Vision Project transcript

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Literacy Research

Educational researcher Diane Penrod encourages teachers to “consider what literacy is becoming” (2007, p. 132). Indeed, more than just being able to read and write, students are now required to be literate in many different ways in order to keep up with the fast and ever-changing pace of modern life. Mixing new media with traditional assignments and class work is a unique way to expand important literacies in a relevant way.

Blogging and podcasting fit well in the foreign language classroom as they are centered on communication: blogging with written and read communication and podcasts with spoken and heard communication. We use language to convey meanings and as young people study a second language, they must have authentic experiences in which to exercise their written and aural skills. So why incorporate what most people consider to be online diaries into a foreign language curriculum? Simply put, blogs and podcasts provide those necessary authentic experiences by giving students a legitimate medium for language practice and cultural exploration as well as a real world audience with which to interact. Terra Williams and Charles Lowe, two language teachers who use blogs in their classrooms, noticed that “the addition of a real audience…creates an authentic discourse and forces students to think more carefully” and that “the potential for actual readers has positively influenced their students’ [skills]” (Seitzinger, 2006, p. 6).

Blogging and podcasting are constructivist learning activities that enhance literacy and promote student voice. Many researchers and educators note that the quality of literacy-based projects—writing assignments, audio presentations, reports, and even comments on existing posts— and the depth of reflection are improved when students know it will be posted online. Writes Penrod:

Literacy is a much broader set of practices when writers blog. The shift in literacy practices arises because of the blog’s public element. Bloggers actively engage in making meaning for others. Bloggers make judgments about what information is presented, as well as how it is presented. Because messages are meant for public readership, bloggers also have to consider the social, cultural, emotional, and political dimensions of their words and the extent to which those components will shape a reader’s response. (20-21)

The careful consideration and framing of ideas that blogging is shown to motivate puts these activities high on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Not only are students showing knowledge and comprehension of topics at hand, but they are analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information and audiences. Essentially, as students produce content for the blogosphere, they are not only demonstrating content area knowledge, but also an awareness of cultural and social implications and how to create information for the digital age.

When new media and pedagogy meet, students are generating content to learn. The results are richer, better-researched, and demonstrate clear positions and thought processes. As one teacher put it, “In an effort to build a following, they often clean up their grammar, stretch their vocabulary and generally write more creatively” (Gilbert, 2005). Though this sounds like the kind of intense work that students would shy away from, there is evidence that the nature of blogging, the style it takes, and the self-directedness that it inspires make it an entertaining activity for students. Even though teachers construct “assignments,” Penrod suggests that students “view blogging not as academic writing but as external to schooling [and] a ‘fun’ activity” (22).

Why New Media Work for Students

We have discussed how blogging innately promotes literacy through its emphasis on research, thought, conversation, and the written word. It is also inherently student-centric, which is key to fostering an environment where students are comfortable with expressing their voice.

First things first: today’s students are used to computers and expect to see and use them in the classroom. As teachers, we should “use all of the tools available to students, especially when they’re already such a part of their lives—and skill sets” (Reed, 2008). Arguably, the comfort level most students have with the hardware and the media itself will make it easier for them to take the first step if they have never used new media or are timid about self expression in the online world.

Yet even though it is a familiar place, the Internet, more specifically the blogosphere, is vast. But, the size and scope make it less confining for students. New media are not just present from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. like a chalkboard or a teacher. Because they permeate students’ non-school lives they are easily integrated, turning discussions and interactions with peers into a 24/7 affair that students can participate in at their leisure and without parents, teachers or classroom pressures. According to researcher Alexander Halavais, “The most important [thing] is removing the temporal and spatial constraints of the classroom” (Washington Post, 2006). With less restriction, students are freer to self-express and middle school teacher Clarence Fisher says that blogging shows students that people are listening to them in return: “People are commenting on it, and [the students are] learning that they have a voice” (Gilbert, 2005).

After all, ‘tweens and teens are communicators by nature, always striving to interact with others. Creating new media content triggers a “drive to socialize [that] is a priority [nearly] all teenagers have” (Penrod, 2007, p. 128). As students communicate with each other—reading blog posts, listening to audio content, commenting on and linking to information—they are creating learning communities that are based entirely on student voice. These networks are places where all kids can interact, even if they might not be inclined to during school hours. Teacher Marisa Dudiak noted that blogs excite even the most unexpected student and found that “those who were quiet in class usually came alive online” interacting with peers, sharing thoughts on homework questions, displaying work or projects, and posting reports (Selingo, 2004). Penrod also recognizes this phenomenon: “Students who may not interact well with peers can find other audiences with whom they can engage in discussion and build the social networks they need and want as writers” (2007, p. 71).

As far as podcasting goes, trends are no different. According to teacher Brent Coley, his fifth-grade students’ “eyes light up when they learn that their schoolwork can be heard in Apple iTunes, the program that allows them to compile their favorite artists’ music” (Smart, 2008). Coley’s class posts audio reports, poetry, and other projects to their class website as well as on iTunes and their work has been viewed by people in all 50 states and 87 foreign countries.

Bibliography

Arena, Carla. (2008, March). Blogging in the language classroom: It doesn’t “simply happen”. TESL-EJ, 11(4). Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www.tesl-ej.org/ej44/a3.html.

Gilbert, Alorie. (2005, October 17). Blogging 101: Weblogs go to school. CNET News. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://news.cnet.com/Blogging-101--Web-logs-go-to-school/2100-1032_3-5895779.html.

Green, Timothy, Brown, Abbie, and Robinson, LeAnne. (2008). Making the most of the web in your classroom: A teacher’s guide to blogs, podcasts, wikis, pages, and sites. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Penrod, Diane. (2007). Using blogs to enhance literacy: The next powerful step in 21st-century learning. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Pew Internet and American Life Project. (2005, November 5). Teen content creators and consumers. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www.pewinternet.org.

Reed, Shannon. (2008, April 9). Websites, wikis and blogs in the classroom. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www.visual thesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/1371.

Seitzinger, Joyce. (2006, July). Be constructive: Blogs, podcasts, and wikis as constructivist learning tools. Learning Solutions. Retrieved September 8, 2008 from http://www.elearningguild.com/pdf/2/073106DES.

Selingo, Jeffrey. (2004, August 19). In the classroom, web logs are the new bulletin boards. New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250568000&en=33627811ca310596&ei=5090.

Smart, Maya Payne. (2008, November 12). Listening to themselves: Podcasting takes lessons beyond the classroom. Edutopia. Retrieved November 19, 2008 from http://www.edutopia.org/podcasting-student-broadcasts.

The Washington Post Company. (n.a.). (2006, April 4). Blogs sidestep classroom constraints. Retrieved October 1, 2008 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/03/AR2006040301348.html.

Williams, Bard. (2007). Educator’s podcast guide. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education.