TechQuest

ESTEE ADERY TECHQUEST: BLOGGING

TechQuest:
Applying Technology to a Problem of Practice in Education

BLOGS: Blogs are beneficial tools to be used in the classroom, if used properly. As a
teacher, incorporating technology into the classroom in a blog format would not only motivate
students to become more engaged in material it will enhance their technological skills. Weblogs, or
blogs, are Web pages often likened to online personal journals. They are noted for being the
"unedited, published voice of the people" (Winer 2003). Ferdig, R., & Trammell, K. (2004)
Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere". T.H.E Journal.. Using blogs in my health education
classroom can utilize Web 2.0 technologies and apply it to my curriculum as well as hold students
accountable for participation and learning. This is an opportunity to utilize the computer labs at
school in order to engage and enhance student learning. The word blog has become part of a high
school student’s diction. Why not utilize the opportunity to bring blogs to the classroom? It has
been said “…teachers whose students blog within the context of lessons report improved writing
and dramatically improved attitudes toward learning, classrooms and schools” (Blog Rules). This
is a great opportunity to incorporate blogging in my Health Education classroom as well as an
innovative tool to motivate my students.

The Problem of Practice: A Need or an Opportunity
EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM/ISSUE:
The problem that blogging with solve is two-fold
1) Huron Valley Schools, specifically Lakeland High School, has incorporated writing across the
curriculum in all subject areas and therefore expects each domain to have students write.
Therefore, I must include writing in my Physcial Education courses as well as Health Education
2) I would like my students to improve their writing skills and become better writers.

Blogging in Health Education would prove to be successful over time, as one cannot determine
if a student has become a better writer after a few blog postings. To realize true success of writing
improvement would take an entire semester or school year. During the short period of time,
blogging/writing success is determined through active engagement, length of blog postings, as well
as completion of the posts. Since this a brand new concept to be implemented in Health
Education, observation of the aforesaid criteria would prove success thus far.


I have implemented blogging in the health education classroom by taking students to the

computer lab and teaching them how to correctly use the given blog site:

www.lakelandhealtheducation.blogspot.com . I will use blogging in the form of journaling and

answering open-ended questions. Students can comment on each other’s blogs and discuss

relevant topics as it pertains to the health curriculum.

 Teacher
Initially the teacher, myself, is a sage on stage, guiding students through the blogging process.
This includes helping students sign up for the blog as well as show them how to correctly post their
assignment. Once students learn the protocol for blogging I will become a guide of the side.

The teacher will utilize instructional and educational resources to gain knowledge prior to
implementation. Resources include:

1. http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/column.php?
date=August2008&departmentid=professional&columnid=professional!technology

This website offers a tool to integrate blogging into the classroom. It comes from an online
magazine for k-5 teachers, however all grade level teachers can use this site as an informational
resource. This content comes specifically from, WATER, ICE, AND SNOW - ISSUE 5, AUGUST
2008 and describes how to maximize the potential of technology into one’s pedagogy as well as
how to integrate technology into instruction.

2. http://www.slideshare.net/dannynic/blogging-in-schools-presentation

This site offers a Quick Guide to Blogging slideshow. In the slide show various topics are
covered as it relates to educational blogging. Topics such as what is a blog?, why blog?, blogging
for teachers, and blogging with students are described.

3. http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/tltoolkit/info_tech/info_tech_32_3.html

Information on Educational Blogging is expressed in this article. In this article, it is expressed
that, “Classroom blogging has the potential ‘to motivate students, to build online collaboration, and
enhance learning opportunities’” (Holzberg, 2003). This article supports my problem(s) of practice


and is a wonderful reference for blogging in education. In her article, Laurel A. Clyde discusses
educational blogging, weblogs as sources of information for teachers, and weblogs in the
curriculum

In addition the teacher can seek experts, those who have implemented blogging in their
domain. Research from two teachers, Mark Kay and Kim Cofino, have proven that student writing
improved after blogging in each of their classrooms. Kim Cofino, a Literacy Specialist at the
International School Bangkok in Thailand, introduced blogging to her elementary aged students. In
her blog, she describes how she went about implementation.
http://mscofino.edublogs.org/2008/01/27/learning-to-blog-the-elementary-way/

Mr. Kay, Lakeland High School English Teacher, has students blog every day and has seen
very positive results. His English students use the site http://mrkaysamericanlit.blogspot.com
to respond to Mr. Kay’s posts. Through speaking to Mark Kay, he has said his student’s writing has
improved drastically since the pilot of blogging in his classroom.

