![Elements in the blogging process
1. Technology
2. Teacher
3. Students
4. Content
6. [Administration]
7. [Parents]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whytheywontblogscolt-120323114449-phpapp01/85/Why-they-wont-blog-scolt-6-320.jpg)
![1. Technology
Larry Cuban: history of these visions of technological utopia, how the same
kinds of educational claims recurred with each medium, and how in each
case those claims were largely refuted by subsequent developments
large majority of teachers ignored these apparently revolutionary devises
after extensive investments and a period of initial fascination technology
left to gather dust. [2]
Government: largely uncritical acceptance of nebulous rhetorics of the
“information society”
Example:claim that majority of employers now require workers with high
levels of technological skills
but even within the technology industries, they are more interested in
much broader personal and social qualities. (Cup stacking?)
Sales pitch of Computer shops to parents and college students: Computers
will enable you to ‘get ahead’ in the educational race.
Technology advertising preys upon adults’ anxieties about their own
incompetence and their fear of failing to ‘catch up’ with the younger
generation
Larry Cuban Teachers and Machines (New York Teachers College Press, 1986), and see also Carolyn Marvin When Old Technologies Were New (Oxford:
[2]
Oxford University Press, 1988)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/whytheywontblogscolt-120323114449-phpapp01/85/Why-they-wont-blog-scolt-9-320.jpg)
Why they (wont) blog scolt
- 1. Why They (Won’t) Blog Dr. Marcel Rotter – University of Mary Washington (mrotter@umw.edu – PP on Slideshare)
- 2. Background UMW University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA 4000 undergraduate Students, 800 graduate students Largest majors in Biology, Psychology, Business, English Department of Modern Foreign Languages: - Spanish, French, German (=majors) - Italian, Arabic, Chinese (= language programs) - Language Requirement (intermediate proficiency or 2 years of college-level instruction)
- 3. Technology at UMW Own blogging platform ****.umwblogs.edu Wordpress based Support of IT by administration Support of IT for faculty and staff Jim Groom (Edu Punk) = director of IT Faculty Academy each spring Training sessions for groups and in offices Blogging – very common in classes
- 4. Blogging in Advanced German Classes Part of the syllabus “technical session” with IT support staff Assignment of topics usually through teacher’s or class blog Students have to blog 1-2 paragraphs & comment on at least two other blogs Teacher comments on students’ blogs Grade assigned to force participation
- 5. Problems Students unwilling to blog in the FL in German and some Spanish classes (teacher interviews, student survey) Students overwhelmed by blogging in classes Would students blog in FL without a grade? How to make the assignment of the grade transparent? Make it part of a comment on the blog site? (FERPA=) Email explanation? (effective? Time consuming) Correction by students? Privacy issues
- 6. Elements in the blogging process 1. Technology 2. Teacher 3. Students 4. Content 6. [Administration] 7. [Parents]
- 7. 1. Technology impact of other technology on teaching Thomas Edison in 1922: “I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system, and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks. The education of the future will be conducted through the medium of the motion picture, a visualized education, where it should be possible to obtain one hundred percent efficiency”.
- 8. 1. Technology Seymor Papert 1984: “There won’t be schools in the future. The computer will blow up the school”. similar claims about the radio, TV, ‘teaching machines’ (learning laboratories)
- 9. 1. Technology Larry Cuban: history of these visions of technological utopia, how the same kinds of educational claims recurred with each medium, and how in each case those claims were largely refuted by subsequent developments large majority of teachers ignored these apparently revolutionary devises after extensive investments and a period of initial fascination technology left to gather dust. [2] Government: largely uncritical acceptance of nebulous rhetorics of the “information society” Example:claim that majority of employers now require workers with high levels of technological skills but even within the technology industries, they are more interested in much broader personal and social qualities. (Cup stacking?) Sales pitch of Computer shops to parents and college students: Computers will enable you to ‘get ahead’ in the educational race. Technology advertising preys upon adults’ anxieties about their own incompetence and their fear of failing to ‘catch up’ with the younger generation Larry Cuban Teachers and Machines (New York Teachers College Press, 1986), and see also Carolyn Marvin When Old Technologies Were New (Oxford: [2] Oxford University Press, 1988)
- 10. 1. Technology 2. Teacher How should schools respond to the role of digital media in students’ lives? Teacher training in new technology Changing authority in knowledge acquisition
- 11. 3. Students young people’s media increasingly inaccessible to the majority of adults (by design?) banality of much new media use
- 12. 3. Students Young people permeated/defined by modern media contemporary consumer culture. democratization of relationships students’ experiences with electronic media Outside of school: the self-determined user/consumer Inside of school: the “guided” student New media mostly interactive (“Pull-media”) Older media, such as TV (“Push-media”) both kinds inter-connected boundaries between mass communication and interpersonal communication breaking down
- 13. 3. Students Are our students really so media-savvy as we think? Digital media = indispensable aspect of young people’s leisure time experiences. Does exposure to media means mastering them?
