Guiding Research: Goals and Positive Outcomes

Developing Literacy Skills

The next category of research includes benefits related to developing

literacy skills in students. Blogging can help students to develop specific

writing skills which can be later built into traditional writing forms. For

examples, blogs can focus on paragraph skills which then springboard into

essay development. Other skills could include persuasive arguments,

incorporating textual support, rebutting the opposing opinion, writing strong

conclusions, etc. The blog format can provide better analysis, as students

receive instant feedback that measures their skills. Also, blogging

encourages metacognitive practices, as students are likely to respond to

comments and the public element by asking themselves important questions

about their decisions as writers (Tryon 129). In his article on “Writing and

Citizenship: Using Blogs to Teach First Year Composition,” Charles Tryon

explains how blogs help to develop “the techniques by which good argument

can proceed as well as the logical fallacies that often emerge when blog

writers fail to think through their arguments” (129). In these ways,

technology increases critical thinking skills, challenging students with new

ideas in a context they are already familiar with using (McGrail 6).

In addition to enhancing traditional forms of literacy, blogging also

helps to teach new definitions of literacy. Even when students are familiar

with using these tools, Stephanie Vie suggests that there is a strong
“disconnect between Generation M students’ technological abilities and

[corresponding] literacies” (12). Students need guidance to develop and

apply critical thinking skills (Vie 10). The job of teachers, and especially

English teachers, is to develop these new literacies through skills such as

navigation, manipulation, evaluation and composition with the use of

Internet and Web 2.0 applications (Unsworth 62). The endless possibilities for

communication change the ways students interact, far beyond just e-mailing.

Students need to learn how to utilize these new tools and manipulate

materials in new contexts. Specifically, once students understand the

functional aspects of the tools they also need to understand the language of

these new communities (from blogging to hypertext and widgets). Teachers

need to model the format and content of strong blogging, how we read

hypertext differently than linear print and how multimedia projects can

combine multiple elements to stimulate creative interpretation. Online

reading requires our students to read differently, as Will Richardson points

out, actively participating “ in the reading [process], making decisions about

which lines of thought to follow, [and] exploring tangents that may not have

been the author’s original intent” (40-41). Students need to understand the

new challenges and advantages of the nature of information available on the

web beyond just online researching. Credibility is not the only issue facing

Internet material, but the purpose for writing often focuses on dialogue and

interaction between reader and writer, a much more collaborative context

than traditional written words (Richardson 41-42). Julie Sturgeon outlines this
difference, describing blogging as “more about exploration, discovery,

creation and the idea that students can do things that are immediately

gratifying” (30). In blogging, the reading and writing process are recursive

and interactive, not stationary, isolated activities, an important measure

towards helping students make deep connections and draw in-depth

analysis.

Another current educational trend focusing on meaning making is the

reinforcement of the importance of “talk” during the learning process.

Discussion helps students to organize thinking and expand perspectives,

learning how to develop opinions as new information and interpretations

reshape their own ideas (Burke 161). Podcasting is a tool that can capitalize

on the benefits of “talk” as student discussions are recorded, converted and

uploaded as mp3 files which can be stored, shared and played back at a later

date. Blog based in-class discussions can also help reluctant speakers enter

the dialogue, as they have already formulated opinions and uploaded them

to the public sector (once blogs are posted their ideas are viewable by

classmates and so the intimidation of class sharing is lessened).

Furthermore, personal interest derived from lively blog debates can increase

the chances of flow experiences, in which students are thoroughly engaged

in meaning making (Wilhelm). The presence of the microphone, intimacy of

the setting and trust that has already been established through the social

networking community all work together to increase the chances of

authentic and interactive podcast discussions. Through podcasting, students

“evaluate what to say, consider options, and make choices,” and Kajder

believes that, “[l]earning rests on these risks” (221).

Another tool that helps develop technology literacies is the wiki. Using

wikis in the classroom helps students to engage in collaborative writing to

create meaning making and deeper comprehension in a context that can

make group work easier and more adaptable. Not only can students access

their wikisite from multiple locations at the same time, but once their project

is complete it is ready to be viewed by an authentic audience (again

extending beyond the teacher-student context). Wikisites can also be used to

help students organize research during the writing process or develop

metacognitive skills (such as drafting thesis statements) (Achterman 29-30).

The pattern emerging once again is that teachers can manipulate these tools

to create new learning experiences for students to develop almost any

classroom skill as long as careful planning and preparation are carried out.

The role of teacher planning cannot be underestimated, as “teachers need to

know enough about the tools both to affirm students’ uses and to design the

kinds of instruction that will move them to use the tools authentically,

purposefully, and effectively” (Kajder 229).

Finally, the way people read today is changing with new media forms,

as the lines of interpretation between visual and verbal reading are

becoming blurred. Reading is no longer just done in print but is done through

an interaction between the printed and visual representations (Unsworth 67).

Social networking sites, blogging and wikis all reinforce this relationship both
in presenting material to students and in asking students to create their own

material through these mediums. One of Bloom’s Taxonomy’s highest skill

levels is the ability to synthesize, which requires students to “take the many

(perspectives, texts, ideas) and synthesize them into one new idea and form

that draws on all the others that came before it” (Burke 154). Technology

mediums can help students to practice and develop this level of learning as

they create new perspectives by finding connections between materials.

Also, the nature of multimedia encourages the synthesis of information and

modes of expression in allowing students to really create forms of

interpretation (combining the written word, movies, images, voiceover, etc).

This freedom of expression allows students to be creative in their

construction of communicating ideas, and at the same time increases the

chances that students will be creative in their ability to draw connections and

think outside the box (Burke 154).