This document discusses using blogs to promote reflective practice among teaching staff in higher education. It describes how reflection helps evaluate and improve teaching by enabling teachers to critically examine their experiences and plan future actions. The authors implemented a blogging tool with teaching staff and collected data through surveys and interviews to study how blogs supported reflective practice. Their findings provide implications for using blogs as a tool to scaffold the development of teaching practice through reflection.

1. Integrating reflective practice through the use of blog technology for professional development of teaching staff in higher education. Martina Crehan & Muireann O'Keeffe LTTC DIT

2. Reflection is often used as a tool to evaluate and improve teaching practice (Hatton and Smith, 1995).

3. Reflective practice … the process of stepping back from experience to process what the experience means, with a view to planning further … the critical link between the concrete experience, the interpretation and taking new action … the key to learning as it enables you to develop an ability to uncover and make explicit to yourself what you have planned, discovered and achieved in practice

4. Reflective Practice The act of reflection prevents acting from routine It allows the teacher to consider practice and effect Scaffolds development of practice

5. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

6. PG Dip Overview Revalidation Assessment portfolio Constructive alignment...

7. Blog Blogs supporting reflection Journal/diary type entries Ease of use/accessible anytime anywhere

8. Implementation of blog tool Evaluation of blogs tools Blogger vs WordPress Blogs and confidentiality Permissions: tutor/student Intro with PG Dip class Creation of blog in class Support issues... Some queries, most found it easy to use

9. Case study Data collection: survey & interviews

10. Blog Excerpts Examples of reflection Depth of reflection Descriptive vs. critical

11. Findings/Results

12. Implications

13. Further work

14. References Downes, S. (2004). Educational blogging. Educause Review. September/October 2004. (pp. 14-26). http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0450.pdf Accessed 17/09/2010

15. Suggested References! Boud, D., Keogh, R. & Walker, D. “Promoting reflection in learning: a model.” In Boud, D., Keogh, R. & Walker, D. (eds.) Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning , New York: Nichols, 18-40, 1985 Johns, C. (2004). Becoming a reflective practitioner. (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. Moon, J. Reflection in Learning and Professional Development . London: Kogan Page, 1999a Schön, D. A. The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action . New York: Basic Books, 1983 .