Blogging to Learn

Blogging to Learn
Anne Bartlett-Bragg
University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
email: Anne.Bartlett-Bragg@uts.edu.au
Abstract
There are claims of over 500,000 blogs published on the Internet. What is a blog and how
could it be integrated into pedagogical practices to enhance learning? This paper will
introduce the blogging phenomenon and present some options for educators. Some
theoretical principles and guidelines for practice will be presented, along with some
further resources for exploring the blog-o-sphere and creating a blog for either personal
publishing or to be integrated into pedagogical strategies.
Introduction
There is no doubt that pedagogical practices are being swamped with new technology
options. While accessibility to these new technologies and cautious uptake may be
slowing integration into teaching strategies, educators in the current market would be
wise to consider the following question before embracing the options presented to them:
How will this new technology enhance learning in my context?
This paper intends to provide a brief introduction and overview to the phenomenon called
blogging – the act of using a web log, or blog – and then to present options for the
integration of blogging into pedagogical practices for educators. It will attempt to provide
some theoretical underpinning principles and guidelines for practice and will outline a
pedagogical strategy I have developed to enhance reflective learning through the use of
blogs.
What is a blog?
Conservative estimates indicate the presence of over 500,000 blogs published on the
Internet. However, if the claims by software providers are totalled, the count could
exceed 2 million. Accordingly, it is necessary to examine the blogging phenomenon to
fully depict its expansive reach and opportunities to incorporate the blog into educational
strategies.
Paquet (2003) refers to the term, blog, being initiated by Barger in 1997, as a log of the
web or weblog. In its simplest form it is a website with dated entries, presented in reverse
chronological order and published on the Internet. Descriptions of blogs allude to them as
an alternative to a personal web page; however, this connection over simplifies both the
content and the process of communicating through blogging.
The word blog is both a noun and a verb. People who maintain a blog are called bloggers.
The act of posting to your blog is called blogging and the collective world of blogging is
the Blog-o-sphere.
Copyright © 2003 Bartlett-Bragg A. The author assigns to the Knowledge Tree e-journal and educational non-profit institutions a
non-exclusive license to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full
and this copyright statement is reproduced. The author also grants to the Knowledge Tree e-journal a non-exclusive license to
publish this document in electronic or print form within Knowledge Tree e-journal publications and/or the World Wide Web. Any
other usage is prohibited without the express permission of the author.

Blogging to Learn
Perhaps the incredible growth of blogs can be attributed to the simplicity of creating and
maintaining your blog. No Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) programming
knowledge or skill is required. The blog can be hosted and published through software
providers like Pyra at Blogger.com (recently acquired by Google), although the author,
who manages the entries and the look and feel – also known as the blogskin - controls the
content. Blogger.com claims to host over three hundred and fifty thousand blogs and that
a new blog is created every forty seconds!
Paquet (2003) lists five features that a representative blog exhibits: personal editorship; a
hyperlinked posting structure; frequent updates; free public access to the content via the
Internet; and archived postings.
Typically, the blog has a single author, however there are some group blogs where
contributors post and debate short essays and opinion pieces. The comments represent the
opinions of the author(s) and their interpretations of an event, content or context.
Conventional use sees a blog containing short entries, frequently updated, that often make
reference to another source or website, with hyperlinks to the external source. The
software structure provides archiving, through permanent hyperlinks, to older postings.
This allows the author to manage the content either in pure chronological form, or by
dates and topics.
An examination of the blog-o-sphere reveals the proliferation of blogging across an
expansive range of users and industries. These include software developers, web
designers, journalists, librarians, lawyers, education and knowledge management
specialists, researchers, and individuals with a desire to communicate their view on a
topic or issue. The Sydney Morning Herald recently featured its top 20 blogs in the Icon
supplement (27 September, 2003). Selection was based upon ‘sites that were crisp, clean
and pleasing to look at, updated frequently and had original content as well as some kind
of universal appeal (that is, not just about America and its politics). Some are sites that
have been singled out for excellence before but most of them we found just by surfing the
blogs until our eyes went wonky’ (Stonehouse 2003).
