Interactive Weblog as a Source of Social Study of Junior High School Students

Insan Solihin

E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. Weblogs are the concept of writing the internet today. Does not require knowledge and
technical equipment, easy to use and management, personal websites that are attractive and functional
in blogs usually have featured the main menu from the core of the blog writing, based on one page
shown on the main page of the blog on the internet network. The development of the current blog
comes to the utilization of learning, with blogs and the internet as a source of learning the level of
insight in student material is increasingly widespread. Especially for social science subjects which not
only require theory in learning but also practice in the field, in this case the blog is very useful to help
in the illustration of the practice. This is consistent with research conducted where with the use of
blogs, students increasingly have increased learning activeness and ease in accessing learning
resources that have an impact on student success in learning
1. Introduction
The development of technology in modern times took place quickly. Every day new discoveries
emerge that facilitate human work. For example, technological developments exist in the field of
information and communication technology. build violence and get consequences that appear here. the
function of cellphones which at the beginning was only for now has been growing. Coupled with the
availability of an increasingly extensive internet network and can be obtained at a very large cost,
allowing various groups can access the internet.
The study was conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and
Information. The study included residents aged 10 to 19 years with a population of 43.5 million and a
total sample of 400 people. At that age it also includes the age of children who are still students at the
junior high school level. Based on the results of these studies it was found that 80% of children and
adolescents use the internet especially for urban areas.
The internet has a very important role, especially for the world of education. The availability of
internet as a learning tool is an obligation that must be provided by educational institutions, both
government and private. By using the internet, learning that is done is not only classical but can be an
individual learning tool. If classical learning is carried out together in one class, then with individual
learning students can learn independently according to their desires and abilities. The use of internet
technology by creating a good learning resource will encourage students to be more active, creative,
innovative and independent. Besides that, it can also create a pleasant atmosphere in teaching and
learning activities. Teaching and learning activities will be more effective and efficient if the teacher
uses tools in learning activities. According to Sanaky (2015: 2) teachers are advised to be able to use a
variety of inexpensive, efficient, school-capable tools, both those made by teachers, and conventional
tools that are available and owned by schools so that the learning process becomes more effective and
efficient.
1.1 What is a blog?
The term weblog refers to a personalized web page, kept by the author in reverse chronological
diary form. As a “log on the web”, it is kept first and foremost on the web, either on a static web
page, or via a database-backed website, enabled through “blogging” software. As a “log of the web”,
it easily refers to other Internet locations via hyperlinks (Eastment, D. 2005)
“Blogs, a journal style website that combines text, images, and links to other web pages, are one
new technology that has played a large role in reshaping our literate environment” (Brune, 2008).
Duffy & Axel (2006) informed that a blog is usually made up of the following components:
• Post Date — date and time the post was published
• Category — category the post is labelled with (can be one or more)
 • Title — main title of the post
• Body — main content of the post
• Trackback — links back from other sites
• Comments — comments added by readers
• Permalink — the URL of the full, individual article
• Footer — usually at the bottom of the post, often showing post date/time, author, category, and
stats such as number of reads, comments or trackbacks.
The features of weblogs including archival of past weblogs by date-posted, hyper linking to other
weblogs, instant publishing of web content with little technical skill required, and ways for other to
comment/feedback, provide new opportunities for people to present and express themselves online
and to communicate with other cibernautes (Downes, 2004). According to Richardson (2006), an
advantage of blogs is the organization of discussions as personal publications enabling
communication and also to Walker (2003), "a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries
arranged in reverse chronological order". Brownstein & Klein (2006) defined that blogs can be used
as virtual environments where all students can participate in critical discourse on scientific topics and
blogs are frequently updated website consisting of dated entries called posts arranged in reverse
chronological order so the most recent entry appears first.
1.2 The using of blogs in education
According to Kennedy (2003), blogs have the potential to enhance writing and literacy skills
while offering a uniquely stylized form of expression. Weblogs are an excellent way to fuse
educational technology and storytelling inside the classroom and beyond school walls. Because their
format is similar to a personal diary, where recounting tales and autobiographical events is prevalent,
blogs provide an arena where self-expression and creativity is encouraged, blogs are both
individualistic and collaborative and blogs can be multidisciplinary because, reading and writing can
be used in a variety of academic contexts, blogs are fungible across disciplines (Huffaker, 2005).
Likewise, Campbell (2003) discusses the possibilities of integrating weblogs into educational
context, especially in language teaching field and mentioned about three types of blogs that are likely
to be beneficial for language learners. The first type is tutor blog through which the class teacher can
produce special texts for reading and vocabulary activities by considering the students proficiency
levels(Campbell,2003).
According to Fernette and Brock Eide's (2005) Brain of a Blogger research that blogs can:
- Promote critical and analytical thinking
- Be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking
- Promote analogical thinking
 - Be a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information
- Combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction.
The idea here is that students can get writing practice, develop a sense of ownership, and get
experience with the practical, legal, and ethical issues of creating a hypertext document. In addition,
whatever they write can instantly be read by anyone else and, due to the comment features of the
software, further exchange of ideas is promoted (Farmer, J. 2006).

