Classroom
by Dararat Khampusaen
English Program Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Thailand 40002
(Link) http://www.ipedr.com/vol30/32-ICEMI%202012-M00059.pdf
This article is an examination of a project that focused on collaborative blogging among university students and its effect on their essay writing skills.
Blogging provides a platform for ideas exchange, development and feedback. It also allows instructor's facilitation on the writing activity while cutting back on energy output. Students are given a virtual space in which they are encouraged to interact and cooperate.
30 students of Khon Kaen University, whom enrolled in the course 'English for Healthcare Business' participate in this study. They had been reported to write about 360 drafts and 250 pieces of feedback in it's duration.
Three questions were raised; "What happens to university students’ attitudes towards 1) writing, 2) quality of a final writing product, and 3) motivation to write when they participate with peers and teacher in a blogging project related to the essay writing?"
The instrument used in the research are; a survey, pretest/posttest on language usage and Essay writing rubric. This research was conducted through 9 steps where students were to write essays (free essay, one paragraph essay, three-paragraph essay, and five paragraph essay) on given topics.
The findings indicated that collaborative blogging improved students’ attitudes towards writing. Feedback increased students’ motivation to write. Collaborative blogging improved students’ writing and supported development of related skills and knowledge. Students’ writing skills were improved as a result of feedbacks gained from peers and the instructor.
Therefore, it shows that the usage of technology advancement such as blogging can be effective if it is being used with a creative and sensible integration.
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