Blogs in education
Researchers, academics, teachers, and students are excitedly embracing blogs. Although
not exhaustive, I will present some of the current practical applications of blogs in the
educational context and briefly examine the possibilities.
It may be presumptuous, however when reviewing the inclusion of blogging strategies
reported in education fields, the intention appears to be to enrich the learning experience
and provide an opportunity for learners to shift from surface to deeper levels of learning.
Surface learning is characterised by the approach of the learner to complete only the
minimum content necessary to meet assessment requirements, whether that is learning
only what may be presented in a test or simply attending and completing activities (Rosie
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Blogging to Learn
2000). Conversely, deep learning is how learners stand back from an experience, seek
out connections between concepts, and contextualise meaning (Rosie 2000).
Outlined below are a range of uses for blogs that have been located as educational
practices. Links to specific blogs and examples are listed in Appendix 1.
Group blogs
The use of group blogs has been widely reported and is particularly popular where the
educational institution may not have the facilities or technical infrastructure within their
virtual learning environments (VLE) or learner management systems (LMS) to provide
discussion forums or bulletin boards.
The group blog will allow multiple users to contribute and with a little HTML
knowledge, postings can also be grouped under topic headings.
An alternative approach to group blogs could see a cohort of academics or subject matter
experts sharing short essays and providing the opportunity to comment from different
perspectives about the published work.
Publishing writings
Another emerging genre has been to use the blog to publish student writings. Reports
range from journalism to science. Kennedy (2003;11) reports on the integration of blogs
into English classes in secondary schools and states that ‘web publication gives students a
real audience to write to and, when optimized, a collaborative environment where they
can give and receive feedback, mirroring the way professional writers use a workshop
environment to hone their craft’.
This type of pedagogical practice has also seen an uptake within the language disciplines,
both at group and individual levels, where the students are encouraged to use their blog
for practising writing skills.
Field notes and journals of professional practice
Colleagues from a number of universities in the United Kingdom have recently contacted
me to share their success with blogs in the education of health and nursing students.
Students now maintain a blog (or electronic journal) to record and report on their
experiences during their practical or field subjects. Critical reflection from reviews of
their blogs then leads to deeper levels of learning where the students draw on their
experiences to inform future professional practice.
Personal opinion publishing
A number of blogs currently maintained by academics and high-profile e-Learning
practitioners are based on personal opinion publishing. Short essays or comments are
posted about current trends and issues, with the intention that another author will weigh
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Blogging to Learn
into the debate on their own blog – thus the creation of an informal network of debate.
Recently, university students have been noted to join these debates which is being
welcomed by the academics for adding levels of diversity to the comments and feedback
that have not previously been accessible.
Examples of this can be seen in most of the blogs listed in Appendix 1.
Academic blogs
Glenn (2003) discusses at length some of the uses of blogs by academics and scholars. He
comments that some of the arguments in favour of blogging, cited by academics, are the
freedom of tone, opportunity to interact with diverse audiences, and the speed of
feedback. Glenn’s (2003) article provides numerous examples from academic blogs – the
URL is cited in the References.
Research journal
If we view the blog as a collection of brief essays or chunks of thought that focus on
connections, we can start to see how the genre of a research journal starts to wield
impact. Links to other blogs or sites of value add the dimension of interconnectivity
between sharing ideas and highlighting issues as the researchers develops their theses.
Mortensen and Walker (2002) believe that the informality of the blog provided them with
the opportunity to write about unformulated ideas and share them with others for
comment, before proceeding with the formal publication of academic papers.
Mortensen and Walker (2002:250) describe their blog as ‘a hybrid between journal,
academic publishing, storage space for links and site for academic discourse.’ Both
writers believe that the blog altered their online communication and influenced the
writing of their doctoral dissertations.
Learning journals
Individual ownership of the content differentiates this form of knowledge publishing
from other electronic forums like discussion boards and mailing lists. The content
becomes the sole responsibility of the author. Their objective regarding what to write and
how to engage their readers is entirely in their control.