 Learner
Students in my Health Education courses are the learners. Students range in age from
freshman to seniors. They are learning from the teacher as well as their peers in class. Students
have access to view blogs from all sections of health that I teach, and therefore can communicate
with them and view their work. This will help improve their writing and motivate them to learn.

 Subject Matter
Blogging will be used to improve student writing in the domain of Health Education. Through
blogging in Health, students will be writing across the curriculum and meeting the problem of
practice.

 Setting
The setting in which my students will participate in blogging will be in a school computer lab.
Initially students will begin blogging in class, as I need to walk them through signing up for the web
log. Once students understand the blogging protocol and my expectations they will be able to blog
at home as well.


Technology-Integrated Solution

Using blogs, teachers could utilize the constructivist model, which promotes inquiry-based
learning. Teachers could pose an open-ended question, which would require much thought and
analytical review. Students would have to respond to the question as well as other student’s blogs.
This is considered active dialogue, which promotes inquiry and much thought. Questions
pertaining to real world scenarios would actively engage students to respond to blogged questions
posed by the teacher. Blogs itself are a motivational tool for learning. Learning through blogs is an
active process; therefore the constructivist approach is a strategy that fits well. In
addition, students can also develop and pose questions and later build upon their peer’s answers.
Through this, students can gather and develop answers, look for results, and analyze and interpret
information. Also, through a blog, students could post any questions or concerns they have in
class. In using blogs, students would not have to turn in a hard copy of their journal, paper, or
questions to be answered. Instead, they could use the blog. Class time could be given to students
to use the blogs in the computer lab.

It has been said that, “Current educational research and theory have demonstrated the
importance of social interaction in teaching and learning” (Ferdig, R., & Trammell, K. (2004)
Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere". T.H.E Journal. ) Face to face social interaction is just as
important as virtual social interaction when teaching and learning from one’s peers and from one’s
teacher. Incorporating a blog into a classroom, one could enhance social skills as well as create
an atmosphere filled with learning and fun.

Students should be informed that blogs are publicly accessible and that anything written in
a blog would have to be appropriate, or the privilege would be taken from them. One should
“Clearly communicate that the messages posted on a blog are publicly accessible. Therefore, an
employer, friend or parent can easily access the blog. As such, students should remember that
once something is posted on the Internet, communication is irreversible, even if later edited or
removed” ( Ferdig, R., & Trammell, K. (2004) Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere". T.H.E
Journal.). This teaches students to be professional in their thoughts and help them grow as
individuals.

As stated by Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., and Kaye D. Trammell, University of Florida, there


are four benefits of student blogging:

1. The use of blogs helps students become subject-matter experts.

2. The use of blogs increases student interest and ownership in learning.

3. The use of blogs gives students legitimate chances to participate.

4. The use of blogs provides opportunities for diverse perspectives, both within and
outside of the classroom.

In addition, blogging has other benefits. Some benefits include the promotion of social
interaction with teaching and learning via blogs, blogging is a new and innovative technology that
“speaks” to the students, and lastly blogging is educationally engaging. In addition to the
previously mentioned benefits, students are held accountable for participation and learning.
Blogging in class allows all students to strive—even the reluctant learners.

Blogging in Health Education promotes active participation and therefore will improve student
writing. Through a constructivist approach to learning students become engaged and glued to their
monitor, completing various blogging assignments. Through blogging, students will improve their
writing. Examples of how blogging will be a stepping stone to improved student work are as
follows: 1) Active dialogue through threaded discussions, 2) Examples of student work are at their
fingertips, and lastly 3) Students enjoy using technology and therefore will be more motivated to
write and complete assignments. Blogging promotes writing and therefore will improve student
work.

