Using Blogs in the Library

Blogs, due to their abundance of affordances, can be successfully used to support pedagogy in the classroom and library. My current goal is to earn my Master's of Science degree in Educational Technology Library Sciences I will focus on how this technology could be used in the library.

Comparison

Blogs are online journal entries that are usually written by one author, though multiple author blogs are becoming more common. Blogs are different from vlogs because vlogs use videos to document journal entries where as blogs uses text and images. For this technology play I have compared the use of two different free blog sites including Wix.com and Wordpress.com. Both sites offer free hosting with limited functions and easy design elements, and were both highly ranked by www.top10websitebuilders.com. Both of these website builders are intuitive to use offering ease for designing the blog, inserting images, and creating a polished weblogs for the user. Though both sites are comparable I would recommend using Wix with students because it is easier and faster to use, and has more free images and functions available. This site only takes about 30 minutes to create and publish a webpage.

Affordance

Since most blogs are written by only one author they are conducive of journaling and literary review or analysis. A blog gives the user the opportunity to express their thoughts free from the interruptions that would be present during a class discussion. It also prevents the student from viewing others' posts while writing (unlike a discussion board) and is therefore better for producing original and deep thoughts. Wix makes it simple to set up a webpage and allows students more time to write and think. With easy and intuitive navigation and step by step guided set students will find this website a useful tool for creating a blog. Blogging also gives students the chance to edit and research before publishing their writing and share their writing with others including those inside and outside of the classroom.

Use in the Library

As a school librarian I will aid students in the creation of blogs so that they have the opportunity to journal about SEL activities that I will conduct, and also to perform literary reviews and analysis of books. A topic that I will cover in one of my SEL lessons is 'gratitude'. For this journaling activity I will have students respond to prompts such as "What is one thing that you are grateful for today and why", or "Write a thank you letter to your favorite teacher and tell him/her why you are grateful for them". Students can then send the link of their blog to their favorite teacher to let them know that they are appreciated and spreading loving-kindness throughout the school. For literary review and analysis students will be given an opportunity to read a book of their choosing and then write a summary, review or analysis of this book for other students to critique. Students will then share their reviews on the library blog encouraging the readers (students, teachers, and parents) of a student's blog to explore new genres and authors. Students and I will comment on the blog entries of the students in the class ensuring that everyone gets some feedback and also exposure to the books read by their classmates.

TPACK

Blogs can be used in any subject to help students address many standards. For use in the library students will be able to perform literary review and write journal entries in response to assigned or chosen readings. One example of a TEKS that can be addressed by the use of blogs is English TEKS C.5 (A) which requires students to describe personal and emotional connections to what they have read, either assigned or self chosen. This is similar to the journal entries that I have used in my college English classes for literary reviews, but because they are online, blogs expose a student's writing to a broader audience providing greater feedback opportunities. The affordance of blogs encourages students to document their emotional and personal reactions to writing, thus addressing the aforementioned TEKS.

Because of the affordances of blogs, students are able to think deeply, write freely and share their ideas and findings with a larger audience than just a single classroom of students. This allows for greater support of the pedagogy that would not be possible if students were just to write in a physical journal and then verbally share their writing with their classmates.