It was this interaction and personal opinion or knowledge publishing that produced the
initial attraction for the inclusion of blogging into the e-Learning subjects that I teach,
with the intention to provide the potential for alternative expression and a pathway for
reflection leading to deep learning.
Reflection has been defined as ‘a process of turning experience into learning‘(Boud,
2001: 10) and reflective learning as ‘an intentional process, where social context and
experience are acknowledged, in which learners are active individuals, wholly present,
engaging with others, and open to challenge’ (Brockbank et al. 2002: 6).
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Blogging to Learn
Reflective learning can therefore be inferred as a process to achieve deep learning in
which learners stand back from an experience, seek out connections between concepts,
and contextualise meaning (Rosie 2000).
Boud (2001: 9) comments that journal writing for learning can be used to ‘capture an
experience, record an event, explore our feelings, or make sense of what we know”’.
Primarily intended for our own use, but sometimes for others to read, the journal is a tool
for creating meaning and context from events and experiences - leading the learner
towards creating new meanings and further enhancing their ability to contextualise and
progress towards self-directed and deep learning.
For the past eighteen months, incorporated into four e-Learning subjects, across nearly
eighty students, blogging has been a component of my basic pedagogical approach. The
structure that has evolved from the introduction of blogging can be most effectively
represented as a five-stage process: stage one – establishment; stage two – introspection;
stage three – reflective monologues; stage four – reflective dialogue; and stage five –
knowledge artefacts.
The process has been informed and developed from practice and not theory. Although not
anticipated to follow Salmon’s (2000) Computer Mediated Conferencing (CMC) model,
closer examination has revealed an initial similarity and will be the focus of closer
investigation in my future research.
Salmon’s (2000) CMC model addresses structured learning events – e-Tivities – using
predominantly asynchronous communication technologies, such as discussion boards,
with the intention that published comments will be read and responded to by other
members of the group within which the learning is occurring. The similarity occurs with
the users’ responses or interaction to the technology, and the influence this has on the
types of entries or responses made by the individual.
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Blogging to Learn
The 5-stage Blogging Process
Knowledge Artefact
Reflective Dialogue
Reflective Monologues
Introspection
Establishment
5
4
3
2
1
Stage 1 – Establishment
Students set-up a blog and initiate the practice of recalling and recording learning events,
paying attention to and expressing their feelings.
To encourage participation through the early phases of blogging, structured questions are
provided, first and foremost as a guide for contributions based on recollection after an
event, but secondly to permit the learners to become familiar with the technology and the
process of writing in this new genre.
All students are encouraged to share their blog URL with their colleagues by posting it on
their home page in UTSOnline – the learner management system used by UTS and
powered by Blackboard. This is not a compulsory activity and there is no obligation to
read other students’ blogs.
It is also made clear that I do not intend to read their blogs on a regular basis, however, I
may ‘drop by’ occasionally, and no assessment of entries, either quality or quantity
would be made.
Generally, however, the entries to the blogs are quite clearly intended for me to read! The
assumption by most students is that I will read all blog entries between classes. The
comments can direct anger and frustration with the process that are rarely expressed in a
classroom environment. This can provide the opportunity or permission to address the
emotional aspects of learning of which I would previously have been unaware.
Stage 2 – Introspection
Students are encouraged to continue recording learning events, while starting to pay
attention to their emotions and to start evaluating the experience.
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Blogging to Learn
Fifteen minutes at the start of classroom sessions is allocated to blogging and structured
questions are available as a guide to contributions and to focus on introspection.
Some software challenges can still dominate the experience and often detract from the
reflective process.
Most of the writing is brief comments based on the reporting of facts, although some
writers can be keen to express their negative emotions.
A shift away from consciously writing for me, the lecturer, starts to become apparent as
students write for an anonymous reader in cyberspace.
Stage 3 – Reflective Monologues
Students start to become consciously aware of the full range of reflective process, from
simply answering structured questions to considering the experience and extracting some
meaning for further evaluation.
