UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA LIBERTADOR

INSTITUTO PEDAGÓGICO DE CARACAS

MAESTRÍA EN ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS
COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA
May 18, 2011

Blogs

Evelyn Izquierdo
ICT in TEFL course facilitator
[email protected]
 Blogs
Agenda:

• Define what a blog is

• Know its different educational uses
• Discuss about the potential of blogging in the ELT field and as a tool
for professional development
• Know different blog hosts
• See some blog samples
• Create your own blog in Blogger
• Set up an ESL/EFL/ESP blog:
• Select templates, post messages and edit entries
• Comment on other blogs
• Explore options for author’s management
• Discuss concepts of tagging and syndication (RSS)
• Invite colleagues and students to visit your blog.
• Homework: Blog design, entries, widgets, posts, comments, etc
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 What is a blog?
Before defining what a blog is, please, watch this video:

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

A blog is…
“… a Web page that serves as a
publicly accessible personal
journal for an individual or
company. Blogs are typically
written in chronological order and
displayed in reverse chronological
order to the reader… The word
blog itself is a play on the
words Weblog (Web + log), as
most blogs will be displayed in a
journal or log entry format, where
most are updated daily or more
frequently than most Web sites
would be….” (Webopedia, 2009)

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

To what extend can we use
blogs?

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Types of blogs in language
teaching
Aaron Campbell (2003) has outlined
three types of blogs for use with
language classes: 

• The Tutor Blog is run by the

teacher of a class. The content of
this type of blog can be limited to
syllabus, course information,
homework, assignments, etc. Or
the teacher may choose to write
about his or her life, sharing
reflections about the local
culture, target culture and
language to stimulate online and
in-class discussion. In this type
of blog, students are normally
restricted to being able to write
comments to the teacher's posts.
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 …Types of blogs in language
teaching
• The Class Blog is a shared
space, with teacher and
students being able to write to
the main area. It is best used
as a collaborative discussion
space, an extra-curricular
extension of the classroom.
Students can be encouraged
to reflect in more depth, in
writing, on themes touched
upon in class. Students are
given a greater sense of
freedom and involvement than
with the tutor blog.

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 …Types of blogs in language
teaching
• The Learner Blog is the
third type of blog and it
requires more time and
effort from the teacher to
both set up and moderate,
but is probably the most
rewarding. It is the
student's own personal
online space. Students can
be encouraged to write
frequently about what
interests them, and can
post comments on other
students' blogs.
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 Other educational uses in ELT

• Course syllabus
• School project
• Professional Web site
• ICT trainings
• Free publishing

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Why blogging?
Graham Stanley (2005) stands several reasons for using blogs. Here I cite
textually:

• To provide extra reading practice for students.

This reading can be produced by the teacher, other students in the same
class, or, in the case of comments posted to a blog, by people from all over
the world.

• As online student learner journals that can be read by their peers. 

The value of using learner journals has been well documented. Usually they
are private channels between teacher and student. Using a blog as a
learner journal can increase the audience.

• To guide students to online resources appropriate for their level.

The Internet has a bewildering array of resources that are potentially useful
for your students. The problem is finding and directing your learners to
them. For this reason, you can use your tutor blog as a portal for your
learners.

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Why blogging?
• To increase the sense of community in a
class.
A class blog can help foster a feeling of
community between the members of a
class, especially if learners are sharing
information about themselves and their
interests, and are responding to what other
students are writing.

• To encourage shy students to

participate.
There is evidence to suggest that students
who are quiet in class can find their voice
when given the opportunity to express
themselves in a blog.

• To stimulate out-of-class discussion.

A blog can be an ideal space for pre-class
or post-class discussion. And what
students write about in the blog can also
be used to promote discussion in class.

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Why blogging?
• To encourage a process-writing approach. 
Because students are writing for publication, they are usually more concerned
about getting things right, and usually understand the value of rewriting more
than if the only audience for their written work is the teacher.