2. Research Methods
2.1 Research Procedures
The development procedure in this study follows the steps of developing Borg & Gall (1983:
775), with adjustments to the needs of researchers. These steps include data collection, planning,
product development, as well as validation and testing.
2.2 Data, Data Collection Techniques, and Instruments
2.2.1 Data Collection Techniques
The data collection technique used in the development research was in the form of a
questionnaire or questionnaire in the form of a checklist (√). This questionnaire is used to assess
the feasibility of products from development. Product assessment is carried out by material
experts, media experts and social studies subject teachers, while students are asked to provide
feedback about the product being developed.
2.2.2 Research Instruments
1. Material Expert Instruments
The instrument used for material experts is the validator assessment sheet in the form of a
questionnaire. This questionnaire is addressed to material experts. Grid of assessment
instruments for material experts includes valid / valid, level of importance, usefulness,
learnability, and interest. The grid is arranged in the opinion of Rudi Susilana and Cepi Riyana
(2008: 33-34).
2. Instruments of Media Experts
The research instrument used for media experts is a validator assessment sheet in the form of
a questionnaire. Media experts will assess the feasibility of media blogs. The grid of assessment
instruments for media experts is arranged based on indicators of learning product (computer-
based) assessment which includes the depth of material, organizing, language clarity, clarity of
tables and illustrations, and appearance as delivered by Made Wena (2013: 208).
3. Instruments for Social Studies Teachers
The research instrument used for teachers in this study was a validator assessment sheet in
the form of a questionnaire. This questionnaire is intended for teachers to obtain data on the
feasibility of the media by using assessment indicators which are adjustments from the opinions
of Made Wena (2013: 208) and Rudi Susilana and Cepi Riyana (2008: 33).
4. Use Test Instruments for Students
The instrument used for testing the use of the product is a questionnaire aimed at students.
Through this instrument data will be obtained which is the student's response. The instrument
grid is composed of several indicators given to material experts and media experts who adjust
from the opinions of Made Wena (2013: 208) and Rudi Susilana and Cepi Riyana (2008: 33).
Based on these data, the final product improvement process will be carried out so that it is
suitable for use in learning.
2.2.3 Data Analysis Techniques
This study uses descriptive analysis techniques in accordance with the development
procedures that have been carried out. The initial stage of development is done by making the
initial product of the blog. The next stage is validation by media experts and material experts,
followed by revision stage I. The next stage is the assessment by social studies subject teachers
of junior high school, then after the responses and suggestions are obtained, phase II revisions
are made. The next stage is the field trial stage and input for stage III revision is obtained. From
the three revision stages, the final product of the blog is produced which is ready to be used as a
social science learning resource. Quantitative data obtained from respondents through a
questionnaire with a Likert scale, analyzed descriptively by steps:
(a) rough data collection;
(b) scoring for quantitative analysis;
(c) the score obtained is converted into a value with a scale of five
with urain as follows:
Table 1. Scoring Assessment Guidelines
Qualitative data scores
Very good 5
Good 4
Enough 3
Less 2
Very Less 1
Source: Widoyoko (2009: 115)
 The next stage is to find the average total score of each component using the following formula:
∑x
x=
N
Information:
x = average score
∑x = total score
N= number of assessors
The next step is to change the average score to be a qualitative value with the Eko Putro
Widoyoko (2009: 238) model with the following criteria:
Table 2. Classification of Total Assessments
Formula average score category

