Blogging as an exploration Barbara (Bee) Dieu February 26 th 2009

3 questions What Why How to technical pedagogical Barbara Dieu

What

Why

How to

What is a blog? a personal journal online a powerful personal publishing tool Barbara Dieu

a personal journal online

a powerful personal publishing tool

What do they look like? http://beespace.net http://tawawa.org/miejournal/ http://6eme05.blogspot.com http://lycee.wordpress.com Barbara Dieu

What are the common features? a title and an aim dated posts in reverse chronological order permalink automatic archiving of past posts a comment and favourite link area possibility to personalise layout syndication of content Barbara Dieu

a title and an aim

dated posts in reverse chronological order

permalink

automatic archiving of past posts

a comment and favourite link area

possibility to personalise layout

syndication of content

RSS Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Rich Site Summary

or

Real Simple Syndication

RSS Brings content to the reader Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Brings content to the reader

RSS Two Parts to RSS: Feeds Aggregator Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Two Parts to RSS:

Feeds

Aggregator

RSS Feed = URL i.e. http://summerschool.wordpress.com/feed/ Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Feed = URL

i.e.

http://summerschool.wordpress.com/feed/

RSS An “Aggregator” collects the RSS feeds you subscribe to . Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

An “Aggregator”

collects the RSS feeds

you subscribe to .

RSS 10, 20, even 158 feeds or more to 1 aggregated space Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

10, 20, even 158 feeds

or more

to 1 aggregated space

RSS Web-based aggregator Google Reader Netvibes Pageflakes Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Web-based aggregator

Google Reader

Netvibes

Pageflakes

RSS Click and copy address of feed Paste in subscribe line Courtesy Will Richardson http://wwww.weblogg-ed.com

Click and copy address of feed

Paste in subscribe line

What makes blogs attractive? acc ess and accessibility cost personal publishing space immediacy simplicity interactivity Barbara Dieu

acc ess and accessibility

cost

personal publishing space

immediacy

simplicity

interactivity

What is learning? Learning is essentially about change It involves changes in attitudes, beliefs, capabilities knowledge structures, skills Barbara Dieu

Still use the web as a book? Barbara Dieu

The shift in paradigm static x dynamic passive x active centralized x distributed closed x open Barbara Dieu

Why are blogs pedagogical tools? create a digital identity help learners develop own voice help learners reflect on learning process develop autonomy /self-directed learning allow for collaboration and sharing of ideas create a portfolio to store work Barbara Dieu

create a digital identity

help learners develop own voice

help learners reflect on learning process

develop autonomy /self-directed learning

allow for collaboration and sharing of ideas

create a portfolio to store work

Why use blogs in ESL/EFL? create extra opportunity for reading and writing promote personal expression and interaction encourage research and student autonomy facilitate sharing and exchanging information individualize language and content learning motivate students Barbara Dieu

create extra opportunity for reading and writing

promote personal expression and interaction

encourage research and student autonomy

facilitate sharing and exchanging information

individualize language and content learning

motivate students

Key concepts ownership, openness syndication, aggregation subscription, interaction use the right tool for the trade

ownership, openness

syndication, aggregation

subscription, interaction

use the right tool for the trade

How to get one? blogger.com wordpress.com edublogs.org learnerblogs.org Barbara Dieu

How to use blogs? to evoke moments of your daily life to comment on a trip, book, film, song, a piece of news to share links, interesting material to invite people to react to topical issues to reflect on teaching/learning process to create an academic/ professional portfolio Barbara Dieu

to evoke moments of your daily life

to comment on a trip, book, film, song, a piece of news

to share links, interesting material

to invite people to react to topical issues

to reflect on teaching/learning process

to create an academic/ professional portfolio

How to use class blogs? as a meeting place to interact with others after class as an exchange plaza during interclass intercultural projects for mystery guests/content-area experts to interact with the students as an online community of practice with diverse teachers and students helping and learning from each other Barbara Dieu

as a meeting place to interact with others after class

as an exchange plaza during interclass intercultural projects

for mystery guests/content-area experts to interact with the students

as an online community of practice with diverse teachers and students helping and learning from each other

“ The final lesson a writer learns is that everything can nourish the writer. The dictionary, a new word, a voyage, a book, a talk on the street, an encounter, a phrase learned” (Anais Nin) Barbara Dieu

How to keep informed Barbara (Bee) Dieu [email_address] http://dekita.org http://tappedin.org

“ It is an exploration . You start from nothing and learn as you go” * Adapted from E.L. Doctorow What is blogging?