A questionnaire on blogs was distributed to all of the instructors in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
Of the 37 instructors who received the questionnaire, 16 returned it. Of the 16 who returned it 8 had never used blogs and 8 had used blogs.
Of the 8 instructors who had never used a blog, 6 were interested in a meeting to learn more about blogs. 4 commented on why they had never used blogs.
a) I don't know much about them.
b) I don't know much about technology and I really don't have the time to learn.
c) I don't know if it would be useful.
d) I have so small classes.
Of the 8 instructors who said they are using blogs in their classes, 7 were doing so this semester. One instructor was using the blog in two different classes and therefore sometimes doubled up answers. (See below)
Of the 8 respondents, only 2 had their own blog before starting the project, and 4 were regular readers of blogs.
On the questions of what motivated them to start a blog-project all 8 responded:
a) Incorporating technology in a new way, allowing students to write more and more freely as well as to read each other's writing. I also liked how I could "collect" assignments without accumulating paper!
b) Occupy lab-time in a useful, friendly and practical way.
c) It was important in the ML525 class for students to have experience with different types of technology enhanced learning. Our class worked jointly with an EFL/ESL methods course at UMD College Park to discuss a movie together.
c) Reading my daughter's blog and creating my own, I thought this would be ideal for language learning. Especially the idea that the students don't write only for me, but for a bigger audience. It is published.
d) Everyone else was doing it. Encourage writing.
e) It allowed me to ask my students questions about their lives without taking up class time.
f) I thought it would motivate students to write because it's modern and personal.
g) Others were using them and reported being happy with the successful outcomes. Good twist on the traditional response paper, to prep for class discussions in conversation class, because students could respond to each other and continue the discussion after class. I tried with 102, but stopped.
How do instructors use blogs? In most classes (8 of 9) [here we have one class more than instructors since one instructor reports on two different classes] the instructor has a blog to which students respond on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. In 3 of the 9 classes students have their own blogs. In 5 of the classes, students work on the blogs primarily in lab, and in four classes primarily or only at home. (In the 203-204 classes there are no labs). In 4 of the 9 classes the blogs were graded, in the 5 others not. No instructor corrected the blogs. 2 classes used the blogs as an extension of the textbook, 7 did not. The instructor perceived that the students liked blogging in 6 classes. Only in 1 class did the instructor think that the students did like blogging. The instructor perceived that the students improved their writing in 5 classes. In 1 class the instructor believed that the students did not improve their writing and in 3 classes the instructor had no opinion. The instructor perceived that the students improved their reading in 5 classes, and in the other 4 classes the instructor had no opinion. [This of course is only how the instructor perceived ''improvement'' since no scientific methods were used to measure improvement.] In 8 of the 9 classes the instructor was of the opinion that the students liked blogging. In one class, the instructor believed that the students did not like it. The instructors spent varying amounts of time on blogging. 3 instructors reported 1-2 hours per week, 2 less than 1 hour, and 2 instructors spent more than 2 hours a week.
Of the 8 instructors who use blogs, 6 would like to meet to discuss and share ideas. One instructor would not like to meet and one did not answer this question. [In all, it seems that 12 instructors are interested to learn more and/or discuss blogging.]
Other comments:
Instructor 1. I Had it done before and during the first 5 minuets of class. It'd be better at home.
Instructor 2. It is extra work to keep up with the blogs, but it is a lot of fun.
Instructor 3. It can be daunting to create a blog for a not very experienced user. Once created, they are very easy to use.
Instructor 4. One drawback of blogs is the repetition of errors. Students will inadvertently copy incorrect expressions form their peers. Could we see what you presented at the conference?
Instructor 5. The blogs can be read by my conversation class and by my colleague's class in France. The idea was for my students to write in French, hers in English, but so far the French students seem reticent. However they were intrigued and had some interesting reactions when my friend showed them stuff from my students in class.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Results from Questionnaires
In order to better evaluate the use of the blogs in the classroom, we made a questionnaire to be answered by the students. Since the two classes are very different, we have divided the results into two separate groups.
German 104
15 of 15 students answered questionnaire
Even though it is assumed that our students are very computer savvy, it turns out that only 2 of them had his/her own blog and only 2 were regular readers of blogs.
On a scale from 1-5, where 1 is very hard and 5 is very easy, students rated the easiness of working with the blogs. The students found it easy to set up the blogs (4.38) and easy to post to their blogs (4.59). More than half of the respondents tried more advanced blogging, such as uploading pictures from the Internet (9/15), uploading their own pictures (11/15), or uploading youtube videos (8/15). However, those who tried found it easy (4.42; 4.34; 4.2 respectively).