X >𝐱𝐢 + 1,8 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 >4,2 Very good

𝐱𝐢 + 0,6 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 < X ≤ 𝐱𝐢 + 1,8 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 >3,4 – 4,2 good

𝐱𝐢 - 0,6 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 < X ≤ 𝐱𝐢 + 0,6 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 >2,6 - 3,4 enough

𝐱𝐢 – 1,8 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 < X ≤ 𝐱𝐢 + 1,8 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 >1,8 – 2,6 less

X ≤ 𝐱𝐢 - 1,8 x 𝐬𝐛𝐢 ≤1,8 Very less

Source: Widoyoko (2009: 115)
Information:
xi = Ideal average
sbi = Ideal standard deviation
X = Actual score

3. Research Results and Discussion

3.1 Research Results
The product developed in this study is a blog as a class VII social studies social studies
learning resource. The product development phase carried out refers to the development model of
Borg & Gall (1983: 775), which is tailored to the needs of researchers through several stages,
namely:
3.1.1 Data collection
Data collection is done through field observations and literature studies including about the
interest of junior high school students on the internet, the use of the internet by junior high
school students related to learning, the conditions of learning in schools, the state of the school,
the problems and potential of schools, and so on. At this stage, curriculum analysis is also
carried out by identifying basic competencies found in Competency Standards and Basic Social
Sciences Competencies in Middle School.
3.1.2 Planning
1. Determining goals.
2. Arrange material.
3. Grid research instrument.
4. Making assessment validation sheet.
3.1.3 Product Development
1. Identification of the program, identification of programs for the development of this blog
include determining the title, purpose, material and objectives. The title of the blog that was
developed was "e-Social". Blog development is intended to be one of the learning resources for
social studies subjects in junior high school. The intended target is class VII junior high school
students.
2. Making a flow chart, Making a flowchart is the stage of the overall description of the
program flow made with certain symbols. Flow charts provide a comprehensive picture of the
flow of the program that will be developed from the beginning to completion and fully
described.
3. Making a storyboard, After a flowchart is arranged, the next step is making a storyboard. The
storyboard contents are detailed explanations of each plot contained in the flowchart.
Stroyboard provides a more complete explanation of each path in the flowchart. In the process
of developing a blog, storyboarding is very important to help in the programming process so
that products are made according to plan.
4. Programming, In the development of a blog after flowcharts and stroryboards and materials
have been collected, they are all arranged at the programming stage. At this stage the graphic,
video, and also text material are arranged according to the flowchart and stroryboard. The blog
platform used is a CMS (Course Management System) taken from wordpress. The programming
steps are done using the steps provided by wordpress.com.
3.1.4 Validation and Trial
1. Product validation, validated aspects including material aspects, media aspects and validation
of finished products. Material validation is carried out by material experts. Aspects that are of
concern to material experts include the validity of the material (truth and actuality of the
material), the level of material importance, usefulness, ease of material to be studied, and the
ability of the material to attract student learning interest. Then for the media aspect, validation is
 carried out by media experts. To focus on the assessment of media experts including the depth
of material, the order of presentation, clarity of language, clarity of tables and illustrations, and
appearance. Finally, as a whole or the product as a whole is validated by social studies subject
teachers.
2. Field trials, product designs that have passed the validation stage can then be tested.
Pemkaian trials are conducted to determine the feasibility of products developed if used in
learning activities. The subjects of the trial in this development were junior high school students
of class VII C from as many as 32 students.
3. Completion of the final product, product improvement is done referring to the results of tests
conducted on students. Weaknesses and weaknesses found in the trial phase are improved so
that the products developed are feasible to be mass produced.
3.2 Validation results
3.2.1 Data on Material Validation Results
