Research: Blogging in the Classroom

            Secondary mathematics teachers focus on students learning computations. They tend to concentrate on the mathematics used to solve a problem or understand a concept.  Students often miss the opportunity to include writing in their math classes which can help them express their ideas and deepen their understanding of the content.  Students can use chats, forums, and blogs as avenues to express their writing so they can convey their reasoning and expand their understanding beyond calculations.  “When students write about mathematics, they express not only their understanding of the operations they perform, but also, more importantly, their reasoning for performing those operations” (Cooper, 2012, p. 80). 

            MacBride and Luehmann (2008) define blog posts as “primarily textual, but they may contain images, photos or other media content” (p. 173).  Secondary school teachers should consider blogging as part of their classroom because it is an engaging form of communication among teenagers.  Lenhart and Madden (2005) report that 19% of youth between the ages of twelve and seventeen have created their own blog and 38% read them.  Educators cannot afford to miss out on an opportunity to include this technology in the classroom to increase student learning.  This form of technology has numerous benefits for both the student and instructor.  This paper will focus on why educators use blogs in their classroom as well as the advantages of blogging. 

            Several themes emerged from the readings involving reasons why teachers use blogs in their classrooms.  Those that will be focused on are to increase collaborative learning and nurture a community of learners, create a student-centered learning environment, and provide a place for reflection. 

Collaboration is seen as a major motivator for teachers to incorporate blogs into their classrooms.  Beldarrain (2006) states that the 21^st century learner prefers working with groups rather than by themselves.  Discussions that happen in the classroom are typically teacher-student centered.  But, with the use of blogs, there is an opportunity for this to change to a student-student centered dialogue (Yang & Chang, 2011).  Yang and Chang (2011), state “the blog is a vehicle to ensure that everyone has a voice and is a valued member of the learning community” (p. 127).  Through this collaboration, students have the chance to engage in peer learning by reading peer postings and leaving comments that will ultimately enhance the value of student-student interaction.  The classroom is now open to every student all of the time.  Mentoring between students can happen much easier and teacher-student relationships can be developed faster.  “These aspects of the classroom climate are important because students are more likely to share ideas and express concerns when they are comfortable with their classmates and the instructor” (Cooper, 2012, p. 83).

A study conducted by MacBride and Luehmann (2008) chose a Pre-Calculus class taught by Mr. Doug Kirk to explore blogging practices in terms of intent, use, and perceived value.  The largest benefits in terms of collaboration using blogs were they increased socialization between students as well as offered Mr. Kirk to use them as a diagnostic tool to see where his students were having difficulty.  He stated that because of the blogs he was able to develop a rapport with his students much faster than if he only had interaction with them in the classroom.  It is also interesting to note that because the blog was public, there was not only collaboration between student-student or teacher-student, but from a global learning environment.  Mr. Kirk stated, “My classroom walls are made of glass.  And the world comes in on a daily basis” (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008, p. 180).

As students begin to learn from each other, the teacher becomes a partner in the learning process as opposed to the sole provider of information (Beldarrain, 2006).  Ellison and Wu (2008) suggest, “the participatory and decentralized structure of blogging may discourage the “sage on the stage” approach to teaching and instead recalibrate communication patterns so that knowledge-sharing is increasingly student-to-student and student-to-instructor” (p. 106).  However, it was noted in several readings that even though the teacher takes on a role as facilitator, there still needs to be clear expectations for students to be successful.  In order for engagement and collaboration to flourish, it is imperative that a particular set of questions be asked (Walatka, 2012).  Three suggestions to provide for better blogging are to require a specific length for blogs, have the instructor model substantial comments, and require the teacher to praise strong comments or discussions on the blogs.  When Walatka (2012) applied these three ideas to his classroom, he concluded that student commenting is beneficial.

Collaboration through blogging also has been shown to motivate students to pay more attention to their online work versus work handed solely to an instructor.  When you could potentially be writing to the entire world, there is a strong incentive for additional significant student effort.  In a study involving undergraduate and graduate students from Taiwan, students were required to create their own blogs and respond to specific topics regarding the course.  It was found that the students showed remarkable motivation to learn from peers through blogs (Yang & Chang, 2011).  In addition, students’ exposure to a broader audience for their work and more feedback from peers’, encourages greater student investment in what they write and in the writing process as a whole (Purcell, Buchanan, & Friedrich, 2013).  Cooper (2012) states, “Offering students a real purpose for their writing and a real audience is especially significant in the math classroom, because students often feel that what they learn in the classroom does not connect to the world in which they live” (p. 82). 

                Another reason why teachers are incorporating blogs into their classrooms is it offers a place for students to reflect on anything from classroom material to their thoughts and feelings on the course.  This reflection can be beneficial to both the student and the teacher.  Some courses may only be a semester long.  Trying to incorporate all of the material in such a short amount of time and still have enough time for reflection can be difficult.  A blog offers a solution to this time constraint.  The classroom can be extended beyond the walls and give students that opportunity for absorption that they may not have had during the regularly scheduled class time.  In terms of benefitting the teacher, blogs give them a chance to reflect on students that are struggling in their classes.  Mr. Kirk explained, 

Having  the scribe post has allowed me really deep insight into one kids head every day . . . when the kids have to scribe what happened in class today, they are forced to wrestle with the material and try to present the best they can what they do understand. (MacBride & Luehmann, 2008, p. 180).

            Blogging also encourages reflections by providing simple access to earlier writing.   Because blogs are written in electronic form, it is very easy for students to go back to previous works for reflection, revisions and analysis of their work.  Students can also edit prior assignments based on new learning (Ferdig & Trammell, 2004). 

Blogs provide a medium where writing can occur and for the subject of mathematics this can be extremely beneficial.  Cooperative learning takes place and students make decisions how to communicate with each other.  Writing to a real audience offers the opportunity for students to take greater pride in their work and can motivate them to produce quality assignments.  Writing in this form gives students the chance to grow mathematically, become better problem solvers, and think more critically.

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153. doi:10.1080/01587910600789498

Cooper, A. (2012). Today's Technologies Enhance Writing in Mathematics. Clearing House, 85(2), 80-85. doi:10.1080/00098655.2011.624394

Ellison, N., & Wu, Y. (2008). Blogging in the Classroom: A Preliminary Exploration of Student Attitudes and Impact on Comprehension. Journal of Educational Multimedia & Hypermedia, 17(1), 99-122.

Ferdig, R., & Trammell, K. (2004).  Content Delievery in the ‘Blogosphere.’ The Journal Online. 31(7), 12, 16-17, 20.

Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2005). Teen Content Creators and Consumers: Findings from the Pew Internet and American Life Project

MacBride, R., & Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies: A Case Study of Classroom Blogging. School Science & Mathematics, 108(5), 173-183.

Purcell, K., Buchanan, J., & Friedrich, L. (2013).  The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools:  Findings from the Pew Internet and American Life Project

Walatka, T. (2012). Hub-and-Spoke Student Blogging and Advantages for Classroom Discussion. Teaching Theology & Religion, 15(4), 372-383. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9647.2012.00830.x

Yang, C. C., & Chang, Y. S. (2011). Assessing the effects of interactive blogging on student attitudes towards peer interaction, learning motivation, and academic achievements. Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(2), 126-135. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2011.00423.x