Blogs in Education
Published on Nov 19, 2015
Blogging for education
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Blogs for education
Fiona Harvey, Centre for Innovation in Technologies and Education
Photo by Thinkstock Images
What is a blog?
Blogs is derived from "web logs" became known as Blogs.
Blogs are more like an online journal. A feature of blogs are that they provide the function to add comments from other people.
They show the time of posting, date and who posted the entry.
They can be categorised, so you provide some order to your blog and you can also add 'tags' (little bookmarks) so that you can find related posts.
Should be short, regular items
Blogs are more like an online journal. A feature of blogs are that they provide the function to add comments from other people.
They show the time of posting, date and who posted the entry.
They can be categorised, so you provide some order to your blog and you can also add 'tags' (little bookmarks) so that you can find related posts.
Should be short, regular items
Photo by Juan Lauriente
Blackboard
University of Southampton VLE
Not essays online
Develop digital literacy skills
Using blogs doesn't mean you ask them to recreate essays online. There is a choice.
Using blogs means that you can encourage:
- regular contributions to a topic
- provide regular feedback
- students comment on peers blogs
Develop critical thinking skills, academic skills and digital literacy
Using blogs means that you can encourage:
- regular contributions to a topic
- provide regular feedback
- students comment on peers blogs
Develop critical thinking skills, academic skills and digital literacy
Photo by Comstock
When to use?
Can be used as a reflective tool
Group diary
Used to encourage critical reflection on topics/journal articles
Media
Could be a way of developing skills for creating content - video blogs, use the blog to record views rather than write
Audio - create podcasts and get students to review and produce their own with narratives
Group diary
Used to encourage critical reflection on topics/journal articles
Media
Could be a way of developing skills for creating content - video blogs, use the blog to record views rather than write
Audio - create podcasts and get students to review and produce their own with narratives
Photo by Thomas Northcut
Benefits for students
- Digital literacy skills
- Familiar (they've seen them before) & easy
- Views made publicly, develops community
- Prefer to express views here rather than F2F
- Learn from each others comments and views
Photo by Digital Vision.
Benefits for academics
- Authentic tasks - develop useful skills
- Can be used to generate group discussion
- Blog sites record of assessment
- Feedback is easy - obvious and continuous
- Encourages ownership of learning
Photo by Jack Hollingsworth
Assessment Principles
University Quality Handbook
Assessment Principles (QA Handbook)
https://sharepoint.soton.ac.uk/sites/ese/quality_handbook/FormStore/Assessm...
https://sharepoint.soton.ac.uk/sites/ese/quality_handbook/FormStore/Assessm...
blackboard technical support
iSolutions MLE team have comprehensive guidance
social media
Guidelines
Comms department have produced Social Media Guidelines for branding.
Digital Literacies SIG - suggested a Draft Social Media Policy
Basic rules apply - copyright, use of images, professionalism etc
Digital Literacies SIG - suggested a Draft Social Media Policy
Basic rules apply - copyright, use of images, professionalism etc
Photo by Thomas Hawk
Lynda.com
2,500 instructional and skills based videos
University of Southampton has access to these:
To access them using your Uni login information:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/isolutions/services/lynda/
Whole bunch on blogging (including "how to's" use Wordpress, should we blog etc) http://www.lynda.com/Blogs-training-tutorials/1292-0.html
To access them using your Uni login information:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/isolutions/services/lynda/
Whole bunch on blogging (including "how to's" use Wordpress, should we blog etc) http://www.lynda.com/Blogs-training-tutorials/1292-0.html
Photo by Hemera Technologies
challenges
Photo by Michael Blann
Reflective taxonomy
How? What? When? Where? Why?
Students need clear instructions and guidance over structure and exemplar content
Reflective Taxonomy provides some structure
http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-st...
Reflective Taxonomy provides some structure
http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-st...
Photo by James Woodson
Support
Give some clear guidance
"The issues that arise with blogs are generally in relation to students regulating and directing
their own learning.
Supporting self-regulation involves providing marking criteria, rubrics and requirements such as word limits, as well as indicating how often students should comment and post."
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessing-blogs
their own learning.
Supporting self-regulation involves providing marking criteria, rubrics and requirements such as word limits, as well as indicating how often students should comment and post."
http://teaching.unsw.edu.au/assessing-blogs
Photo by Click*64
It takes time
There's a lot of work involved
It takes time to develop a student centred approach to learning
Design your module so that the assessment aligns with the blog and the posts enable learning - they need to see the point
Design your module so that the assessment aligns with the blog and the posts enable learning - they need to see the point
Photo by Mylla
Communication is key
Keep reminding students of their goals
Keep reminding the students of the rubrics, what they should be posting, answer their queries, keep everyone on the ball.
Photo by Jack Hollingsworth