Fifteen minutes classroom time is still dedicated to blogging. However, rather than
structured questions, suggested topics for consideration are used with the intention of
allowing the students to take more responsibility for their entries. Students are also
encouraged to anticipate future learning based on their past experiences.
Many students at this point are now making more frequent entries to their blog during the
week and summarising these during the allocated class time.
Students that have been used to surface learning display some resistance towards
reflection and deep learning and these issues are often noted in their blogs.
The expression of emotions can alter considerably. The emotions now relate to the
learning events and are not directed to the intended reader.
Some students will start to write short paragraphs, with considerable thought evident in
the entries. Some start to develop a questioning technique, but are not necessarily
prepared to apply their learning to future events.
The writing appears to be for themselves, thus the naming of this stage as reflective
monologue.
Stage 4 – Reflective Dialogue
Further encouragement towards a deeper reflective process requires the students to
consider their style of expression, intended audience and publication of their thoughts.
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Blogging to Learn
No classroom time is allocated for blogging; however, each class discusses topics and
issues that could be incorporated into its blogs. An intentional push towards self-directed
blogging is made and responsibility for the contents is moved to the student.
At this stage, some students may stop contributing to their blogs. The trend towards self-
direction and responsibility is not a comfortable paradigm shift and can be met with total
abstinence. Further encouragement and time spent at Stage 3 may resolve this issue.
Students that reach this stage acquire a ‘voice’ or style of writing in the new genre that
moves away from surface level reporting to personal knowledge publishing that exhibits
a more considered writing style. Some students develop journalistic qualities in the
reporting and opinions on their learning events and experiences. Some students may now
use quotes from their blogs in written assessment tasks and report enthusiastically about
seeing their own name in the References – as a published work with an official URL. The
students’ blogs construct a type of learning conversation or dialogue.
Stage 5 – Knowledge Artefacts
Students move from personal knowledge publishing to reflecting on the knowledge
learned and providing guidance to readers, who may use the knowledge to enhance their
own experience and learning, as knowledge artefacts.
At this stage the students may start to read each others’ blogs and make comments in
contrast or agreement - intentionally providing their experience and opinions as an
opportunity for others to learn , so creating knowledge artefacts.
The students are now totally aware of the broad reach of blogs, not only as authors but
also as readers. Their writing can be strongly opinionated, however, it may also display
critical thinking and deep reflective qualities of learning.
Issues for further consideration
The inclusion of the blogging process in my pedagogical strategies has raised many
questions and provided opportunities to enhance reflection in e-Learning subjects. It has
also opened a pathway for further research into the blogging phenomenon as a learning
journal. Some of the questions and issues that deserve further investigation in the future
are outlined below.
In response to informal discussions about the blogging experience, students have reported
greater freedom to comment, no pressure to stay in line with the focus questions or
issues, the ability to publish small, unconnected pieces of knowledge that may have
suddenly had some meaning for them, and somewhere to record their experiences related
to their learnings that could be revisited at a later point. All the attributes required for
deep learning to occur.
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Blogging to Learn
Is the blog a new genre of learning journal? Is there a difference between writing for
personal knowledge publishing and learning journals? If the process of writing is viewed
as a means of reflecting upon issues and content that is being delivered in a learning
context and attempting to create meaning, then does the style of writing also influence the
depth of this process?
Boud (2001) advises that the use of learning journals can have many purposes and
promote reflection in many ways through varying strategies and devices. In addition, the
conditions under which the writing occurs can have a powerful influence on the outcomes
for reflection.
What is different about the blog experience? Walker (1985: 65) believes that ‘creative
interaction with one’s own development helps to ensure that new knowledge is
incorporated in, and integrated with existing knowledge’. Does the blog provide the
learner with a creative interaction?
If knowledge artefacts are the reformulation of ideas that clearly state a position or
argument then does blogging have the potential to encourage reflection and deep learning
at both levels of reflection – in action and upon future action?
Summary
This paper has presented the inclusion of blogs as a pedagogical strategy for educators.
Although reporting on practice, connections to existing theories have been attempted and
questions for further consideration made. I hope this paper has ignited your interest in the
blogging phenomena and will lead you to consider embracing blogs within your
pedagogical practices.