The questions of how much students enjoyed working on the blogs showed that overall, the students did enjoy the blog project. The enjoyment factor was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 was not enjoying at all and 5 was enjoying very much. The results were as follows:
enjoyed writing on the blog 3.44
enjoyed reading instructors blog 4.2
enjoyed reading blogs of classmates 3.51
enjoyed reading blogs from other class 3.25
enjoyed commenting on blogs 2.77
This statistical result does not show the fact that it is 4 students, out of 15, who bring down the "enjoyment" factor. These students also tended to be the ones who did not try more advanced blogging, and who did not spend much time on the project.
On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not improved at all and 5 is improved a lot, the students evaluated how much the blogs improved their reading and writing, and the results were as follows:
improved writing 3.94
improved reading 3.22
In other words, even though some students did not enjoy the project, they nevertheless thought their writing and reading improved.
The students were asked if the blog-project had improved their computer skills, and 4 wrote yes and 11 wrote no.
A majority of the students claim the project did not improve their computer skills, but is also seems they did not try the more advanced blogging. The ones who said they did learn new skills, also said they might use it in other classes or for other projects. One student thought it had been useful to learn how to read the instructions in German.
The students spent varying time on the project.
less than 30 minutes a week 1 student
between 30-59 minutes 4 students
one to two hours 8 students
two to three hours 1 student
At the end, the students could make their open-ended comments. 10 of 15 commented.
3 students wrote that blogs are a good idea, but it was too much work to write, read and comment on so many blogs. One wrote that he/she liked it at first, but then an annoyance. One liked to write on the blogs, but did not like to read the other students' blogs because they did not write anything. One student did not like it at all, did not think he/she learned anything. One student thought it was better than other lab-work. Two students thought the blog project should be continued in future classes. One student just loves Frau Bornholdt!
German 204
5 of 5 students answered questionnaire
In this group, it also turns out that only 1 of them had his/her own blog before and only 1 student was a regular reader of blogs.
With a small statistical sample such as this, one student can really change the results. In this class it turns out that four of the five students very much appreciated the project and one essentially hated it. I found this out because I had calculated the results for the four students who enjoyed the project and then received the questionnaire from the fifth student, which totally changed the results. This student was also the only one in both classes who found it difficult to set up the blog and to post on it. I will therefore give two results, the result with and without this student.
On a scale from 1-5, where 1 is very hard and 5 is very easy, students rated the easiness of working with the blogs. Except for one student, the students found it easy to set up the blogs (4.75; 3.37) and easy to post to their blogs (4.25; 3.63). Not all of the respondents tried more advanced blogging, such as uploading pictures from the Internet (3/5), uploading their own pictures (2/5), or uploading youtube videos (3/5). However, those who tried all found it very easy (5; 5; 5 respectively).
The questions of how much students enjoyed working on the blogs showed that overall, the students, except one, did enjoy the blog project. The enjoyment factor was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 was not enjoying at all and 5 was enjoying very much. The results were as follows:
enjoyed writing on the blog 4.0 (3.0)
enjoyed reading instructors blog 4.25 (3.12)
enjoyed reading blogs of classmates 4.5 (2.71)
enjoyed reading blogs from other class 3.75 (2.37)
enjoyed commenting on blogs 4.25 (2.62)
This statistical result shows the huge difference in results by the fact that one student did not feel comfortable with the technology or with the project as a whole. (This poses a challenge to the instructor. How can the instructor motivate all students? How can the instructor intervene earlier to find out and solve certain problems?)
On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not improved at all and 5 is improved a lot, the students evaluated how much the blogs improved their reading and writing, and the results were as follows:
improved writing 4.25 (2.62)
improved reading 4.25 (3.12)
In other words, the students who enjoyed the project felt that they improved their writing and reading greatly, whereas the student who did not enjoy the project did not experience any improvement.
The students were asked if the blog-project had improved their computer skills, and 4 wrote yes and 1 no. Even the student who did not enjoy the project thought it had improved her/his computer skills
The students spent varying time on the project each week.
between 30-59 minutes 1 student
one to two hours 1 student
two to three hours 3 student
The 204 students also got the question if they prefer to use the blogs for:
personal posts 2
textbookmaterial 1
both 2
in other words a very mixed result (see comments below).
At the end, the students could make their open-ended comments. 5 of 5 commented.
Student 1. The blogs have been really great. I read, write and type German much faster now and I think I can speak it and understand it easier now too. I liked writing personal posts - having the freedom to choose my own topic was great. Also, doing textbook related tasks really tied the blogs into the coursework and were more fun than a homework sheet. Blogs were useful for learning the German keyboard layout, plus finding lots of information (English and German).
