessalongwiththeirwriting.Ididn'trequireit,butmoststudentstooktheopportunitytoalwayspostimagesorsongsorothermedia.”

Resources: AndrewSullivan,“WhyIBlog,”TheAtlantic,November1,2008 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/why-i-blog/307060/

RebeccaBlood,“ChapterTwo:FindingYourVoice,”TheWeblogHandbook:PracticalAdviceonCreatingandMaintainingYourBlog,2002

RebeccaBlood,"WeblogEthics",TheWeblogHandbook:PracticalAdviceonCreatingandMaintainingYourBlog.Cambridge:PerseusPublishing,2002.114-121 http://www.rebeccablood.net/handbook/excerpts/weblog_ethics.html

RebeccaBlood,“Weblogs:AHistoryandPerspective,”September7,2000 http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/weblog_history.html

RebeccaBlood,“Rebecca’sPocket:TenTipsforABetterWeblog,” http://www.rebeccablood.net/essays/ten_tips.html

CharlesLowe,PurdueUniversity,andTerraWilliams,ArizonaStateUniversity,“MovingtothePublic:WeblogsintheWritingClassroom,”IntoTheBlogosphere

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/moving_to_the_public_pf.html

RebeccaMead,“You’veGotBlog,”TheNewYorker,Vol76,Issue34,p102,November13,2000.

Blogging101–Anintroductiontoreadingandwritingaweblog:Blogs–anatomy,Blogs–whyread,whywrite.http://unc.edu/~zuiker/blogging101/readwrite.html

GuntherKress,Gainsandlosses:Newformsoftexts,knowledgeandlearning,ComputersandComposition22(2005)5-22

MeredithBadger,RoyalMelbourneInstituteofTechnology,VisualBlogs IntotheBlogosphere,http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/visual_blogs_pf.html Note:ManythankstothesourcesaboveandalsotoLaurenAtkins,CharlotteBoulay,TimothyHedges,ShelleyManis,SimoneSessolo,JamieJones,JenniferMetsker,AaronValdezandAnneGereforcontent,expertiseandimages.