Transforming Writing Instruction through Blogging Analysis of a Class Blog

Goals of the Class Collaborative Learning Emergent Pedagogy Audience Awareness Writing as conversation Multiple perspectives Understanding of blogging

Collaborative Learning

Emergent Pedagogy

Audience Awareness

Writing as conversation

Multiple perspectives

Understanding of blogging

Basic setup Freshman seminar 2 sections, 30 students total Class blog (everyone contributed in the same place) No set assignments or topics No set requirements for blogging Formal papers derived from posts Portfolio

Freshman seminar

2 sections, 30 students total

Class blog (everyone contributed in the same place)

No set assignments or topics

No set requirements for blogging

Formal papers derived from posts

Portfolio

Some numbers 500 blog posts; 1250 comments 265,000 total words (about 700 pages) 9,000 words per student (about 23 pages on the blog alone) By October, averaging 250-300 visits per day Over 50% of visitors from off campus

500 blog posts; 1250 comments

265,000 total words (about 700 pages)

9,000 words per student (about 23 pages on the blog alone)

By October, averaging 250-300 visits per day

Over 50% of visitors from off campus

Correlations - .438 .827 .659 Links Comm Rec’d Comm Made Posts .438 .827 .659 Links - .275 .863 Comm Rec’d .275 - .548 Comm Made .863 .548 - Posts

Posts and Comments Received Top posters received 4 comments per post on average Comment threads in many cases developed into conversations Top posters/commenters responded to comments received

Top posters received 4 comments per post on average

Comment threads in many cases developed into conversations

Top posters/commenters responded to comments received

Comments Made and Links Those with more links were more widely read and interested in adding to conversation Making comments usually led to receiving comments (self-promotion) Desire for the blog project to work

Those with more links were more widely read and interested in adding to conversation

Making comments usually led to receiving comments (self-promotion)

Desire for the blog project to work

It’s all about linking The one factor that affected portfolio grades was linking: the more links, the higher the grade The top 5 posters averaged at least two and as many as 4 links per post Wide range of topics Models Sources well integrated Audience awareness Complex arguments More practice More feedback Learned more about their own writing

The one factor that affected portfolio grades was linking: the more links, the higher the grade

The top 5 posters averaged at least two and as many as 4 links per post

Wide range of topics

Models

Sources well integrated

Audience awareness

Complex arguments

More practice

More feedback

Learned more about their own writing

Audience: Before “ All I thought was my professor’s going to be reading this.” “ I was writing probably to myself . . . Because I didn’t know who I should talk to.” “ I really couldn't get out of the idea that we weren't just writing for our teachers.” “ I really didn't think that anyone outside our class and maybe their parents who had been told about the project would be reading the blog.”

“ All I thought was my professor’s going to be reading this.”

“ I was writing probably to myself . . . Because I didn’t know who I should talk to.”

“ I really couldn't get out of the idea that we weren't just writing for our teachers.”

“ I really didn't think that anyone outside our class and maybe their parents who had been told about the project would be reading the blog.”

Audience: after “ Nothing happened until we got an audience. It’s all about the audience.” “ I tried harder to write blogs with more mass appeal. . . . thought that if the topics had to do with news on a national level or topics that everyone could relate to, then more people would want to read them and I would draw in more readers.”

“ Nothing happened until we got an audience. It’s all about the audience.”

“ I tried harder to write blogs with more mass appeal. . . . thought that if the topics had to do with news on a national level or topics that everyone could relate to, then more people would want to read them and I would draw in more readers.”

Audience: After “ When I realized that other people were gonna be reading this, I began to think of what other people's perspectives were, like what are they coming from, what are they expecting to see and things like that.” “ I was writing to an audience that was interested in the same topic.”

“ When I realized that other people were gonna be reading this, I began to think of what other people's perspectives were, like what are they coming from, what are they expecting to see and things like that.”

“ I was writing to an audience that was interested in the same topic.”

“ Bloggers not only passively read the news, but also write posts, make comments, and create links. They get actively involved. This vigorous participation makes the ‘web’ look like a real web, a chain of connected sites. The absence of involvement makes the web look like a set of unrelated dots. You can only see the dots; you cannot see the whole picture unless the dots are connected.” Overall experience

“ Bloggers not only passively read the news, but also write posts, make comments, and create links. They get actively involved. This vigorous participation makes the ‘web’ look like a real web, a chain of connected sites. The absence of involvement makes the web look like a set of unrelated dots. You can only see the dots; you cannot see the whole picture unless the dots are connected.”