The document discusses three types of blogs that can be used in language classes: tutor blogs run by the teacher to share course information, class blogs as a collaborative space for teachers and students, and learner blogs as individual student spaces. It provides guidance on starting a classroom blog, such as choosing an easy platform, teaching netiquette, keeping posts short, informing parents, using correct grammar, not grading blogs, challenging students, and giving the blog time to be effective. Potential uses of classroom blogs include providing reading practice, guiding students to resources, enhancing literacy and writing skills, encouraging shy students, stimulating discussion, creating an online portfolio, and building relationships between students.
2. “A blog is a personal website that contains content
organized like a journal or a diary. Each entry is dated,
and the entries are displayed on the web page in reverse
chronological order, so that the most recent entry is
posted at the top.”
3. Campbell (2003) distinguishes three types of blogs for use
with language classes:
THE TUTOR BLOG
• Run by the teacher of a class.
• Content of this type of blog can be limited to
syllabus, course information, homework,
assignments, etc.
• The teacher may choose to write about his/her life,
sharing reflections to stimulate online and in-class
discussion.
• Students are normally restricted to being able to
write comments to the teacher's posts.
4. THE CLASS BLOG
• Shared space, with teacher and students
being able to write to the main area. It is
• Best used as a collaborative discussion
space, an extra-curricular extension of the
classroom.
• Students can be encouraged to reflect in
more depth, in writing, on themes touched
upon in class. Students are given a
greater sense of freedom and involvement
than with the tutor blog.
THE LEARNER BLOG
• It involves giving each student an
individual blog.
• It becomes the student's own personal
online space.
• Students can be encouraged to write
frequently about what interests them, and
can post comments on other students'
blogs.
5. • Choose the easiest platform for you and your students and one with
which you are familiar with.
• Teach students about netiquette
• Posts should always be short and informative.
• Let parents and guardians know what you are doing
• Use simple language and correct grammatical structures
• Don't grade. Blogging is meant to be a way to practice writing for an
audience and learning to respond to critique, not a graded paper.
• Challenge students. Use activities and games and inspire your
students to write about certain topics
• Give it more time. If you think all students would straight away fall in
love with your classroom blog then you are wrong. Some
students take to it right away, others are not so sure, and yet they will
all end up loving it.
6.
7. • To provide extra reading practice for students.
• To guide students to online resources
appropriate for their level.
• Blogging enhances literacy skills.
• It fosters the learning bonds between teachers
and students
• It fosters the development of writing and
research skills as well as digital skills.
• To encourage shy students to participate.
• To stimulate out-of-class discussion.
A blog can be an ideal space for pre-class or post-class
discussion. And what students write about in
the blog can also be used to promote discussion in
class.
• As an online portfolio of student
written work.
• To help build a closer relationship
between students in large classes.
8. • Provide further assignments for students to
work on.
• Have students work in small groups to write
and post summaries of content covered in
class .
• Use blogs for classroom projects where
students can include videos, clips, audio, text
and images
• Create a specific section just for website links
and references to other interesting content
online.
• Use activities, games, puzzles to enrich
students learning experiences
• Use blogs to conduct an online survey in
relation to your students learning needs.
• Publish a list of the objectives ( general as well
as specific goals )
• Challenge your students to write, record and
post tutorials about certain concepts of things
you teach them
• Use a section in your blog for classroom news
where to communicate the general classroom
news.