A final comment from an unknown source effectively presents my position in pursuing
the blogging phenomenon:
The only real path is the one you see after walking across the desert when you look back
and see your own footsteps.
Happy Blogging!
ABB
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Blogging to Learn
References
Brockbank, A. McGill, I. & Beech, N. (eds) 2002, Reflective Learning in Practice,
Gower, UK.
Boud, D. (2001), ‘Using journal writing to enhance reflective practice’ in English, L.M.
and Gillen, M. A. (eds) Promoting Journal Writing in Adult Education, New Directions
in Adult and Continuing Education. No. 90. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco pp. 9-18.
Glenn, D. (2003), ‘Scholars Who Blog’, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 6,
Retrieved 30 September from http://www.chronicle.com
Kennedy, K. 2003, ‘Writing with Web Logs’, Technology and Learning, February,
Retrieved 30 April, 2003 from http://www.techlearning.com
Moon, J. 1999, Reflection in Learning and Professional Development, Kogan Page, UK.
Mortensen, T. & Walker, J. 2002, Researching ICTs in Context, in ed. Andrew Morrison,
InterMedia Report, 3/2002, Oslo 2002
Paquet, S. 2003, ‘Personal knowledge publishing and its uses in research’, Knowledge
Board, 10 January, Retrieved 29 May, 2003 from http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-
bin/item.cgi?id=96934&d=744&h=746&f=745
Rosie, A. 2000, ‘Online pedagogies and the promotion of “deep learning”’, Information
Services & Use 2000, vol. 20, no. 2/3, pp.109-116.
Salmon, G. 2000, e-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online, Kogan Page,
London.
Stonehouse, D. (2003) ‘Icon Supplement’ in Sydney Morning Herald, Retrieved 27
September, 2003 from http://www.smh.com.au.
Walker, D. 1985, ‘Writing and Reflection’, in Reflection: Turning Experience into
Learning, eds D. Boud, R. Keogh & D. Walker, Kogan Page, UK.
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Blogging to Learn
Appendix 1 Blogs in Education
It would be almost impossible to include a full list of blogs in education! So, what I have
included are some of the key blogs that will provide you with opportunities to get a feel
for the genre and to link to other blogs of note in the blog-o-sphere!
Using Weblogs in Education – maintained by Will Richardson, Supervisor of
Instructional Technology at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, NJ.
http://www.weblogg-ed.com
This site is just laden with blogs by educators and articles on how to use them!
Learning Circuits Blog
A group blog where invited e-Learning experts comment on current trends and issues and
debate positions.
http://www.learningcircuits.com
eLearningPost – edited by Maish R Nichani, this blog is a daily list and comments on
news articles and links in the e-Learning field. It’s like your own news clipping service.
http://www.elearningpost.com
elearnspace – maintained by Greg Siemens, an instructor at Red River College in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
http://www.elearnspace.org/blog
Blogging Across the Curriculm - Pattie Bell Hastings, Assistant Professor in Computer
Science & Interactive Digital Design Department, Quinnipiac University.
http://mywebspace.quinnipiac.edu/PHastings/bac.html
Educational Bloggers Network – a network of educational bloggers!
http://www.ebn.weblogger.com
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Blogging to Learn
Appendix 2 – Start your own Blog
There are a number of software companies offering blog authoring tools – some are
downloads, some are totally hosted by the software company.
Blogger.com
This is one of the most popular software hosting companies for blogs – recently
purchased by Goggle.
It offers a free software and hosting service– a great site for beginners with no HTML!
http://www.blogger.com
Movable Type
Another popular software tool – it’s a download and it’s not free – however, it’s ease of
use and functionality make it one of the most popular choices.
It also has a language pack that will allow posts in languages other than English – a great
choice for teachers of languages!
http://www.movabletype.org
eBN (Educational Bloggers Network) offers blog hosting for US$19.95.
http://www.ebn.weblogger.com
In all cases the focus is on simplicity! Join up, create a user name and password, select a
URL address and start blogging!
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Blogging to Learn

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