Saturday, August 06, 2005

Andragogy Using Blogs in the Classroom

Pedagogy, which means the study of the way children learn, is abundant with research. Several articles have been written about pedagogy and using blogs within K-12 classrooms, but what are the effects of using blogs with adult learners?

Andragogy is the study of the way adults learn. Compared to pedagogy, andragogy is a relatively new area of research, and much of what has been learned so far indicates the way adults learn is essentially the same way children learn. Adults learn when they are engaged, are actively participating and like the subject they are studying.

A blog is a web log that is accessable anywhere you have an Internet connection and requires relatively no technical skills. Crie defines a blog as, “a Web publishing tool that allows authors to quickly and easily self-publish text, artwork, links to other blogs or websites, and a whole array of other content.” If you can send an email message, you can publish to a blog.

Can blogs be integrated into the classroom and aid in engaging and facilitating adults’ participation with learning? Can blogs make a subject fun and enjoyable? I think the answer to both questions is YES.

Colleges typically struggle with a couple of common problems when it comes to student performance:

  • Students do not have written communication skills sufficient to function on a college level. Consequently, many colleges spend the first year teaching remedial courses to build those skills. FACCC
  • In K-12, students are conditioned to rote learning. "Critical thinking is increasingly confined to pre-planned publisher-supplied exercises that closely resemble problems on tests." Peha

In elementary education, blogs have been shown to be effective in helping students build writing skills, learn how to problem solve through discussion groups and how to function as part of a team. “Blogs, therefore, represent the potential to promote interactivity, provide opportunities for active learning, increase student and teacher relationships, increase higher-order thinking skills, and improve flexibility in teaching and learning,” Ferdig & Roehler. This could be transferred to the college level with a little imagination and very few dollars.

  • Students who publish to their blog return frequently to see who has commented on their work. Comments produce more publications. Publications produce better writing skills. Crie
  • Students who were less likely to participate in classroom discussions were more likely to voice opinions through the blog. Sterup Publications produced better communication skills and their peers (and instructor) began to know them better. This developed a community of learners.
  • Blogs can be used to extend the classroom beyond the boundaries of the campus. Crie

For example, here are some typical assignments that might be part of a college class and ideas about how blogs could be used to aid the adult learner.

Business English Class – The scenario – you are a network administrator contracted by several small businesses to manage their computer systems (local area networks). With one client, you made a mistake with their server and your mistake is going to cost the company an additional $1000 for the purchase of another piece of equipment. Write a letter to the client to resolve the situation.

Using the class blog, the students could publish their ideas about how to handle the situation; each person could comment on the ideas of their fellow classmates and then begin writing their letters. The students could critique each other’s letters and comment on what they like and dislike about each one. Studies have shown that students’ pay closer attention to their writing skills and improve when their work is available for peer review. They care about publishing something that is well written. Crie

Network Operating System Class – Students discuss throug a blog the theory versus real world application of an operating system. Several employers who use that operating system are invited to participate in the blog and add their input from actual experience with the system.

Students realize their work is being critiqued by possible employers and put more thought into their writing. Employers see the knowledge of the students and could be interested in hiring those who are talented. "Blogging opens up assignments beyond the teacher-student relations, allowing the world to grade students and provide encouragement or feedback on their writing. We have had students in our classrooms actually receive job offers based on postings in their blogs, because their postings provided a legitimate way to interact with an authentic audience in a community of practice." Ferdig & Trammell

Human Resources Class – The scenario – at the end of each class period, the instructor posts a summary of the class discussion and thoughts about accomplishments and lessons learned. Students are required to comment on the summary and add their thoughts and tell about what they gained from the class time.

Students review, reflect and retain the information covered in class because they read and then compose their own comments and opinions to share. I remember one of the best classes I had in graduate school was one in which my instructor had a rather long commute home each day at the end of our class. She would transcribe into a recorder her thoughts about the class as she drove home and transfer everything into an email message that would be sent to everyone in the class when she arrived at home. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her messages and responding to her and the rest of the class with my thoughts and reflections.

Blogs can also be used to develop a culture of life long learners. Ultimately, your education is to produce an employable person. You can go to college and get a degree, but part of what you should be learning is how to learn. Learning to use blogs could reinforce the community of information and knowledge available. “Some scholars suggest digital fluency will be another prerequisite for sociability, lifelong learning and employment opportunities.” Resnick

Andy Carvin has an excellent lesson plan using Wikipedia that could be adapted to a plethra of classroom settings. I found it posted at Weblogg-ed.

References

Crie, Mollie. Using Blogs to Integrate Technology in the Classroom
FACCC - Faculty Association of California Community Colleges. Fact Sheet: Remedial Education
Ferdig, Richard E. and Trammell, Kaye D. Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere'

Peha, Steve. Teach-to-the-Test Culture Could Be Hindering Workforce
Resnick, Mitchel. Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age
Sterup, J. Kyle. Blogging in the English Classroom

Sharon Cawood
Community Relations & Business Development Professional
sharon@ntown.com

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