Friday, June 25, 2010

Week 1: A Framework For Using Blogs

Before doing my MA that deals with improving writing by using the task-based learning model, I didn’t like writing. Now I admire it. Do you know … Why? May be because I perceive it well: its definition, purposes, nature, types, approaches of teaching … etc.
Thus, all the time I search for new ways of teaching writing. One of these ways of teaching writing is the use of web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, wiki, … etc. To be frank, I like blogs more. I’ve read many books about “How to use them in EFL classrooms.” One of these books which I admire is: Blogs: Web Journals in Language Education by Camilleri, Ford, Leja & Sollars (2007). For more details, you can download it from the following link:

http://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/shared-photos/Blogs.pdf?attredirects=0. If this link doesn't work, here is another link: http://www.ecml.at/mtp2/publications/D1_Blogs_E_internet.pdf or you can google the book title, you will find it the second result.

One of the articles that I’ve read in this book is: A feature set for an educational blogging platform by Camilleri. He suggests a wonderful workflow model for using blogs. Actually it is very applicable in the EFL classrooms. You can see it on p. 40. This model involves a drafting cycle. This cycle allows students to create a post and revise it many times before publishing. Also there is a moderation feature that the teachers could use or not as they like.

Any way to be successful, we should find specific frameworks or models that can help in framing our way of teaching.


Resources Used:
  • Camilleri, M.; Ford, P.; Leja, H.; & Sollars, V. (2007). Blogs: Web Journals in Language Education. Austria: Council of Europe Publishing.

6 comments:

  1. Hi dear Azahar,

    Thank you for sharing the article with us…

    I have to admit that I have heard about Web 2 tools but I really don't know what it means… but after reading your post I googled the term "Web 2 tools" and now I know I once ( 2 years ago) was part of one of these web tools ( wiki). Now, I think I will have a much more enriching experience in this course.

    Thanks,
    Khuloud.

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  2. Dear Khuloud,
    It is nice to meet you online. Thanks so much for reading my post. You know the web 2.0 tools appear recently to overcome the problems of web 1.0 tools that include the web pages that are not interactive. So web 2.0 tools provide online communication, interaction and collaboration. Examples of web 2.0 tools are social networking, wiki, blogs, and podcasting. And now we are involvng on one of these wondeful tools. I think we will benefit alot.

    Dear, you said that you were part of these web tools (wiki). Can you share us with this experience?

    Yours,
    Azhar

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  3. I am glad to hear that your MA is about writing. My MA thesis is also about writing, more exactly it's about Content and Error Correction Feedback
    and its Impact upon Improvements in Student Writing. Using multiple drafts and providing content feedback to students' writing proved to be very productive! Do you practice giving feedback online or hard-copies?

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  4. Hi Liza,

    I'm also happy to hear that. Actually, I used hard-copies. That's why I decided to forget about paper and pen techniques and try something online in my PHD?. What about you, do you use online feedback?
    If so is it easier?

    Yours,
    Azhar

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Azhar,

    I rarely give my students online comments, highlight their mistakes,and write an end-note at the end of the paper, but, it is easy and I like it. So, we should practice it more often!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Liza,

    I also used your technique with my students. I make a checklist. I explain it to my students, then I use it when correcting their papers. For example:

    WC for Word Choice
    S for Spelling
    G for Grammar
    P for Punctuation

    It is a good technique for students. It helps them to correct themselves.

    ReplyDelete