Using Web Logs in the EFL Class

USING WEB-LOGS IN THE EFL CLASS Presented by Christina Markoulaki, an EFL teacher, yet always a student markakischool.blogspot.com 7/3/2009 BLOGS IN THE EFL CLASS

AN OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION
What is a web-log
Why use it in the EFL class
How teachers can use it
(ideas and examples)
How students can use it
(ideas and examples)
How to create your own web-log
The web-log elements
7/3/2009 BLOGS IN THE EFL CLASS

SOME POSITIVE THINKING
“ You don't have to be great to start,
but you have to start to be great.”
By Zig Ziglar

INTRODUCTION
Modern computer technology has made possible a new and rich learning experience. The development of viable software for communication and online publishing as well as improved networking speeds has made possible a variety of activities within a traditional class setting that extend the walls of the classroom.
by Julie Lindsay

SAMPLES OF STUDENTS’ BLOGS
Take a look at these pages.
xouakina.blogspot.com
vasilis-panagiotis.blogspot.com
These are students’ creations, which have also been awarded a prize in ‘ kseblogare ’ Greek blog competition . This is a sample of the vast potential blogs as innovative teaching tools offer.

WHAT IS A BLOG ANYWAY?
A blog (a contraction of the term weblog ) is a website , usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog .
( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog )

WHAT IS A BLOG? (2)
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries . A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages , and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.
( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog )

WHY BLOG? (1)
This is exactly one reason why I want my kids to blog; and just as importantly, to read the blogs of others. Blogs are doors to the rest of the world. This is a powerful explanation of what we try to do. We “invite other people to know our lives,” you “read others’ blogs and discover their lives in other places.” This is why I am adamant that my kids link to, read, and comment on the blogs of people who live in other parts of the globe. I want them to hear from Australian kids , from Brazilian kids . From kids who live in major urban centres, and from those who live in small towns just like they do. They need to learn about their differences, see their similarities, and understand about how, on this ever - shrinking globe, they are a generation of people who will have many problems to solve when they inherit what we are leaving behind.
Clarence Fisher from Remote Access

WHY BLOG? (2) 7/3/2009 BLOGS IN THE EFL CLASS www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=be6ec9b852b0a542e2f3

WHAT A TEACHER CAN DO WITH A BLOG
post photographs, texts or videos relevant to classroom activities,
then assign a task to students
(i.e. ask them to write a comment
or a post on their blog)
Examples:
bullying
c class
Rwanda
Mr Fisher1 & 2

WHAT A TEACHER CAN DO WITH A BLOG 2
include useful links
(link lists about all language areas)->
encourage self study
Example: Mr Fisher’s blog
Markaki school blog

publish homework or other teaching notes (e.g. in pps format) by embedding them -> an e-class
markakischool.blogspot.com/2008/11/u2-lyrics-one-lyrics.html

provide reading practice->
have a professional write
about their job->
Ss read and ask questions ->
the writer replies
Mary Hillis’s post about a
wedding cakes designer

publish students’ scanned work
create an on-line magazine
markaki-students.blogspot.com

promote multiculturalism
eTwinning project:
Are we really different?
(Portugal, Italy, Poland)

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
If you had just completed
a unit on the Past Perfect Simple
with your C’ Class (A2) level students ,
what kind of follow-up task
would you choose
to include in your blog?

PUT THE PREVIOUS IDEAS INTO PRACTICE
T writes the rule, Ss provide the funniest examples possible in comment form: By the time the teacher started talking again, all the students had slept.
Ss take turns to narrate a story: Alice had a really bad day yesterday. First, she woke up in the morning. After she had woken up, she stumbled on her way to the bathroom. After she had stumbled…, she…
embed YouTube videos before and after Hurricane Hugo hit-> Ss describe the scenes by leaving a comment, e.g. Before the hurricane hit, there hadn’t been any damage. After it had hit, the weakest buildings were toppled down.
links to grammar quizzes

WHAT A STUDENT CAN DO WITH A BLOG (INDIVIDUALLY OR IN A TEAM)
publish work done in class
essays, poems, book reviews, news articles -> a digital portfolio
Examples:
Adel : opinion on important issues, folktales, news articles
class blog by Spanish students: entry about 2 nd conditional

WHAT A STUDENT CAN DO WITH A BLOG 2
keep an on-line diary about their
routine
interests
personal problems
thoughts
Examples
Dora ’s blog
Toni’s blog : mixture of personal thoughts and class work

discuss with classmates
or students in other countries
and teacher about current issues
Toni’s blog about teenagers
GK-hall about Black History Month

embed crossword puzzles
embed glogs
to consolidate new vocabulary
taught in class
C’ class Halloween glog

create other activities
for classmates to solve
For example:
gapped sentences
riddles
surveys

embed YouTube videos or their own ones and comment on them-> a vlog
Videos of:
poetry reading in class
interviews
short dialogues
book reviews
See Christina ’s vlog on book reviews

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT (2)
You have just had a discussion with your Proficiency students about studying/ working abroad .
What kind of follow-up task
would you assign them
to do on their blogs?

