Teaching Outside the Classroom Box

Mrs. James began blogging with her class in November of 2005. She’s been blogging now for over a year. She’s been kind enough to spend a lot of time talking to me about blogging, and many of you have been kind enough to spend time talking to me about blogging.

As I have collected information during this semester, I’ve used these questions to guide me:

1. What do web logs mean for students as writers and readers?

a. What are the quality of the literature responses and comments on the blog?

2. How do students’ perceive blogging in the classroom?

Today, I would like to do what is called a member check. You are all members of the class. In a study, you present your findings to the members (that’s you) and ask them what they think about your conclusions. I’m anxious to hear your opinions. You may want to read through the list more than once. What do you think about these findings? Do you agree or disagree? Where am I right and where am I wrong? What have I missed? Please tell me more than yes or no. Leave a comment and explain to me what you think. These conclusions are in no particular order. At the end of the list, I also included some more questions. Your comments are essential to this study.


1. Students talked more about books on the blog than they would have by just talking about the books in class.

2. Students liked the blog because it gave them time to formulate ideas that they had before sharing with the class. Writing on the blog was safer than sharing an idea in an in-class discussion.

3. In previous courses, the main audience was the teacher. Students turned assignments in to the teacher, and she was the only one to see the students’ hard work. On the blog, the entire class could read the students’ work and offer feedback.

4. Students liked getting comments, and they tried to create posts that would entice readers to their posts.

5. Many times, students included pictures with their written posts. The pictures were a visual representation of the content of their writing. What I mean is, the picture matched the words. A lot of thought went into choosing those pictures.

6. Effective blog posts had good pictures, an interesting title, and went beyond summary.

7. Ineffective blog posts were static on the ladder of abstraction.

8. Students shared personal experiences and stories that connected to the literature they read.

9. The class felt like a community was created because of the blog. The class felt closer and more “bonded.” The blog allowed you to get to know each other better through writing.

10. In past Communication Arts courses, students mostly wrote book reports, summaries, or constructed responses about the literature; the blog allowed them to write more expressively, informally, freely, and more frequently.

11. Students felt free to write with voice and to write about their choice of topics. Their writing style expressed their personality.

12. More students than not liked blogging and found it motivating and engaging.

13. Students were surprised by the quantity of writing as they looked at the posts they created throughout the semester.

14. Blogs allowed you to read the different perspectives of each student in class.

15. Students who might not share as freely in class discussion—“shy” or “quiet” students—blogged frequently and felt free to share ideas.

16. Students were polite and supportive in their comments. Occasionally, students pressed, questioned, or asked for clarification.

17. Instead of looking to Mrs. James for “correct answers” when discussing the literature, students responded to the literature independently. They read the perspectives of other students to clarify their own thinking and understanding of the literature instead of depending on whether the teacher thought they had the right answer.

18. The blog was student-centered instead of teacher-controlled.

19. The blog kept students “on schedule” with the reading. They didn’t want to feel behind on the blog, so they kept up with the reading.

20. Students read more deeply while they blogged. They re-read and took notes as they read, so they would be prepared to blog.

21. Students rarely linked to other websites.

22. Students used the blog to ask each other questions about class and about assignments.

23. Students used the blog to share weekend events and happenings.

24. Blogs helped students to extend conversations beyond the classroom walls.

25. The writing on the blog changed throughout the semester. How did you see the writing change? Look back at the beginning of the blog and return to more recent posts. What differences do you see?


A few more questions:

Most of you had very positive things to say about Mrs. James class. What part did blogging play in those feelings?

What else did you learn? What am I missing as I try to understand the perspective of students who blog as part of a Communication Arts classroom?

What have you learned about writing through the blog?

What have you learned about reading through the blog?

Did you only blog because it was a class requirement? Did you ever blog because you enjoyed writing and sharing your ideas?

How did blogging impact your reading and writing skills?

Will you continue to blog?

If you were the researcher, what questions would you ask?