The document discusses optimizing the student experience with blogfolios. It provides background on blogs and how blogfolios combine blogs and portfolios. The author conducted a study to understand factors correlated with student satisfaction in using blogfolios and how students used blogs. Key findings were that student satisfaction was most strongly correlated with the role of the instructor, increased confidence in expressing ideas, and clear communication of assessment criteria. The discussion notes blogs can increase confidence by allowing reflection and the development of students' unique voices.

1. Optimizing the Blogfolio
Experience
Verily Tan
Educational Technology & Production
SIM University, Singapore
verilytansl@unisim.edu.sg
verilytansl@unisim edu sg

2. Flow
• Introduction to blogs and blogfolios
• Potential advantages of use of blogfolios
• Purpose of study
• Context
• Research Instrument & Results
• Discussion
• Recommendations
• Limitations
• Questions & Comments

3. Blog – killer app
Blog “killer app”
• Blog
– Webpage containing a running log of commentaries, multimedia and
hyperlinks
– Easy to use, not requiring knowledge of html editing
– Supports collaboration with features like comments, RSS feeds
• Transformational technology for teaching and learning
(Williams & Jacobs, 2004). Capacity to engage people in
– collaborative activity
– knowledge sharing
– reflection
reflection
– debate

4. Blogfolio
Encourage
self‐
expression &
expression &
articulation
Encourage
Increase
reflection &
reflection &
satisfaction in
critical
learning
thinking
Blog +
Portfolio
Portfolio
= Blogfolio

5. Blogfolio – Potential Benefits
Blogfolio Potential Benefits
1. Encourage reflection & critical thinking
– Reflection
• In their postings, students articulate the connection between new
information and existing knowledge (Hermandez Ramos, 2004)
information and existing knowledge (Hermandez‐Ramos, 2004)
– Critical thinking
• Skilled and active process, involving questioning and
metacognition (Fischer & Scriven, 1997)
– As an author, students
• Make their postings They need to consider on how others will
Make their postings. They need to consider on how others will
interpret the posting. In responding to comments, they need to
standby his/her own opinion (Williams & Jacob, 2004)
– As an audience , students
• Read the postings of others critically, then post their comments
and questions
and questions

6. Blogfolio – Potential Benefits
Blogfolio Potential Benefits
2. Encourage self‐expression & articulation – having a “unique
voice”
– Blogs allow time for students for students to synthesize information
Blogs allow time for students for students to synthesize information
and develop personal approaches and responses
– Faculty indicate that the greatest benefit of the using of blogfolios in
teaching and learning: opportunity for student expression (Brescia &
Miller, 2006)
3. Increase satisfaction in learning
3 Increase satisfaction in learning
– Greater sense of control: customization of look & feel of blog;
creativity & style (Armstrong, Berry & Lamshed, 2004)
– Students become “subject‐matter‐experts” as authors. They develop
confidence in expressing themselves (Brescia & Miller, 2006)

7. Purpose of Paper
Purpose of Paper
The study seeks to understand:
1. What are the factors correlated with student satisfaction in
the use of blogfolios?
th f bl f li ?
2. How are students making use of blogs, and what are their
preferred usages?
preferred usages?

8. Use of Blogfolios in an e‐Course
Use of Blogfolios in an e Course
• Creative Advertising and Copyediting (blended e‐learning
module)
• 2nd year elective offered by School of Arts & Social Sciences
l ti ff d b S h l f A t & S i l S i
(Communications Programme)
• Ability to critique a variety of advertisements important
Ability to critique a variety of advertisements – important
competency for the module
Blogfolio assignment (15% of overall assessment)
Make a blog posting every week, focusing on a print/broadcast
advertisement in different industries. (Create a portfolio of 4
advertisement in different industries (Create a portfolio of 4
advertisements critiques over 4 weeks in the blog)
Comment on : Choice of advertisement, perceived objective,
perceived audience, effectiveness, suggested improvements
perceived audience, effectiveness, suggested improvements