Jere Brophy, a University Distinguished Professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State
University, describes basic principles that connect to blogging and the benefits. His 6th and 11th
principle provide support for blogging in my domain. Brophys principles are the guide to effective
teaching and can be applied to blogging and improvement of student writing. Through thoughtful
discourse and goal oriented assessment students will improve their participation and writing in
class.

Brophy supports blogging as it provides thoughtful discourse. “Questions are planned to


engage students in sustained discourse structured around powerful ideas” (Brophy, 19). Providing
students with the opportunity to blog in my classroom would strengthen Brophy’s 6th principle.
When students are given questions that pertain to the health curriculum, they will have to provide a
thoughtful and insightful response to the given question. Other peers may respond to each
student’s blog.

Blogging supports Brophy’s 11th principle of Goal Oriented assessment. “In addition,
learning activities and sources of data other than tests should be used for assessment purposes”
(Brophy, 30). Blogging in the classroom is a great opportunity to assess student learning in a way
that appeals to the technological natives.

Brophy, J, (1999) Teaching.

Mr. Mark Kay, Lakeland High School English Teacher, has implemented blogging in his World
Literature and American Literature courses. After having students blog daily for about a year, he
has noticed a drastic improvement in their writing. He said, “MEAP and ACT scores will definitely
be better next year and when they are, I will attribute the superior scores to blogging daily (as well
as other factors).”

Another supporter of blogging is Ferdig. As stated by Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., and Kaye D.
Trammell, University of Florida, “Blogs, therefore, represent the potential to promote interactivity,
provide opportunities for active learning, increase student and teacher relationships, increase
higher-order thinking skills, and improve flexibility in teaching and learning (Ferdig and R'ehler,
Unpublished). Research by Ferdig suggests that blogging is a beneficial tool to be used in the
classroom.

 Logistics of solution
Students in my Health Education classes will be utilizing a Web 2.0 technology, blogging,
in order to increase their motivation, engagement and improve their writing. Blogging will be
implemented and ideally be used throughout the semester long health course. High School aged
students enrolled in Health will be utilizing this technology. The educator, myself, will act as the
administrator/creator of the blog and oversee blog posts documented by my students. Blog


questions to be answered will be posed by the creator and commented by my students. For
TechQuest purposes, blogging will only take place once, and therefore formative and summative
findings will be difficult to evaluate.

Implementation Journal
To begin blogging in Health Education, I took each hour down to the Virtual Lab in order to
walk them through the blogging process. I found this beneficial as guiding students in utilizing a
new Web 2.0 technology helps ease what might be a frustrating situation. Students began by
logging into their school account in order to access the Internet. I then walked the class through,
step by step, in creating an account for our site (www.lakelandhealtheducation.blogspot.com).
Students were directed to the health blogging website, and once there, were advised to click on
“follow” in order to create an account to use when posting/commenting. Once students clicked on
follower they were given the option to sign in using AIM, Google, Yahoo, or an Open ID. If they
had one of the aforementioned accounts they were instructed to click on the given icon in order to
proceed. If a student did not have an AIM, Google, or Yahoo account, an option to create a new
Google account was available on the same screen. After creating an account, students were taken
to a profile where they typed in their name: first and last. Students then clicked on “Follow this
blog” in order to proceed with the signing up process. The Lakeland Health Education web blog
appeared on each student’s screen along with his or her name and picture id. Some students
chose to select an image while others did not. At this point, students were then ready to
answer/comment the blog question that I posed. The blog posting was entitled Benefits of Physical
Activity and read: After reading about the benefits of physical activity, write a persuasive e-mail to
an inactive friend. In the e-mail you should persuade your friend to get more exercise by
describing the benefits of physical activity. Include a list of the sports and recreational activities
one could participate.

I had students choose whether to post directly on the site or use a word document (then
copy and paste their reply into the post box). This is to ensure correct grammar and punctuation.
Some students like to use Microsoft Word as they are used to typing in that document and can see
their entire reply before posting. Also, they could save their document to word, just in case a
problem with posting arose. Others did not mind commenting in a small posting box

When students were ready to post, they clicked on “comment” (underneath the blog


question in which they were to respond) and scrolled down to the posting box. Before posting their
comment, each student had to select the profile in which they were going to comment as. For
example if a student signed up using a Google account, he would select Google Account. If a
student signed up using AIM, he would select AIM and follow the given instructions.

