I am currently teaching ESL to middle school students (mainly intermediate level) in Korea, and I am struggling to find challenging and exciting projects for them. Has anyone ever tried creating a group blog with their students (to serve like a student run newspaper)? Are there any suggestions on how to go about using blogs for a project?
This question is from Marie Frenette, Korea
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joe
Mery Pereira, Uruguay
Creating a group blog with students is a fantastic way to hook them. My students and I have created one with different sections where they publish things they are interested in. Let's say, songs , letters, messages, etc. Blogs, let me tell you, are a great tool to make them WRITE, as you can organize competitions and ask them to decide which piece of writing is the winner. Using IT in the classroom has definitely enriched my lessons.
Brian Wilson, Canada
I use blogs in my class all the time. For me, the key ingredient is establishing a framework for the students to follow. In a nutshell, I have my own blog (a host) which connects to all the student blogs, then I have them follow a weekly 3 post system: 1) I assign each student a writing topic, 2) I have them comment on their peers' work, 3) I have them do some review - e.g. an online quiz related to class work.
I'm still experimenting with the framework, but I generally get good results. I get better results when I use class time for posting and responding. There's also a lot you can use to accessorize your blog: quizzes, chatbots, video, mp3 files. For an example, go to http://cpevancouver.blogspot.com
Laura, Uruguay
I have just created a blog myself and thought it might be a good idea to have one with our students. It would be a fantastic idea for them to use English outside the classroom in a situation that is part of their daily lives in their own mother tongue. I'm sure the motivational impact would be highly significant. I'd love to see Mery's blog as she is also from Uruguay and the ideas she puts forward sound really intereting! I'm all for the use of ICT in our lessons!
Nguyen Thuy Lan, Vietnam
Using blogs is a great tool for students to practice writing. Why don't you ask one student to be in charge of one entry and the others to make comments on that entry? Making blog writing an everyday routine may be a good idea.
Hala Fawzi, Sudan
I taught English using blended learning for one semester through the use of blogs and wikis. It was the first time my students heard about blogs. In a poll I created, I asked my students which tool they found most interesting, the vote was for blogs. We had a class blog, for readings and assignments, and individual blogs which were called "students' playgrounds". They copied and pasted (this where I taught them about copyright), they wanted to insert a clock and a world map (where I taught them about gadgets), they wrote about their daily life, (where I taught them about tenses), they wrote about football, smoking, bleaching creams (this is where reading comes in). Blogs are amazing tools to motivate students to learn English and to keep them engaged in learning beyond the classroom.
Galina Kavaliauskiene, Lithuania
I have used blogs with the University students of different specializations for writing practice in English classes. They have enjoyed using weblogs. You can view students' entries in their individual weblogs through my weblog at the website: http://kavaliauskiene.blogspot.com/
The BBC and British Council are not responsible for the content of external internet websites.
Car Arg
Hi Marie! Using the blog, I was able to grab my students´ attention! It´s great! We are also exchanging mails with a class form France. I would be interested in exchanging mails with your class as well. My SS are between 14-15 and their level is pre-intermediate.
You may visit our blog at http://eslblogs.englishclub.com/8projects/
Don´t doubt it! Use a blog!
Carla
Mery Pereira, Uruguay
Creating a group blog with students is a fantastic way to hook them. My students and I have created one with different sections where they publish things they are interested in. Let's say, songs , letters, messages, etc. Blogs, let me tell you, are a great tool to make them WRITE, as you can organize competitions and ask them to decide which piece of writing is the winner. Using IT in the classroom has definitely enriched my lessons.
Brian Wilson, Canada
I use blogs in my class all the time. For me, the key ingredient is establishing a framework for the students to follow. In a nutshell, I have my own blog (a host) which connects to all the student blogs, then I have them follow a weekly 3 post system: 1) I assign each student a writing topic, 2) I have them comment on their peers' work, 3) I have them do some review - e.g. an online quiz related to class work.
I'm still experimenting with the framework, but I generally get good results. I get better results when I use class time for posting and responding. There's also a lot you can use to accessorize your blog: quizzes, chatbots, video, mp3 files. For an example, go to http://cpevancouver.blogspot.com
Laura, Uruguay
I have just created a blog myself and thought it might be a good idea to have one with our students. It would be a fantastic idea for them to use English outside the classroom in a situation that is part of their daily lives in their own mother tongue. I'm sure the motivational impact would be highly significant. I'd love to see Mery's blog as she is also from Uruguay and the ideas she puts forward sound really intereting! I'm all for the use of ICT in our lessons!
Nguyen Thuy Lan, Vietnam
Using blogs is a great tool for students to practice writing. Why don't you ask one student to be in charge of one entry and the others to make comments on that entry? Making blog writing an everyday routine may be a good idea.
Hala Fawzi, Sudan
I taught English using blended learning for one semester through the use of blogs and wikis. It was the first time my students heard about blogs. In a poll I created, I asked my students which tool they found most interesting, the vote was for blogs. We had a class blog, for readings and assignments, and individual blogs which were called "students' playgrounds". They copied and pasted (this where I taught them about copyright), they wanted to insert a clock and a world map (where I taught them about gadgets), they wrote about their daily life, (where I taught them about tenses), they wrote about football, smoking, bleaching creams (this is where reading comes in). Blogs are amazing tools to motivate students to learn English and to keep them engaged in learning beyond the classroom.
Galina Kavaliauskiene, Lithuania
I have used blogs with the University students of different specializations for writing practice in English classes. They have enjoyed using weblogs. You can view students' entries in their individual weblogs through my weblog at the website: http://kavaliauskiene.blogspot.com/
The BBC and British Council are not responsible for the content of external internet websites.
annFor
I always start up a class blog with my teenage classes. I get them to choose a name for the blog and the layout so that they're involved from the start and see it as their space. We use it to practise all the language skills - not just writing. There are some fantastic web resources - like voki www.voki.com where you can create an animated character that speaks, or voicethread www.voicethread where you can talk about the images you upload to it - which are great for working on speaking skills and pronunciation.
Here are a couple of examples:
A class blog using vokis http://theheavyblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/ashley-timbelton.html
A class blog (teachers) using voicethread http://deustoworkingholidays.blogspot.com/2009/07/best-butter-biscuits-i...