- 14. Surveys among students 2. 2008: 50 FL students, 20 English majors 4. 2012: 75 students from FL and other departments
- 19. Current Use
- 20. Motivation of Blogging IIhad to blog class. I like howthan that I did it for for classes, other it saves don't do it. Blogs don't interest me everything automatically often and I because they are too internet-intensive like using it for classes, it’s a good and not very personal. They rely too way to get everyone’s information much on internet persona and not a real in theperson. place. same
- 21. Feature Preferences I The best part of blogging is the comments. I don't always use them and they aren't always welcome, but usually they are a great tool. … Commenting, even when teachers force it, is a way to move all people into thinking for themselves, constructively, and forming their OWN thoughts on the matter. From a writers standpoint, comments are excellent feedback.
- 22. Feature Preferences II …and its very exposing to put your innermost thoughts on the net. Some people can't take that kind of pressure but use a blog anyway and then can't take the pressure when poor comments are made.
- 23. Blogging in a FL
- 24. Yes, in French FL Distribution (beginner/intermediate), Spanish (intermediate), and German (beginner). I comment in other languages often. I have a lot of friends on LiveJournal from other countries.
- 25. Motivation for Blogging in FL Blogging in a I have blogged in Spanish for my classes. They were foreign language not effective because no one was interested in doing kinda allows one to them. The idea was for us to share our ideas with each other and respond, but since it was forced, make the language people only did it (when they did it) because they one's own. had to and it did not generate deeper thought.
- 26. Obstacles to Blogging in FL I maintained a blog in Spanish for my literature course. The only thing that would motivate me to blog (not just in a foreign language) would be grading. … Let's leave the blogs to the middle school students complaining about how awful their lives are.
- 27. Motivation for Blogging in FL Possibly. If I ever become truly fluent in a foreign language then yes, it is a good way for classesbut I cannot I will, to communicate and farther in another think practice their use of the language. and certainly language It is especially nice for students much work it's too who are not strong speakers. very little hope of with payoff.
- 28. Obstacles to Blogging I find myself unable toThey're a waste blogging Reasons for notattend school, maintain a blog, of time. and do everything I'd often include: I've also found like to get done. Facebook is … sites like Fictionpress.com to be better suited to not an ideal medium for displaying fiction to a more critical audience. I have no desire to use a blogIas a common journal. I door blogging feel one really do not No any need however read the blogs of myto hear and find have wants to blogwhat I them desire friends insightful. to talk about
- 29. Motivation to Blog If I find I have this burning desire to reach the world (perhapsas part of project to perhaps if I become a perhaps, for teaching hermit) interest in my generatethen I will no doubt purposes. blog in an organization, non-profit effort to reach the outside world.Honduras Students Helping
- 32. Creating Media
- 33. Elements of success in blogging (?) Students Must be fluent enough to express opinions Must be motivated to share opinions Must have a sense of identity Must be able to use technology Teacher Must plan blog as integrate part of course Must provide motivation and stimulation Must master technology (or must have help)
- 34. Elements of success in blogging (?) Content Must be relevant to students Can be multi-medial Technology Must be easy to deal with Must be attractive to students
- 35. Elements of success in blogging (?) virtual places of learning are no substitute for face-to-face learning, just an extension and broadening Online and Offline content must be connected since it is the same subject
- 36. Elements of success in blogging (?) Network structures in cyberspace change in roles of students: Teachers: “owners of knowledge” participants in creation of knowledge roles are constantly changing: author reader producer interpreter… But what if students refuse to participate in this process??
- 37. UMW Blogs Blogs: http://german393.umwblogs.org/ www.mrotter.umwblogs.org Jeremy Larochelle (colleague in Spanish) freshman seminar: http://jlarochellefsem.umwblogs.org Lit. courses: http://jlarochelle317.umwblogs.org. Slideshare: www.slideshare.com, search for user “mapauro”
- 38. Blogging until the end…