After selecting his/her profile students then clicked on “post comment.” If students used Google
when they signed up for the account, word verification was given and then the post would appear
on the blog. However if a student used AIM to sign up for the blog account, they had to type in
their user name, a word verification was given, and then an AOL open ID sign in request screen
appeared. Students had to grant permission before their response would be posted onto the
Health Education Blog.

Bumps in the Road:

There were a few bumps in the road or glitches that occurred while blogging in Health.

I had a responsible and reliable student in my 3rd hour attempt to post to the blog the night


before the in class blogging assignment. This was done in order to iron out any possible problems
that might occur. When I logged onto the Lakeland Health Blogging site at 10:00pm the night
before and did not see a post by my stellar student, I knew something had to have gone wrong.
She came to class at the beginning of 3rd hour and said, “Ms.A I tried and lost my post in the
process…. I wrote out the blog in the comment box and I finished it. I hit the “post comment”
button and it said I had to choose a profile. I did not understand what this meant and started to try
the different options. I ended up losing the entire essay.”

From this I learned that one cannot just type their reply into the comment box and hit post
comment unless they have signed up for the blog first—choosing a user profile. This information
was very beneficial, as many students would have lost their essay in class had Kelsey not realized
this the hard way. I was very grateful to her for figuring out this problem. She understood that she
had to re-do her blog posting.

After learning one cannot post a comment into the box without signing up, I guided my
students in the process. During this time I was a sage on stage. Since I am new to blogspot, I was
unsure how to sign up as a student and not the blogspot creator. I then looked at the top right
section of the blogging site and saw a link that said “Be the first” under Followers. I had one
student go through the process that already had a Google account and had her post a test blog.
After signing up as a follower, she posted a comment that read “testing post” along with her name
and hour. However, in order to post her comment, she selected Google Account under “comment
as.” This was the solution to the problem that Kelsey had the night before. I was very excited
when this worked. After the testing post was complete, other students could sign up by clicking on
“follow” and complete the same process.

Another bump in the road occurred when students who signed up using a Yahoo account
had difficulty posting, as it was not an option to comment as a Yahoo user. This did not make
sense to me, as that is how some students created their account for the health blog. When this
problem arouse, I had students go to Google.com and create a new Google account, so they could
comment.

After learning about this glitch in the blogging site 3rd hour (the first hour the site was
implemented), I altered how I guided my students in the process of signing up for my blog. After


clicking on “follow,” students were taken to another page to determine how they were going to sign
into the blog. Instead of giving them the option of using Yahoo, I told them to select Google or AIM
if they have an existing account. If students did not have either of aforementioned existing
accounts, I advised them to click on the option to “create a new Google account.” This would
alleviate any problems one might have when posting to the blog. Specifically, this would lessen the
problem of what option to choose when commenting. Students would either choose AIM or
Google.

After each bump in the road, I was able to revise as I taught each hour. After learning about
Kelsey’s problem posting the night before blogging in class, I was able to guide students through
the signing up process during class. Another revision made after blogging for the first time, to be
implemented for the next health class, was to have students sign up using Google or AIM and not


Yahoo. I was able to revise my teaching by guiding students through the process, void of the
previous problem of not being able to post if a student signed in using a yahoo account. Each
bump in the road helped me learn how to revise the blogging process.

• Delights (What went well) / vignettes

There were many delights to blogging, once all the bumps in the road were fixed. Students
truly enjoyed this learning experience and each student was actively participating in the completion
of the assignment. Students, who are normally off task, were focused and glued to their monitor.
They worked very diligently and completed the assignment by the end of the class period. I found
that blogging is extremely beneficial to my special education students or to those who have
learning impairments. During blogging, these students were very engaged and void of off task
behavior. I was impressed with their hard work. I told one student in particular how proud I was of
him. I then asked him if blogging helped sustain his focus. He responded by saying, “I work better
on a computer than I do out of a book.” This student, in particular, has a rough home life and lacks
motivation to complete assignments in class. He is currently failing because of his lack of
motivation. To find out what motivates him to learn was more than delightful- enough to give me
goose bumps.