Student 2. The program is a wonderful addition. I really enjoy the opportunity to view German video (or other media) and discuss it, also in German. It provides a means to use the language outside the confines of the class and encourages the more varied use of phrases and vocabulary.
Though I was very familiar with accessing and uploading media (I am an avid forum user and administrator) I have never kept my own blog. It has familiarized me with some formatting and layout adjustment tools. [Prefers personal posts] It is easier to access more media and write with greater depth and interest in a personal post. If the objective is to encourage writing and reading in German, then this allows students to expand the range of topics addressed and consequently pushes their vocabulary and grasp of the language.
Student 3. Blogspot isn't my favorite type of blog. I'd rather have continued using my German blog on livejournal.com or xanga.com, but that is just what I like personally. Everything I've done with my blog, I've done before. [Prefers textbook material] It's hard to come up with personal stuff all the time, esp. when you know your teacher reads it.
Student 4. A good experience overall. Allows the student to express themselves and talk to others in a more causal manner as compared to a classroom discussion. They are fun because we can post pictures, videos and talk about whatever we want. Allows students to communicate more easily than e-mail. Allowed me to use the internet in a different way. [Prefers personal posts] Allows me to have my own style and discuss things that are more interesting or pertinent to my life.
Student 5. It was not very clear how often, how many, on which other blogs we were supposed to post. I know how to change the language [on the keyboard]. [Prefers both personal and textbook realted posts]. When a topic is given, it is easier to write a sufficient blog entry.
German 104
15 of 15 students answered questionnaire
Even though it is assumed that our students are very computer savvy, it turns out that only 2 of them had his/her own blog and only 2 were regular readers of blogs.
On a scale from 1-5, where 1 is very hard and 5 is very easy, students rated the easiness of working with the blogs. The students found it easy to set up the blogs (4.38) and easy to post to their blogs (4.59). More than half of the respondents tried more advanced blogging, such as uploading pictures from the Internet (9/15), uploading their own pictures (11/15), or uploading youtube videos (8/15). However, those who tried found it easy (4.42; 4.34; 4.2 respectively).
The questions of how much students enjoyed working on the blogs showed that overall, the students did enjoy the blog project. The enjoyment factor was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 was not enjoying at all and 5 was enjoying very much. The results were as follows:
enjoyed writing on the blog 3.44
enjoyed reading instructors blog 4.2
enjoyed reading blogs of classmates 3.51
enjoyed reading blogs from other class 3.25
enjoyed commenting on blogs 2.77
This statistical result does not show the fact that it is 4 students, out of 15, who bring down the "enjoyment" factor. These students also tended to be the ones who did not try more advanced blogging, and who did not spend much time on the project.
On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not improved at all and 5 is improved a lot, the students evaluated how much the blogs improved their reading and writing, and the results were as follows:
improved writing 3.94
improved reading 3.22
In other words, even though some students did not enjoy the project, they nevertheless thought their writing and reading improved.
The students were asked if the blog-project had improved their computer skills, and 4 wrote yes and 11 wrote no.
A majority of the students claim the project did not improve their computer skills, but is also seems they did not try the more advanced blogging. The ones who said they did learn new skills, also said they might use it in other classes or for other projects. One student thought it had been useful to learn how to read the instructions in German.
The students spent varying time on the project.
less than 30 minutes a week 1 student
between 30-59 minutes 4 students
one to two hours 8 students
two to three hours 1 student
At the end, the students could make their open-ended comments. 10 of 15 commented.
3 students wrote that blogs are a good idea, but it was too much work to write, read and comment on so many blogs. One wrote that he/she liked it at first, but then an annoyance. One liked to write on the blogs, but did not like to read the other students' blogs because they did not write anything. One student did not like it at all, did not think he/she learned anything. One student thought it was better than other lab-work. Two students thought the blog project should be continued in future classes. One student just loves Frau Bornholdt!
German 204
5 of 5 students answered questionnaire
In this group, it also turns out that only 1 of them had his/her own blog before and only 1 student was a regular reader of blogs.
With a small statistical sample such as this, one student can really change the results. In this class it turns out that four of the five students very much appreciated the project and one essentially hated it. I found this out because I had calculated the results for the four students who enjoyed the project and then received the questionnaire from the fifth student, which totally changed the results. This student was also the only one in both classes who found it difficult to set up the blog and to post on it. I will therefore give two results, the result with and without this student.
On a scale from 1-5, where 1 is very hard and 5 is very easy, students rated the easiness of working with the blogs. Except for one student, the students found it easy to set up the blogs (4.75; 3.37) and easy to post to their blogs (4.25; 3.63). Not all of the respondents tried more advanced blogging, such as uploading pictures from the Internet (3/5), uploading their own pictures (2/5), or uploading youtube videos (3/5). However, those who tried all found it very easy (5; 5; 5 respectively).
