Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Similar to Journaling in Mahara
Similar to Journaling in Mahara (20)
More from Cathrine-Mette Mork
More from Cathrine-Mette Mork (6)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Journaling in Mahara
- 1. Rationale & Setup Cathrine-Mette Mork
- 2. Outline: what’s & why’s setup explanation setup practice
- 3. Journaling & blogging: regular, out-of-class writing may (not) have prescribed quantity & quality focus on process, not product (not corrected, edited; less stress on language form) may (not) be viewed by peers
- 4. The Difference? Blogging: writing or responding to a blog (online) (Richardson, 2006) Journaling: synthesizing, analyzing, and critiquing information and creating a product from this information (Cisero, 2006)
- 5. Both AL techniques: 1. Develops fluency + accuracy & comprehensibility 2. Creates confidence, autonomy 3. Assists in content comprehension & synthesis, improving CT skills
- 6. References Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: the professors guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Blake, T. (2005). Journaling; An active learning technique. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 2(1), pp. -. doi:10.2202/1548-923X.1116 Burrows, V. A., McNeill, B., Hubele, N. F. & Bellamy, L. (2001). Statistical evidence for enhanced learning of content through reflective journal writing. Journal of Engineering Education, 90, 661–667. doi:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2001.tb00657.x Chang, M., & Lin, M. (2014). The effect of reflective learning e-journals on reading comprehension and communication in language learning. Computers & Education, 71, 124-132. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.09.023 Cisero, C.A. (2006). Does reflective journal writing improve course performance? College Teaching, (54)2, 231-236. doi:10.3200/CTCH.54.2.231-236 Connor-Greene, P.A. (2000). Making connections: Evaluating the effectiveness of journal writing in enhancing student learning. Teaching of Psychology, 27(1) , 44-46. doi:10.1207/S15328023TOP2701_10 Hwang, W., Hsu, J., Shadiev, R. Chang, C. & Huang, Y. (2015). Employing self-assessment, journaling, and peer sharing to enhance learning from an online course. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 27(2), 114-133. doi:10.1007/s12528-015-9096-3 Moore, C., Boyd, B. L., & Dooley, K. E. (2010). The effects of experiential learning with an emphasis on reflective writing on deep-level processing of leadership students. Journal of Leadership Education, 9(1), 36-52. doi:10.12806/v9/i1/rf3 Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms.Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Sun, Y. (2010). Extensive writing in foreign‐language classrooms: a blogging approach. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(3), 327-339. doi:10.1080/14703297.2010.498184 Xie, Y., Ke, F., & Sharma, P. (2008). The effect of peer feedback for blogging on college students reflective learning processes. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(1), 18-25. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2007.11.001
- 7. Why Mahara? In MIC AP grant mandate Easy data collection & mining due to digital nature (also private) Student interaction possible when integrated with Moodle
- 8. Set up in Mahara & Moodle: 1. Students create new journal and page for their journal in Mahara 2. Students send secret URL of page to teacher 3. Teacher creates links to each student’s page containing their journal in Moodle course page
- 17. Put in maximum number of posts you expect students to write in total.
- 22. Get students to email you this, or grab it when you do it with them.
- 26. Comment on journal (bottom of page) Comment on journal entry (below each entry) # of student entries visible at a glance!
- 27. Tips: Make it part of grade (10~20%?) Make comments part of journal grade (25%?) Remind regularly Check regularly
Editor's Notes
- what I did, why you might want to do it in your classes, regardless of subject matter and level, outline how to do, let you try if you want to stick around after my short overview
- What is blogging and journaling? regular, out-of-class writing Possible in class, but it tends to occur outside may (not) have prescribed quantity & quality Teachers may assign topics or give suggestions, but more often than not, the writing is student-guided the focus is on product, not process so work is not corrected, edited and there is less emphasis on language form may or may not be viewed by peers
- The Difference? In the pen and paper version, journaling can take on a form of extensive writing practice for language courses. When we take the practice online, we get this other term, blogging. Some use the words interchangeably to mean the same thing, but here, I refer to journaling as more reflective in nature. Journaling is a writing exercise that provokes the writer think meta-cognitively. The literature claims that the process of journal writing can promote deep learning. Just blogging without deep reflection is still beneficial, however. Another difference: Blogging tends to be public, but can be private; journaling tends to be private, but can be public
- Journaling/Blogging: Why? First is improvements in Fluency, Accuracy, and Comprehensibility Fluency = speed We already know that the more students write the faster they get at it. But we also know that we get better at it. Even without drawing attention to errors through teacher correction, it’s been shown that a accuracy (= vocabulary, grammar, syntax, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, spacing…) also improves with regular extensive writing. What happens is that with time and practice, students start self-correcting. It is not a surprise then, that improvements in Comprehensibility (= writing with clarity; organization and structure of ideas) also show with practice. Confidence and autonomous learning behaviours It makes sense that with regular practice learners become used to doing whatever they are doing, and in many cases realize the value, and then continue to do so on their own volition, assuming motivation levels are healthy. Deep Learning A main benefit of journaling that applies more so to CLIL and content classes than to language classes is deeper learning of content. Students can be asked or required to paraphrase, summarize, analyze, criticize, or offer opinions on content they have read, watched, listened to, or experienced in or for a class. In doing so, students discover meaning, make connections, and think critically. They can gain the perspective and insight of others if they read each other’s journals or blogs. Journaling creates a loop that mandates students to internalize and synthesize content instead of just cut and paste. If the content is vocational in nature, they can also instill values of the profession and reflect on professional roles.
- If you’re interested in reading more I’ve prepped this list of sources and the ALWG has a book specifically about journaling coming in the mail soon.
- So, if you’re interested in using a blog or journal in your class, I’m going to outline how I set it up in Mahara in my academic writing class. But first, why Mahara? I’ve worked with platforms such as Penzu and various blogging platforms in the past in addition to anologue pen and paper, and have found Mahara to actually be really good, esp. in our context. a) MIC AP grant mandate – and students use it anyways, so in theory there is a smaller learning curve (thought not for spring freshmen b) Easy data collection & mining due to digital nature When you look at a students journal, you can automatically see at a glance how many posts they’ve made, the topics they’ve chosen, how much they’re written, if there is any embedded audio visual content, and how many student comments have been made on each post. On Mahara, the students’ blog can be as private as you want it to be. I generally have students share their content within the class, bring me to last point. c) Student interaction is possible when integrated with Moodle. Apparently students are more likely to care about what they write when they know their peers will be reading it. More so than just with teachers. I require students to interact with each others’ posts by making comments on it. They do not rate or evaluate each others’ work though.
- a) Students create new blog in Mahara Even though the process is not difficult, if you have freshmen you’ll probably want to help students set up a blog in class or in your office. They’ll only have to do this once, and they’re likely to forget how for another class later on. b) Once their blogs/journals are set up, students send secret URL to teacher c) The teacher creates links to each student’s blog in Moodle course page