Another positive aspect of blogging in Health was that students were able to blog on a second
posting on their own- without my help. At this time, I was a guide on the side. I was also
impressed when students helped those who were absent the first day of blogging. Peer teaching
was definitely taking place.

I posted a reflection piece to blogging as Post #2, in order to follow up on their learning
blogging experience. Students had to reply to the following post:

Health Blogging Experience

What are your thoughts and comments about your blogging experience in class?
Questions to consider in your post:
1) Did blogging help keep your focus?
2) In your opinion, is this a motivational piece of technology you would like to continue to use?


3) Would you rather blog in class or at home? (or both?)
4) Was it easy to do?
5) Likes?
6) Dislikes/Frustrations?
7) What went well?
8) What types of posts would you like to see in the future? (ex. opinion questions? debate
questions?)
9) Any other comments?
For example: "I work better on a computer than I do out of a book." -GM

I asked students to please answer this blog post to the best of their ability.
I also stated:
“In order to keep you motivated and engaged in learning, it is my hope that blogging will be a
beneficial tool to use in Health :) Your responses will be taken into account in order to improve my
teaching. I appreciate your time :)”

Some of their responses include

“blogging was cool. I like doing this rather than working in class. i like working on
computers” –Steve Sutton

“My blogging experience in class I think is very beneficial. Blogging helps keep my
focus because it summarizes what we are learning in class. I would highly recommend
to keep using this motivational piece of technology to keep students focused and in
touch with what we are learning overall in health. But I would much rather blog in class
than at home because at home people will slack, rush, or not to the blogs at all. In
school everyone’s focused and gets the task done.
The blogs are very easy, and I like how we can say what we want about the subject
and express our opinions openly. I have no dislikes or frustrations as long as the blog
requirements stay at 2-3 paragraphs long. I would love to see opinion questions in the
future, I feel like those are the most interesting. Thank you for providing us with a blog
Ms. A  “ –Alandra Schmidt

“Assignments letting full opinions and thoughts on topics are always agreeable!” –
Katie Loder

"I work better on a computer than I do out of a book." –Grady McCoy

I think that being able to see what other students wrote will help those who need help


without asking.

I would definitely like to blog more than learning out of the book. Blogging about a
topic, and then having people look over it can help them understand your opinions,
also.

• Surprises

I was surprised at how complicated it is to sign up for a blog on blogspot. I thought that it
would be easier and that all students would have to do is type in a reply and post it to the blog. To
my surprise the signing up process was more difficult that I had anticipated. Similarly this was a
frustration for some students as I learned through observation and their reflections. One student
said, “My dislikes/ frustrations were that the whole signing up and making an account thing but
other than that I found it easy.” Another students agreed by saying, “At first it was frustrating trying
to start the assignment but once I did it got easier.”

I was very impressed with my student’s blogs, however I was surprised at some of their
grammar and sentence structure. With the increase in Web 2.0 technologies, students do not view
blogging as writing a paper. Some students responded to the post as if they were texting a friend.
For example, they were typing the letter “u” instead of writing out the word “you.” Although I
verbally expressed the importance of correct grammar and punctuation, some students did not
follow directions. For their next blog, I will post the criteria on the site and make it VERY clear that
correct punctuation and grammar are part of the grading criteria.

One last surprise was that my students started “friending” other “followers.” Through the
Lakeland Health Education blogging site, one can add friends. I did not know that this was
possible. In fact, when I overheard students talking I responded by saying, “You can friend on our
blog? … you know that you will only be able to friend those students I have in my 3rd, 4th, and 5th
hours.” At least I know it is safe to friend my students on this site, if they ask me. 

Findings:
 Formative: Did the project get implemented as planned?

Blogging in Health Education was implemented as planned, however it is difficult to
evaluate findings such as writing improvement after a single post. I did observe results that


indicate blogging over the course of a semester will improve student writing.