The questions of how much students enjoyed working on the blogs showed that overall, the students, except one, did enjoy the blog project. The enjoyment factor was rated on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 was not enjoying at all and 5 was enjoying very much. The results were as follows:
enjoyed writing on the blog 4.0 (3.0)
enjoyed reading instructors blog 4.25 (3.12)
enjoyed reading blogs of classmates 4.5 (2.71)
enjoyed reading blogs from other class 3.75 (2.37)
enjoyed commenting on blogs 4.25 (2.62)
This statistical result shows the huge difference in results by the fact that one student did not feel comfortable with the technology or with the project as a whole. (This poses a challenge to the instructor. How can the instructor motivate all students? How can the instructor intervene earlier to find out and solve certain problems?)
On a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not improved at all and 5 is improved a lot, the students evaluated how much the blogs improved their reading and writing, and the results were as follows:
improved writing 4.25 (2.62)
improved reading 4.25 (3.12)
In other words, the students who enjoyed the project felt that they improved their writing and reading greatly, whereas the student who did not enjoy the project did not experience any improvement.
The students were asked if the blog-project had improved their computer skills, and 4 wrote yes and 1 no. Even the student who did not enjoy the project thought it had improved her/his computer skills
The students spent varying time on the project each week.
between 30-59 minutes 1 student
one to two hours 1 student
two to three hours 3 student
The 204 students also got the question if they prefer to use the blogs for:
personal posts 2
textbookmaterial 1
both 2
in other words a very mixed result (see comments below).
At the end, the students could make their open-ended comments. 5 of 5 commented.
Student 1. The blogs have been really great. I read, write and type German much faster now and I think I can speak it and understand it easier now too. I liked writing personal posts - having the freedom to choose my own topic was great. Also, doing textbook related tasks really tied the blogs into the coursework and were more fun than a homework sheet. Blogs were useful for learning the German keyboard layout, plus finding lots of information (English and German).
Student 2. The program is a wonderful addition. I really enjoy the opportunity to view German video (or other media) and discuss it, also in German. It provides a means to use the language outside the confines of the class and encourages the more varied use of phrases and vocabulary.
Though I was very familiar with accessing and uploading media (I am an avid forum user and administrator) I have never kept my own blog. It has familiarized me with some formatting and layout adjustment tools. [Prefers personal posts] It is easier to access more media and write with greater depth and interest in a personal post. If the objective is to encourage writing and reading in German, then this allows students to expand the range of topics addressed and consequently pushes their vocabulary and grasp of the language.
Student 3. Blogspot isn't my favorite type of blog. I'd rather have continued using my German blog on livejournal.com or xanga.com, but that is just what I like personally. Everything I've done with my blog, I've done before. [Prefers textbook material] It's hard to come up with personal stuff all the time, esp. when you know your teacher reads it.
Student 4. A good experience overall. Allows the student to express themselves and talk to others in a more causal manner as compared to a classroom discussion. They are fun because we can post pictures, videos and talk about whatever we want. Allows students to communicate more easily than e-mail. Allowed me to use the internet in a different way. [Prefers personal posts] Allows me to have my own style and discuss things that are more interesting or pertinent to my life.
Student 5. It was not very clear how often, how many, on which other blogs we were supposed to post. I know how to change the language [on the keyboard]. [Prefers both personal and textbook realted posts]. When a topic is given, it is easier to write a sufficient blog entry.
Using Technology in the Classroom
Here are a few preliminary questions. Please feel free to answer as many or as few as you feel comfortable. You can post your comment without signing in and thus remain anonymous!
1. Availability
1. Availability
- What technology is available at your school?
- Do you have computer labs that students can easily access?
- Does every student in your class have easy and free access to a computer and the Internet?
- What technology do you use in the classroom on a regular basis?
- Do you believe your students enjoy using technology in the classroom?
- Do you enjoy using technology in language teaching?
- What do you expect to learn in this workshop?
Friday, March 28, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to our Workshop:
Using Blogs in the Foreign Language Classroom
1. Brief introduction: Using blogs in the foreign language classroom
2. Examples from an intermediate German course: The instructor's blog
2. Examples from an intermediate German course: The instructor's blog
- Posting comments to a blog
3. Examples from intermediate and advanced German courses: Instructor and student blogs
4. Hands-on
4. Hands-on
- Create an account on blogspot
- Customize your blog (define your language, layout, preferences, etc.)
- Post to your own blog
- Add a personal profile
- Link links to other blogs and to websites
- Upload pictures and videos from the web and from your computer
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