Validation by material experts is done twice. In the first stage of validation the total score
obtained was 65 with an average score of 2.6 included in the less category. While the second
stage validation obtained a total score of 91 with an average score of 3.64 included in the good
category. Based on the results of the two validations, the material prepared is worthy of testing.
3.2.2 Data of Media Expert Validation Results
Validation by media experts is done twice. In the first stage of validation it is known that
the total score obtained is 75 with an average score of 3.26 included in the sufficient category.
While the second stage validation obtained a total score of 92 with an average score of 4
included in the good category. From the results obtained two times the validation, it can be said
that the blog product as an IPS learning resource developed has developed good quality and is
worthy of being tested.
3.2.3 Data on Results of Social Studies Teacher Validation
Assessment by social studies teachers focuses on the aspects of the media and the material
aspects which are elaborated in more detailed criteria which include organizing, displaying
blogs, conforming material, presenting material, using examples, and using language. Based on
the validation conducted by the teacher obtained a total score of 89 with a mean score of 4.45.
These results indicate that blog-based learning resources are arranged into very good categories.
Learning resources developed are feasible to be used as one of the learning resources for social
studies subjects for seventh grade students of junior high school.
3.3 Test Results Data Used by Students
Data on field trial results were obtained from the assessment carried out by VII grade
students of junior high school. The assessment was carried out by 32 students from class VII C.
The assessment was carried out by students by filling out the questionnaire prepared beforehand.
Based on the results of the assessment conducted by students, a total score of 60.63 was obtained
with a mean score of 4.33. These results fall into the very good category. Students argue that
blog-based learning resources that have been developed are interesting and easy to use.
Based on the description above, it is known that the average score of media validation by
material experts is 3.64 with good categories, the results of media validation by media experts are
4 in good categories, validation of blog products by teachers is 4.45 with very good categories,
results students' trials amounted to 4.43 with a very good category. Overall, the results showed
that the learning resources in the form of blogs developed in the development research were
declared feasible to be used with good media quality.
3.4 Product Revision Results
Previously developed blogs have flaws and weaknesses and cannot be tested. So from that
the blog that was developed experienced several revisions to improve the shortcomings and
weaknesses that exist. Revisions are carried out in accordance with the advice given by experts
and teachers of social studies subjects. There are two revisions made in this research and
development, more clearly it will be presented as follows:
3.4.1 Revision I
The first revision refers to suggestions and comments submitted by expert lecturers. The
revisions made at the first revision stage are:
1. Actuality and accuracy of the material must be improved. Suggestions from material
experts are to compile material using valid books.
2. Completeness of SK and KD and objectives have not been included in the preparation of
the material. Suggestions from material experts to add SK and KD to be included in the
material texts that will be displayed.
3. The initial appearance of the blog in the header section is too dominant illustration. As per
the expert's advice, the media header is replaced by the appearance of images that are more
representative of the IPS.
4. On the material menu, if selected, directly display SK and KD which become one page
with the material. Suggestions from media experts so that on the material menu a sub menu
for SK and KD and material is made.
5. When choosing the material menu, it opens all the material directly on one page so it is less
 attractive to blog users. Advice from media experts to compile sub-material in links that
can be chosen by the user.
3.4.2 Revision II
At the second stage of the development revision, the illustrations in the material show are
considered to be lacking. By media experts it is recommended that the illumination of the
material display be added. The goal is that the appearance of the material section is more
interesting and students are not easily bored when reading the text.

