Weblogs enhancing EFL students' English language learning
Abstract
This study investigated the potential
value of Weblog use on English language learning in the context of a university
in Thailand. It examined students’ perception of and attitudes towards using
Weblogs. A content analysis was used to analyses the data that derived from
short questionnaires, interview questionnaires and student Blogs. Weblog as
giving an opportunity and freedom for self-expression in English, writing for
both a local and global audience, fostering creative, analytical and critical
thinking skill. These findings suggest that Weblogs can provide learning
motivation and opportunities for authorship and readership, as well as the
development of writing and learning strategies, including critical thinking.
1.Introduction
A Weblog is a free user-friendly
technology that is easily created, tailored,used, maintained, and frequently
updated. The attractiveness of a Weblog is enhanced by its ‘multimodality’
which includes texts colors, images, audio and video files, and hyperlinks.
Three types of
Weblog used in the language classroom are the tutor Blog, the
learner Blog, and the class Blog. Weblogs have been asserted to have
potential values in English language education for several reason. Weblogs
provide opportunities for real communication in an authentic learning environment.
Weblogs raise an awareness of having an authorship and readership. Weblogs also
offer an online alternative to learning logs. Weblog enhance student analytical
and critical thinking skills.
2.The study
2.1 The setting and the participant
The participants of this research were twenty undergraduate English
major female students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Nakhon
Pathom Rajabhat University. Their ages ranged from 22to24 years and they were
in the fifth-year of their studies. These students undertook eight semesters of
coursework and two semesters of teaching practicum in secondary school.
2.2 Method
The research was conducted in the second semester of academic year 2008.
The students were enrolled in the Reading and Writing for Academic Purpose 2
course. This course aimed to enable students to develop reading skill in
understand a variety of written texts including academic resources and develop
thinking skills and skills in writing different genres of text. Short questionnaires
which aimed to elicit students’ profile, experience of Internet and Weblog use,
and perception of advantages and disadvantage of Weblogs were administered to
the students prior to the requirement of Blogging. The students read academic
texts in class and performed related activities including exercises,
summarising, discussion. They were required to create individual Blogs using a
popular, free and easy-to-use Weblog provider: Blogger. The
learner Blog was used in this research in order to develop students’ sense of
ownership in using and maintaining their Blog. Individual students were asked
to publish ten Blogs at their leisure during the semester.
3.Findings
3.1
Extent of Knowledge and Experience with Weblogs
Many students commented that they gained extensive knowledge and
experiences from Weblog use. For example, they had opportunities to create and
decorate their Blogs, create and share their profiles, express their ideas,
record their memories and experiences, and exchange idea and opinions.
3.2
Potential values of Weblogs
Students viewed
Weblogs as a medium of self expression online and a tool to enhance English
language development. Many students asserted that Weblogs fostered their
creative, analytical and critical thinking skills. Many students noted that
writing their own Blogs and
reading adding comments to their classmates’ Blogs created social interection,
buit good relationships and the learning community.
3.3
Student reactions to Weblog use
Weblogs provided another modern mode of
communication. Most students indicated their intention to continue using
Weblogs if they had time. Many students liked their free choice of topics in
writing Weblogs. They commend that they could write more freely, without
pressures and anxieties in the comparison with their classmates. They noted
that writing under the topics set by the teacher might be uninteresting, less motivating
and difficult.
3.4
The Blogs
In the first and seventh Blog entries the
students recorded their teaching practicum experiences. In Blog entries
2,3,4,5,6,8 and 9, the students expressed their ideas and opinion about what
they had read. They reflected on the benefit of the course, their attitudes and
feeling towards the course and the instructor.
The students
created their profile, published text messages, added comments, decorated the
layouts, and added photos of themselves, their family and friends, and
downloaded pictures from different websites.
4.
Discussion and Conclusion
In conclusion, Weblogs can provide an
exciting and motivating learning environment where students have a sense of
ownership and readership. They can be used to enhance student analytical and
critical thinking skills, created social interactions between students and the
instructor, students and their peers, and students and a global audience. If
used in English classes, the issue of students' free choices of topics for
Blogging, plagiarism, and neglect of teacher correction and feedback should be
taken into consideration.
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