STUDENTS COULD DO THESE ACTIVITIES:
Write a post about working conditions in London after having read relevant links
Discuss through comments on a post
(e.g. questionnaire about what facilities/ courses a university should offer)
Record videos (e.g. interviews including roleplay: employer- applicant) and comment on them
Make promotional videos about themselves demonstrating their qualifications:
Jeffrey Hill’s blog , dailymail.co.uk
Make a crossword puzzle on new vocabulary

SOME FINAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT BLOGS
ideal for team activities in a computer lab
can include tasks set as homework
aid teachers, parents and students themselves to record, monitor and compare progress done
help students become accustomed to new technology and modern ways of communication
offer powerful motivation to students of all ages (surfing the net, sense of ownership, having an audience, choosing interesting topics)
enable receiving immediate feedback on published tasks (esp. when teachers are followers of students’ blogs - new posts in the reading list)

HOW TO SET UP A BLOGGER ACCOUNT
1. Visit www.blogger.com
2 . Click on ‘ create a blog ’ button
3. Fill in all the required fields -> you need to:
a) give a valid email address
b) give a display or user name (like a signature)
4. Write a title and find an available URL address , which will also be relatively short and indicative of the purpose of the blog (e.g. Bclass.blogspot.com)
5 . Choose a template (the overall design of your blog)
6. Start posting and customizing your blog!
7. Main fields: Posting (to edit texts), Settings (to perform all kinds of adjustments), Layout (to arrange or add blog elements), View Blog (to view changes)
8 . To sign in again, visit www.blogger.com

THE ELEMENTS OF A BLOG
Header = the title at the top of the page
Posts = the texts in the main column
Gadgets = anything that can be added in all columns of the blog, that is:
Pictures, texts, profile box, blog archive
Various lists, link lists, list of followers, blog list
Polls, slideshows of your photographs
Video bar, newsreel, labels of all posts
HTML code so as any other gadget to be embedded, e.g. a clock, a daily renewed list of motivational quotes, a shelf with recommended books
Spot all the above on this teacher’s blog: theenglishyouneedblog.blogspot.com

BLOGGER HELP VIDEOS
How to create a blog
How to insert a link
How to add YouTube video
How to add a blog list to the sidebar

MORE INTERNET RESOURCES ABOUT THE USE OF WEB LOGS IN THE EFL CLASS
How to involve students in blogging by Mary Hillis
Various teachers and students’ blogs
A Wikispace on blogs by blogwalker
eTwinning blogs
‘Excellent classroom practices from Mr Fisher’ on The Cool Cat Teacher blog
‘ Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes ’ by A.P. Campbell
‘ Creating a Writing Course Utilizing Class and Student Blogs ’ by Andrew Johnson
Weblogs links on The Internet TESL Journal
EFL and ESL and web 2.0 on Teacher Dude’s blog
Blogging for educators on ‘One Teacher’s Journey’ blog
The Edublogs magazine

IF YOU FEEL IN A SIMILAR WAY, BE SURE THAT REAL WORK STARTS NOW! 7/3/2009 BLOGS IN THE EFL CLASS

http://markaki-students.blogspot.com	617
http://jeffreyhill.typepad.com	516
http://www.scoop.it	292
http://www.englishblog.com	125
http://markakischool.blogspot.com	72
http://eflinks.wikispaces.com	68
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.com	56
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.com.es	44
http://fremdsprachenundneuemedien.blogspot.com	37
http://fremdsprachenundneuemedien.blogspot.de	34
https://fronter.com	33
http://hcawebtools.wikispaces.com	30
http://markaki-students.blogspot.gr	27
http://www.madremiraqueluna.blogspot.com.es	14
http://alaahammad1988.blogspot.com	14
http://madremiraqueluna.blogspot.com.es	13
http://clubefl.gr	11
http://markaki-students.blogspot.co.uk	11
http://edu2.co.il	11
http://www.slideshare.net	11
https://hcawebtools.wikispaces.com	8
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.it	8
http://markaki-students.blogspot.in	7
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.fr	6
http://markaki-students.blogspot.ca	6
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.com.br	6
http://vjanez-tellcork.blogspot.com	5
http://markaki-students.blogspot.com.au	4
http://www.markakischool.blogspot.com	3
http://markaki-students.blogspot.ru	3
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.ca	3
http://vjanez.blogspot.com	3
http://madremiraqueluna.blogspot.jp	3
http://markaki-students.blogspot.se	3
http://markaki-students.blogspot.ro	2
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.mx	2
http://markaki-students.blogspot.co.il	2
http://markaki-students.blogspot.co.nz	2
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.com.ar	2
http://madremiraqueluna.blogspot.com	2
http://paper.li	2
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.ru	2
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.ch	1
http://www.google.co.uk	1
http://markaki-students.blogspot.be	1
http://markaki-students.blogspot.mx	1
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.in	1
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.cz	1
http://markaki-students.blogspot.fr	1
http://dreaminenglish.blogspot.gr	1
http://markaki-students.blogspot.com.br	1

Using Web Logs in the EFL Class

by Maria Markaki School of Foreign Languages

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