4. Conclusion
4.1 Conclusions
4.1.1 This research and development produces a product in the form of an interactive blog that is
used as a learning resource for class VII junior high school students. In the blog there is a
home menu, material, practice, and profile. The steps taken to develop a blog are 1) a needs
analysis conducted to determine the type of learning resources needed; 2) program
identification, carried out to determine the title, objectives, material and objectives; 3)
making flow charts as a comprehensive picture of the program flow that will be developed
from the beginning to completion; 4) storyboarding as a detailed explanation of each plot in
the flow chart; 5) collection of materials to be compiled in a blog; 6) programming is done to
compile all the material collected into the blog; and 7) finishing.
4.1.2 Based on the data obtained from the stages of validation and trial, an interactive blog that
was developed as a VII grade IPS learning resource was declared good and feasible to use in
the teaching and learning process after going through several revisions. Revisions are based
on suggestions, input, comments, and criticism obtained from material experts, media
experts, teachers and students. The results obtained are as follows:
1. The results of the feasibility analysis according to material expert validation of the
material displayed amounted to 3.64 with the category "Good" on all aspects of the
material.
2. The results of the feasibility analysis according to the media expert's validation of the
blog were developed by 4 with the category "Good" in all aspects.
3. The results of the teacher's feasibility analysis of blog products amounted to 4.45 with the
category "Very Good".
4. The results of the trial using learning media according to students amounted to 4.33 with
the category "Very Good".
5. Based on the results of the experts' validation and product trials, it shows that the learning
 multimedia can be said to be good and feasible to be used as one of the learning resources
especially for social studies subjects in grade VII of junior high school.

5. Reference

Azhar Arsyad. 2011. Media Pembelajaran. Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada.

Barger, J. (1997). Weblog resources FAQ, Robot Wisdom Weblog,
http://www.robotwisdom.com/weblogs
Borg. W.R. dan Gall, M.D. 1983. Educational Research: An Introduction. New York: Longman.
Brownstein,E.& Klein,R. (2006).Blogs: Applications in Science Education. Journal of College
Science Teaching; 35( 6); ProQuest Education Journals,18-22.
Campbell, A. (2003, March 18). Weblogs for use with ESL classes. The Internet TESL Journal, 9 (2).
Retrieved March 18, 2005, from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html
Downes, S. (2004). Educational Blogging. Educause Review, 39(5), 14-26.
Duffy, P. & Bruns, A. (2006). The Use of Blogs, Wikis and RSS in Education: A Conversation of
Possibilities. In Proceedings Online Learning and Teaching Conference 2006, 31-38, Brisbane.
Eastment, D. (2005). Blogging. ELT Journal. 59 (4), 358 – 361. Efimova, L., & Fiedler, S. (2004).
Learning webs: Learning in weblog networks.Retrieved May 12, 2006, from
https://doc.telin.nl/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-35344
Eide F. & Eide B.(2005). Brain of a Blogger
http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/brain-of-blogger.html
Eko Putro Widoyoko. 2009. Evaluasi Program Pembelajaran. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.
Farmer, J. (2006). Blogsavvy, your professional blog consultants. Retrieved December 17, 2006, from
http://blogsavvy.net/how-you-should-useblogs-ineducation.
Huffaker, D. (2005). The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom.
AACE Journal, 13(2), 91-98.
Hujair AH Sanaky. 2015. Media Pembelajaran Interaktif-Inovatif: Buku Bacaan Wajib Guru, Dosen,
dan Calon Pendidik. Yogyakarta: Kaubata Dipantara
Kennedy, K. (2003). Writing with weblogs. Tech learning.
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/blogs.html
Made Wena. 2013. Strategi Pembelajaran Inovatif Kontemporer. Jakarta: PT Bumi Aksara.
Moehamad Numan Somantri. 2001. Menggagas Pembaharuan Pendidikan IPS. Bandung : PT Remaja
Rosdakarya.
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Riyanto. 2012. Pemanfaatan Internet dan Motivasi Belajar Terhadap Prestasi Belajar Siswa Kelas X
(Studi Kasus Pada Kompetensi Keahlian Elektronika Industri di SMK Muda Patria Kalasan. Skripsi.
Yogyakarta: Fakultas Teknik Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta.
Rudi Susilana & Cepi Riyana. 2008. Media Pembelajaran. Bandung: Jurusan Kurtekpend FIP UPI.
Sugiyono. 2006. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D. Bandung: Alfabeta.
Walker, J. (2003). Weblog. Definition for the Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative
Theory.[Internet]Available
http://huminf.uib.no/~jill/archives/blog_theorising/final_version_of_weblog_definition.htm