למידה, אינטרנט ... ומה שביניהם

It quickly became clear that an online blogosphere that I created with my students for the purposes of my study is a place where writing and reading are closely intertwined. In fact, the study shows that reading leads to better writing (more expressive, narrative, and personal) and, gradually, to an increasing sense of belonging and community. My students created their own networks by interacting with their peers, by reading and commenting on their work. The ones who benefited most from being part of the class blogosphere were the ones whose posts were based on reading - on specific texts (online articles, own research, other blogs, other comments).

When we think of blogging, we think primarily of writing. That’s why I am sure that there are now many classrooms all over the world where student blogs are reduced to mere writing journals.

If we look at blogs as nothing more than an electronic journal and it only replaces the written journal, than I can understand why educators do not get how blogs work. Blogs as journals do not engage students any more in the learning process than a regular journal would. A journal is simple; a student writes, the teacher reads. An online journal is much the same. The students write on their blogs and the teacher and the world reads.

The word ‘blog’ might be short for Web Log, but the power of blogs is not in the writing, it is in the thoughts, the comments, and the conversation that they can start, sustain, and take into a million different directions.

תוויות: בלוגים, כתיבה, שימוש בבתי ספר