9. Implementation
• Pilot implemention in Semester 2, 2009
• For greater administrative control: WordPress set up on
University’s server
U i it ’
• Security issues: Blogs were created for students –
standardized user interface
standardized user interface
• *5 students shared a blog
• Individual postings (not group work)
postings (not group work)
• Each student was a co‐author
• *C
*Comments feature disabled
t f t di bl d
* Specifications of instructors
* Specifications of instructors

10. Implementation
• Copyright issues
Embedding of advertisements on the web, youtube and print
in the blog postings
in the blog postings
– Copyright infringement?
– Deliberations but no clear guidelines
g
• “Controlled Student Access”
• Each blog: password protected
• Blogs: not available in the public domain
• Each student only had access to the blog he/she shares with four
others

11. WordPress Blog Interface
WordPress Blog Interface
Author ,
Category &
Date
Co‐authors
Tracking of Categories:
Revisions 4 required
4 i d
ads

12. Blog Entries of Students
g

13. Electric
Appliances
(Print Ad)

14. Electric
Appliances
(Video Ad
found in
Youtube)

15. Cosmetics
(Print Ad)
(Print Ad)

16. Cosmetics
(Ads
(Ads –
Print &
Video Ads)

17. Research Instrument
Research Instrument
• Survey of 25 questions
– 14 questions based on a 5‐point Likert Scale
(1 SD ; 2 D; 3 N; 4 A; 5
(1 – SD ; 2 – D; 3 – N; 4 – A; 5 – SA)
– 5 questions on the usage of blogfolios
– 5 demographic questions
– 1 open‐ended question
• α = .903
• 35 students (60.8%) completed the survey (Enrolment = 58
students)
– 80% male, 20% female
– 81.3% diploma holders, rest being A’level or degree holders
– 62 9% were in 21‐25 age range; 28 6% in 26‐30 age range
62.9% were in 21‐25 age range; 28.6% in 26‐30 age range

18. Factors correlated with student satisfaction
• Mean for student satisfaction = 3.94
• Spearman Correlation
p
Ranked Factor Significantly Correlated with Student Satisfaction Spearman’s Rho
(2‐tailed)
1 Role of Instructor 0.661**
(highest)
2 Increased confidence in expressing thoughts and ideas 0.522**
3 Clear communication of assessment criterion 0.512**
4 No technical difficulty encountered in making blog entries with embedded 0.484**
images/video
5 Ability to cope with the requirements of assignment 0.482**
6 Engagement in analysis and reflection 0.481**
7 Appreciation of the simplified process in collecting and submitting portfolio 0.449**
content via blogfolio
via blogfolio
8 Clear objective(s) for the blogfolio assignment 0.426**
9 Benefit from reading the postings of others 0.407*
10
10 Enjoyment in being a co‐author of the group blog, contributing ideas and
Enjoyment in being a co author of the group blog contributing ideas and 0.371
0 371*
(lowest) knowledge.
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 (2‐tailed).
* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2‐tailed).

19. Discussion
1. Role of Instructor
3. Clear communication of assessment criterion
3 Cl i ti f t it i
8. Clear objective(s) for the blogfolio assignment
Consistent with the findings by Hain & Gallen (2008):
Amount of learning in a blog assignment can be influenced
positively by
positively by
motivation of the learner
the ability of the instructor to motivate and support
the ability of the instructor to motivate and support
the way the assignment/course has been crafted

20. Discussion
2. Increased confidence in expressing thoughts and ideas
Blogs can be both motivating and threatening for students
(Hermandez‐Ramos, 2004)
( d )
It appears that by reflecting or “thinking by writing”, students
were able to develop their own “voice”
ere able to de elop their o n “ oice”
Students can be driven to express deeply felt opinions and
ideas through their postings (Nardi Schiano Gumbrecht and
ideas through their postings (Nardi, Schiano, Gumbrecht and
Swartz, 2004)
Blog (Oravec, 2003; Williams & Jacobs, 2004)
Blog (Oravec 2003; Williams & Jacobs 2004)
breakthrough form of democratic self‐expression
place for authors to test their ideas
students’ distinctive styles of writing emerge

