Group One technologies: Online Spaces. A PMI for Blogs

For the Visual and Global learners following my blog, here is a PMI of a blog in Wordle format.

For the Verbal and Sequential learners like myself, here is something more to your taste.


PMI for Blogs in Primary School
As you can see, I had a little trouble getting the table on my blog. Not as pretty as I had hoped, but all the important bits are there.

 

 Blogs are a flexible working space that can support scaffold activities like an PMI, SWOT analysis, Six Hats, KWL and SQ3R .  Fasso states that it is important to consider the use of these scaffolds when requesting student use blogs as a learning tool, to develop meaning and construct knowledge, key principles of Vygotsky social learning theory.

Weblogs are a creative space that allows students to create, reflect and collaborate on works that have meaning to them. They include layout design features and functions to upload and embed images, videos, graphics, podcast and text. The learner has creative control, thus acquiring personal meaning. The direction of the work can be guided towards desired learning outcomes by the teacher. Given this, I would use electronic portfolios in my classroom as an assessment for learning within the context of a key learning area. I would choose something very similar to the structure of this course. Some ideas could be a class blog of that contains the reflections of students experiences to school camp. Another idea could be publishing students group work  towards solutions to a real world problems, and have the class read and evaluate these posts with a thinking routine. For younger children, a class blog that allowed learners to post reports or narratives with their chosen illustrations or embedded video.within a unit of work. This approach utilises components of behaviourism and Bloom’s Taxonomy within an overarching framework of constructivism. Learners use repetitive motions to learn how to use these tools, and Bloom’s Taxonomy to create credible post that will ultimately be reviewed by an authentic audience. The learner-centred nature of blogging coupled with being published on the net align with principles of constructivism.

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Stephen Downes identifies blogging as personal publishing. From that there are two types of blogs.

1. Personal online diary; mainly comprised of 'boyfriend woes and youtube links'
2. Blogs that are defined by format and process; these blogs are more than diaries, contain hypertext to valuable resources and characterised by reflection of a personal style.

He claims 9/11 changed the public perceptions of blogs, because news of the disaster travelled faster through the net on blogs than the media. 

He continues to outline five major uses for blogs in education.

1. Reduce teacher workload. Teachers can upload timetables, notes, readings.
2. Teachers can hyperlink items that relates to the course.
3. Organise in-class discussions. Using blogs to facilitate discussions provides opportunities for all students to voice their opinions. 
4. Organise class seminars and provide summaries of readings.
5. Blogs can become part of coursework. Blogs are engaging, encouraging students to add content regularly. 

Downes contends blogs are user friendly, as technology and software advances make blogs ready to use with no experience needed.
There are two types of blogging software available.

1. Hosting Services.- gives you everything you need in order to create a blog e.g. Blogger              - live journal sponsor accounts to create a journaling environment.                                            - examples; GrokSoup, Salon Blogs, Type Pad.

    2. Installed Applications- software obtained from the provider and installed on your website.
                                        - eg Coldfusion, Hypermail
                                        - users of this are usually dedicated bloggers and knowledgeable
                                        -suitable for institutional use
                                        -"user pays software is dead"

Benefits of blogs
- students write more often, with attention to spelling and grammar.
-weblogs break down barriers (Siemens)
-ideas based on merit, not origin.
-quality ideas do filter through the Internet.
- have contact with or hear opinions of people you would otherwise not have heard.

Pitfalls of blogs
-bloggers can upload libelous content.
-bloggers can express opinions of others that may create negative consequences.

Dilemma for Education
What happens when a free flowing medium such as blogging interacts with the more restrictive domains of education?

• many schools do not allow students to blog within a educational setting.
• those schools that do allow blogging for educational purposes are often only allowed to operate in contrived environments. 
• school blogs can potentially be restricted to the lowest common denominator and prove useless.
• it is the links made to wider world that is important. Increasing dialogues and connections to the world about what interest the student, engaging and inquiry based learning.

Another perspective; Why use blogs in formal education?

Romana Wittner & Günter Wageneder states;

1. World wide audience- students compelled to write authentic, credible and accurate work.
2. Knowledge Construction.-students create meaning from browsing, reading, reflecting and gaining feedback on blogs, rethinking ideas and re-posting. Leads to a growing knowledge base and ownership of learning.
3. Enhance reading, critical thinking and writing skills.- students practice reading and writing skills. Authentic audience motivation to improve writing.

"Although some instructors use blogs to post class times, assignments, exercises and suggested readings, the true potential of blogs in education lies in the fact that they can be used to engage students in research, exploration and discussion and that they encourage collaboration and peer interaction. Educational research stresses the importance of social interaction in learning. Drawing on Vygotsky (1978), many educators emphasize the "knowledge construction" process and argue that "meaning making" develops through social interaction. With blogs material becomes accessible for reflection and discussion. The comment feature of blogs provides opportunities for feedback which, in turn, supports learners in their effort to construct knowledge. According to Ferdig and Trammell (2004), blogs encourage students to take ownership of their learning and publish authentic artifacts containing their thoughts and understanding." (The pedagogy behind blogs, 2005)

References
Fasso, W. (2011). What are the roles of ICT in education. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-courses, EDED 20491 ICT's for Learning Design, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=163846

Downes, S. (2004). Educational Blogging. Retrieved from http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5318245880139633339&postID=1741187765158388858

Wittner, R. & Wageneder, G. (2005) Weblogs A powerful tool for education. Retrieved from
http://www.sbg.ac.at/zfl/eTeaching_Skills/eTeaching_Weblogs/index.html

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind In Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Retrieved from http://generative.edb.utexas.edu/classes/knl2008sum2/eweekly/vygotsky1978.pdf