One observation in particular is that students who have difficulty completing writing
assignments on paper completed the blog posting without difficulty. These students wrote far
more on the blog posting than they do using a pencil and paper. Of the students who
completed the blog assignment, writing more than they would on paper, about four of them had
not completed previously given writing assignments in class. When students who do not
normally complete health writing assignments, are given time in class to blog, they complete
the assignment with time to spare. Therefore student writing will improve over the course of a
semester when given time in class to blog.

Through reviewing the student blog postings I observed an increase in the length of
student writing. Students were to answer the blog post in two to three paragraphs. After
reading each of the blogs, students wrote information packed paragraphs, averaging about five
sentences long.

When given time to blog in school students are more prone to completing the assignment
and therefore this will promote writing improvement. Blogging, as opposed to writing using a
paper and pencil, improves student writing. As expressed, students write more and are more
prone to complete assignments (rather than not doing the assignment).

 Summative: Evidence of success in addressing the problem of practice

Summative assessment would have to take place over the course of an entire school year
or semester. Blogging is still in the formative stages and needs time to indicate improvement
of student writing. As mentioned above students who have difficulty completing paper and
pencil writing assignments completed the blog posting. Students who do not normally
accomplish writing assignments are motivated by technology and completed the in class blog.
Completion of the blog itself is an indicator that writing will be improved.

Students who normally do not choose to speak their opinions aloud in class wrote a great
deal on their blog posting. I was very impressed as this indicates active participation and
allows them to have more of a voice in my class. Students will get to know their fellow
classmates’ opinions more and in turn learn more about each classmate as an individual.
Blogging is an important tool to promote writing across the curriculum.


Evaluation
Given what I have learned I might approach another project differently by using a different
blogging site. Blogspot.com is a quality blogging site, however there were some glitches to the site
that would have caused my students a number of problems had I not guided them through the
process of signing up for the site. I researched various blogging sites, however chose to go with
blogspot as other teachers in my building use the same site. I wanted to use the same web blog
site so students had consistency.

Next year I will use a different blogging site with a less intricate signing up process. This was the
only frustration for my students. Although I helped them every step of the way it was still a difficult
process.

In order to ensure students have an easy time signing up for my health blogging site, I will have a
few students stay after school, to sign up, once the site is unblocked by the district. This will
alleviate any frustration students may have. This time I had a student try to sign up at home, and
she had many frustrations.

I learned a variety of lessons from implementing blogging into my curriculum for the first time. The
lessons I have learned are as follows:

• One might have a reliable student try signing up for the blog on her own at home to see if there
are any unexpected problems. This will help you iron out any problems before assigning the
blog. As mentioned above, next time I implement a new blogging site, I will have a few students
stay after school to sign up for the site.

• As a teacher implementing blogging for the first time, I would suggest walking students through
the process in class. After having one stellar student try blogging on her own the night before
(as a test run), she had a problem arise that I was able to fix while guiding all students in class.

• Students are your best teacher when it comes to bumps in the road while blogging – they might
have an answer to your question

• Blogging is beneficial for all high school students- keeping them motivated and engaged in
learning.

• Special Education students strive when it comes to blogging in class.


• When blogging in class, students are void of off task behavior and work very diligently in
completing the blog

• Students do not view blogging as “writing a paper” and therefore the negative connotation of a
paper turns positive when it is termed “blogging.”

If I were to do implement blogging again, there are some changes to be made. First, In order to
help my students sign up for my blogging site, I would give them a step-by- step instructions with
screenshots. Since this was the first time I have implemented blogging in my domain, it was a
learning experience for me. I now have a better idea of how this site works and what to do next time
as well as what not to do. Second, since I would like to promote dialogue within blogging. I would
find out if there is an option under the site administration settings to create a threaded discussion.
On the site that I created for Lakeland Health Education, I have set it up where students can
comment to my blog posting, but not to one another. I did not know how to set this up using
blogspot. In order to create a dialogue between my students and myself, I need to research the site
settings. Lastly, in order to improve their grammar and punctuation, I will have students type out
their response in Microsoft Word first. Students can check for grammar and spelling errors before
posting to the blog. I will also post clear criteria for blog postings on the site.

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