• As an online portfolio of student written work.

There is much to be gained from students keeping a portfolio of their work. One
example is the ease at which learners can return to previous written work and
evaluate the progress they have made during a course.

• To help build a closer relationship between students in large classes.

Sometimes students in large classes can spend all year studying with the same
people without getting to know them well. A blog is another tool that can help
bring students together.

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Some blog samples
Tutor blog:
• http://podcastingevo2011.blogspot.com/
• http://explorandolaradioeninternet.blogspot.com/

Class blogs:
• Muvenation: http://mymuvenationexperience.blogspot.com/
• Bee Online http://beeonline.blogspot.com
• Bee Online 2 http://beeonline2.blogspot.com/
• Leonela’s blog http://ictleonela.blogspot.com/

Free publishing:
• http://interculturalvoices.wordpress.com/
• http://bloggingandsocialmedia.blogspot.com/

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Some popular blog hosts
• Edublogs
• Blogger
• Wordpress
• Motime (Splinder, new name)
• Livejournal
• Pageflakes
• Windows Live blog (MySpace)
• Typepad
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Blogger

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

Sample of a Blog (Blogger)

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Gadgets /Widgets

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Pageflakes

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 Tagging
• Tags are keywords
used to describe a
piece of information
or data (web page,
a digital photo, or
digital document).
They are categories
that ease the
search work and
connect knowledge.

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Syndication
RSS stands for Really
Simple Syndication. It
is the way to facilitate
the exchange of
information on the
web back and forth.
To start crossing the
information, we need
a feed aggregator:
Atom, for instance.
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
Now, let’s blog, but…

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

What to blog about?

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Before creating a blog
consider…
• The setting
 The school/institution policies
 Parents
 Students’ expectations
 Tech support
 Training
 Netiquettes
• The audience
 The teacher, the students, the community
 Personal or a group Blog/Wiki
 Private, public, customize posts
 Who moderates: writer, contributors
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 Before creating a blog
consider…
• The objectives
 Class
 Course
 School
• The content
 Class
 Extra-class activities
 Free

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs

 Enjoy blogging! Be creative!
• Create your profile.
• Upload your photo.
• Name your blog.
• Establish your blog
settings.
• Choose templates.
• Change colors and fonts.
• Add widgets/gadgets.
• Post your first message.
• Edit entries.
• Create a blog roll.
• Leave comments on your
peers’ blogs.
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 References
• Campbell, AP (2003). 'Weblogs for use with ESL classes' [Online] Available at
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html
• Stanley, G. (2005). Blogging for ELT. Teaching English -British Council article.
[Online] http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/blogging-elt
• Webopedia. The History og Blogging.
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/history_of_blogging.asp
Further reading:
• Izquierdo, E. (2008). Blogs and Wikis: Tools for Collaborative Work. VenTesol
Region 1.
• Stanley, G. (2005). Blog-efl. Graham Stanley’s blog with information and
comments for teachers of EFL/ESL interested in using blogs. [Online] Available
at http://blog-efl.blogspot.com
Images:
• http://trevorcook.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/093004borgman600x403.j
pg
• http://spinachflame.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/greatestbloggerborder.jpg
• http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn52l.jpg
• http://rentoid.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/i_love_blogging.jpg
Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs
 References

• http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3648205233_b595687f49.jpg
• http://www.dailyblogtips.com/wp-content/uploads/blogs.jpg
• http://paintermommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/royston_blogli
nk.jpg

• http://www.akmalwardak.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/070618_b
log_your_human.gif
• http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SVugPWIpLtw/Sr9-MsuvAUI/AAAAAAAAA
2g/z6im-Lc0fv4/s400/blog-cartoon-357x350.jpg

• http://edutech.csun.edu/aln/files/UserImages/blogging.JPG
• http://bellurramki18.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/rwbblogcartoon611
51008.jpg

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI
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Thank you very much!

Enjoy blogging!

Izquierdo, E (2011) Blogs