Blogging for Student Success in Reading Sarah E. Bagley UMUC 670 Dr.

Tim Green Fall 2012

Introduction Technology has had a profound impact on our lives today. The 21st century has ushered us into skills and ideas that only once seemed to only be an idea in a persons head. If one stops and thinks about the cartoons of the past that may have given them a glimpse, or idea, of what the future possibly would look like, the Jetsons may come to mind. The television show the Jetsons, showed us living in the 21st century with robots, flying cars, talking computers, and so much more. Regardless if we watched the original broadcast of the television show, or began to watch the syndication, we all had an ideology of how we imagined the 21st century would be. Technology has also impacted our educational system. Students are entering schools now having more experience with technology than ever before. The generation of students currently in school is known as Digital Natives. The digital native is defined as a person who was born during or after the general introduction of the digital technologies and through interacting with digital from an early age and has a greater understanding of its concepts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native) These digital native students are used to multi-tasking. The digital native student spend time emailing, texting, and using social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In one YouTube video clip, research reported that by the time students graduate from college, they would have read 200,000 emails. (http://youtu.be/aEFKfXiCbLw) Additionally, according to a CBS report from 2010, teens, on average, send approximately 3,000 text messages a day as compared to approximately 10 text messages form adults.

(http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-6415699.html) With students being exposed to technology on every turn, educators must find ways to keep their students engaged and attentive during lessons. The question on many educators minds is simply: How do keep my students attention so that they can successfully meet benchmarks set forth from the State? One of the best ways to keep students engaged and focused on lessons is to simply meet the student where they are. The aim of the United States is to ensure all students are reading on grade level, and at a minimum, on the proficient level. With students engaging in technology use daily, how does one keep them interested in reading? Simple. It is important to use what the students enjoy and know as a means of reaching the individual student. Educators must know that the traditional way of teaching and engaging students has changed. It is our responsibility as educators to ensure that our students are ready for the 21st century workforce. In order to do this, we must utilize technology in the classroom. While many students are using technology outside of the classroom, it is important that students recognize that technology can also be used as a learning tool. Students must be guided through the use of technology. Students must also be taught to connect technology and education. Educators must be open and willing to take this leap into the digital world. One way educators can utilize technology in the classroom is through the use of blogs. If used correctly, blogs can serve as an effective way of bridging technology with learning. Educators will find that blogs can also serve as a means for increasing reading levels, and reading comprehension.

Blogs in the Classroom Blogs are being seen in more classrooms across the United States. Blogs are a means of collection of journals, that can contains reflections, web links, and comments. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog) Blogs can serve as a means for increasing student involvement, increasing student achievement, and increase student engagement. The design and purpose of blogs allows for students to read and comment on various post. In essence, blogs can serve as an online diary that students can share with select users. One may ask if, and how, are students are more engaged in the learning process when utilizing blogs. According to a study by Nicole Ellison and Yeuhu Wu, blogging can potentially provide students with a window into peers perspectives, a doorway to global audience, and a mirror through which to reflect on their own thinking and writing. (Ellison and Wu, 2008, pg 119) Additionally, according to the study it is important to note that blogs, as a standalone, do not increase student achievement. There is a need to connect the blogs and technology to content area. Educators must have a focus in mind when utilizing blogs. With proper guidance, educators can successfully utilize blogs in the classroom. We know that todays student is used to multitasking. It is not uncommon to find students listening to music, on social network sites, texting, all while doing their homework. In fact, it is reported that students generally spend on average 6 hours utilizing multimedia, however, due to multitasking this really equates to over 8 hours of media usage. As educators it is important that we guide students to meaningful understanding and usage of the technology they are using. Much of research has been done to show the effectiveness and impact that blogs

have on classroom discussions, reflections, and even participation, however, when relating to elementary students and writing very little research has been done to test the effectiveness. Recently research is being conducted to see the effectiveness of blogs in the elementary classroom. Results from a study by Ewa Grail and Anne Davis, showed that there was a positive correlation between blogging and success in the elementary classroom. Students became increasingly more engaged in the writing process. Students also seemed less intimidated by the correction of the red pen by teachers. Having the ability to see instantly, and make instant changes, allowed student to have more meaningful responses, thereby allowing students to make corrections quickly and with more ease. (Grail and Davis, 2011) While blogging has been successful, and student enjoy the idea of blogging in the classrooms, careful consideration must be given to when and how to use blogging. Student achievement and engagement is shown to increase when students are at least once a week (Kurt, Izmirli, and Sahin-Izmirli) It is important to note that there must be consistent and meaningful engagement when utilizing blogs in the classroom. When there is consistent and meaningful engagement, students will be engaged, and success will come. Conclusion Research continues to be done on the use of blogs in the classroom There is a need for more focused research on the effects of blog in the elementary classroom, particular with consideration to ELL learners and students with specific learning disabilities. Regardless of the level of utilizing blogs, from kindergarten-post graduate classes, blogs are appearing more and more in the classroom. The usefulness of the tools

such as blogging has greatly impacted the educational system as we know it. The use of blogs as a 21st century method of instruction continues to be more than a growing trend, but rather a pendulum shift to instruction as we know it. As we move further into the 21st century, and digital literacy becomes increasingly more necessary and important, one can only hope that the use of blogs in the classroom will stay, not as a gimmick, but as a meaning tool for engagement and instruction. It will be interesting to see how research continues to evolve over the coming years as more technology and Web 2.0 skills emerge.

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