Azhar asked how I had used blogs in the past. I really used them as a way to spark students' interest in writing. In EAP classes, the writing format, requirements, and topics are often pre-determined. Students are not given a lot of leeway. By using blogs, I hoped to get students really interested in writing by writing about what they wanted in a way that was meaningful to them.
Another really useful aspect of blogging is the idea of audience. Students wrote to each other and to the web audience. They knew people were reading their work by the comments left by classmates and others. This made writing meaningful communication, not just something they had to do because the teacher made them.
As an aside, some comments proved to be quite inappropriate. This proved useful however, as we discussed maintaining privacy online and how to deal with obnoxious comments. There was even one case where I was concerned a student may be getting approached by an online predator. Thankfully she decided to abandon her blog and start another one.
The blogs were very useful, but because I couldn't make them part of the standard curriculum in the next school I worked at, I stopped using them in class. Unless students see that it is valued by the teacher and by the course, they won't take time from their other classwork to do it - and I wouldn't expect them to either.
Dear Janet,
ReplyDeleteI used to teach EAP but I have never used blogs with my students. In EAP we have more freedom when we design the syllabus, so, I will try blogging next semester with my new students. I think it's going to be something new for them, too.
We should remember that we have to be careful while using blogs with our students. I might say it is a big responsibility.
Yours,
Luiza