21. Discussion
4. No technical difficulty encountered in
making blog entries with embedded images/video
making blog entries with embedded images/video
Survey Item: No technical difficulty in making blog entries
with embedded images/video Mean = 3 91
with embedded images/video. Mean = 3.91
Student profile:
71.0% of them rated themselves fairly skilled in terms of computer
71.0% of them rated themselves fairly skilled in terms of computer
skills.
22.6% rated themselves as power user.
43.8% of the students already had personal blogs.
Importance of co‐ordinated training and support . Significant
effort invested in
effort invested in
Training
Manuals/Online Resource
Manuals/Online Resource
Helpdesk support

22. Discussion
6. Engagement in analysis and reflection
Instructors found evidence of analysis and reflection in the
students’ blog postings
In critique of advertisements, students needed to
recognize unstated assumptions and values
appraise evidence and evaluate statements
recognize logical relationships between propositions
draw warranted conclusions and generalizations
warranted conclusions and generalizations.
All these are basic competencies in critical thinking according
to Glaser (1941)
to Glaser (1941)

23. Discussion
9. Benefit from reading the postings of others
10. Enjoyment in being a co‐author of the group blog,
j y g g p g
contributing ideas and knowledge.
“Public” nature of the postings (visibility of their posts to the
other four members of their group) could have been a
motivation for them to make quality postings
In reading others’ postings, students see each other as
valuable sources of information and ideas
Students’ perception: Creators of knowledge, not just
St d t ’ ti C t fk l d tj t
consumers of information

24. Time Taken to Make One Posting
Time Taken to Make One Posting
Time taken
Time taken Proportion of students
Proportion of st dents
15 – 30 min 8.8%
31 – 45 min 25.5%
46 – 60 min 26.5%
More than 60 min 38.2%
• 64.7% of students took more than half an hour to create a
blog posting.
• Reflect the analysis and reflection required by the assignment
(Majority of students did not encounter difficulty in making
blog entries with embedded images/video)
bl h b dd d / d )

25. Students Preferred Usage
Students’ Preferred Usage
• Comments Feature
– 58.8% of students would like comments on their own postings
– 45.7% would like to comment on other’s postings
– 42 9% i di
42.9% indicated that if comments were made available, marks should
d h if d il bl k h ld
be allocated for constructive comments.
• M j i
Majority of students in this study are
f d i hi d
in the age range of 21‐30 (Net
Generation)
• They appear to want to take blogging
to the next level of critique and
to the next level of critique and
defense of their own stand
, ( )
• Desire to collaborate, to (co)create http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimothy27/3487954077/
in terms of knowledge and ideas

26. Recommendations
• Use blogs for learning tasks that require the students to
– Express opinions to influence others (Confidence in “unique voice”)
– “Thinking by writing” (Reflection, metacognition)
Thinking by writing (Reflection metacognition)
– Seek others’ feedback and opinion (Analysis, critical thinking)
• Blogfolios – electronic portfolios (simplified process)
Blogfolios electronic portfolios (simplified process)
• Enable the comments feature to encourage collaboration, to
( )
(co)creation of knowledge and ideas. Implications:
g p
– Necessity to train students to be responsible in their comments and
replies
– Provide guidelines for students to give constructive comments

27. Recommendations
• Implementation of individual blogs
– To further encourage students’ expression and creativity through
customization of the blog interface
customization of the blog interface
– Comments can be better controlled by students
• RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds can be enabled.
( p y )
– Feeds can positively affect student interaction. (Hain & Gallen,
2008)
– Students become less tied to posting deadlines and pushed by
the feeds that indicate interactions in their blogs.

28. Recommendations
Copyright Issues ©
• Lack of case law concerning the application of fair use of
material in distance education (Costa, 2004)
• Problem compounded by:
– Variation of legal opinion on the subject
– New technology constantly creates new situations which existing rules
cannot always control
cannot always control
– Different instructors operate by different guidelines (ethical issues)
• Instructors should be actively involved in defining problem
y gp
areas, formulating institutional policy
• Continuing dialogue about the ethics of practice

29. Limitation
• Lack of qualitative feedback to substantiate the findings from
the quantitative data. The survey had only one free‐response
question.
question
• Focus group discussion with selected students can be
conducted.
conducted

31. Thank you!
y
verilytansl@unisim.edu.sg
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