This document discusses using weblogs or blogs to build learner communities in writing classes. It proposes that blogs can help address why traditional writing classes often don't work by creating a sense of community and identity in a way similar to speaking classes. Blogs allow for identity expression through customization of avatars, templates, and photos. They also facilitate developing community through personalization, inter-blog connections, linking, and commenting. Two models are presented for developing blogging communities within classes.

1. Weblogs for building learner communities Joseph Tomei, KGU, [email_address] Rick Lavin, FESSPUK, [email_address] Saturday, Nov. 4th (2:25-2:50 pm) @ JALT2006 (AIM J)

2. Why don’t writing classes work?

3. How can we make writing classes more like speaking classes? Community Speaking classes Writing classes CMC Community

4. Communities are built on identity Identity faces clothes accessories body language gestures Community Speaking classes Writing classes CMC Oral Communication ???

5. Which one tells us more?

6. A weblog is… a webpage with a series of writings organized by date

7. A weblog is… accessible and incrementally updateable from any Internet-connected computer

8. A weblog is…

9. A weblog can be… supplemented with pictures comments links

10. blog as an extension of personality

11. Writing as experience

12. Writing as exercise Juppun wa juubun 十分は 十分

13. Self identity and self evaluation

14. Self identity and self evaluation

16. blogs and shared experience

17. avatars

18. Roll your own template

19. Self-expression through customization Avatars Templates Sub-templates Micro-changes

20. Expressing identity through blogging customization through avatars, templates photos quick mastery of the basics typing logging in 十分は十分 loosely defined personalized topics

21. underlying personality

22. Moving towards community A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living. Rudolf Steiner

23. Online communities An online community consists of people who interact socially as they strive to satisfy their own needs or perform special roles ; a shared purpose that provides a reason for the community; policies that guide people’s interactions ; and computer systems to support and mediate social interaction and facilitate a sense of togetherness. Jennifer Preece, 2000 Online Communities: Designing usability, supporting sociability.

24. Roll your own web: blogrings, shared topics

25. Book reviews

26. Niche topics

27. Blog tag to encourage inter-blog linking I went to the shops and bought some apples. I went to the shops and bought some apples, and a book.

28. blogs and shared experience

29. Base score is number of words. Community-enhancing behaviour brings a large bonus .

30. Make it easy to find other students’ blogs!

31. Updated content: RSS/webfeeds Webfeed of a single site Webfeeds combined

32. Single class webfeed

33. Existing class feeds

34. Developing community personalization interblog connections linking commenting blogrolls or blog rings shared topics regularly updated content an ‘agora’

35. WinK (Weblogging in Kumamoto)

36. Books

38. WinK Hits!

39. Assistant editors/writers

40. What could it be?

41. Two models

42. Connections link to the individual post comments trackback links

43. The blogging community

44. That’s all from us, folks! www.rikiwiki.net/jalt2006 [email_address] [email_address] Kumamoto Gakuen University Prefectural University of Kumamoto