Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes (first week)

                  

What is a Weblog ?

           A weblog or blog can be thought of  as an online journal that an individual can continuously update with his or her own words and idea ,weblog entries are made by typing directly into the browser and with the click of a button are instantly published on internet. we can now observe blogs being used for personal,educational, journalistic, commercial purpose or individual's life can be learn about people,event,places and more from people around the world.I will introduce three possible ways that weblogs could be put to immediate use with ESL classroom learning.

Three Types of Weblogs for Use in ESL Classrooms

The Tutor Blog is run by the teacher of a class. It serve the following purpose : course information ,homework.assignment and promotes exploration of English web site.

The Learner Blog can be used as journals for writing practice,or as free-form templates for  personal expression.The idea here is that student can get writing practice ,develop a sense of ownership, and get experience with the practical, legal, and ethical issues of creating a hypertext document.

The Class  Blog is the result of the collaborative effort of an entire class.the following are some possible uses : Class blog could also be used as a virtual space for international classroom language exchange. For reading and writing classes,it might also involve the use of knowledge management software,individual learners can be given varying amounts of responsibility to publishing material arising from posting on the discussion list.

Weblogs enhancing EFL students'English language learning (Week 2)

Abstract

          The finding indicated that the student  perceived  Weblog as a tool for the development of their  English, in terms of writing,reading,vocabulary,and recording their learning experience.The students also viewed 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 skills,creating social interaction and good relationship between writer and reader,and supporting the learning community

                                                         Introduction

      Weblog is gaining popularity in the educational realm and is extensively used in English language contexts.A Weblog is a free user-friendly technology that is easily created,tailored,used,maintained,and frequently updated.Weblog are organised in a reserve chronological sequence;that is,the latest published Blog is in the first top entry and each published Blog has a date that indicate when the Blog is published.the posts can be edited  by the ฺBlog can be archived and searchable though database.The audience of the writing is not limited to the teacher but extends to classmates and other people beyond the classroom,including a global audience Additionally, Weblog enhance student analytics and critical thinking skill.when posting Blogs,Blogger compose their Blogs and monitor their writing carefully because they are aware of that their writing will be virtually published and viewed online.
         

The study

The setting and the participants

            The participants of this research were twenty undergraduate English major female students in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nakhon  Pathom University. These student  undertook  eight semesters of coursework and two semesters of teaching practicum in secondary school.

Method   

       The  student read academics texts in class and performed related activities  including exercises, summarising,discussion, oral presentation, and paper- based writing. They were required to create individual Blogs using popular, free and easy-to-use.

 Findings     

 Extent of Knowledge and Experiences with Weblog

            Many student commented that they gained extensive knowledge and experiences from Weblog.For example,they had opportunities to create and docorate their Blogs ,create and share their profile,express their ideas, record their memories and experiences and exchange idea and opinions

 Potential values of Weblogs

    Student perceived advantages of Weblog use as follows.First,they viewed Weblog as medium of self-expression online and a tool to enhance English language development

Student reactions to Weblog use    

     Overall,students were positive about Weblog use and the course.Without exception,students stated that they liked Weblog because they believed that they aided them in learning English-developing writing and reading skills

 The blogs

     In first and seventh Blog entries the student recorded their teaching practicum experience secondary school, and New Year 's activities,respectively.They documented their memories and experiences,express their attitudes and Feeling.

                                        

                                                 Discussion and Conclusion 

     The result of the study indicate that the online nature and user-friendly characteristics of Weblogs encourage student's self-expression in English.Weblog are a powerful tool for English language learning particularly reading and writing skills.The sense of ownership in Blogging  process encourage student to write more freely-they are engaged in fluency work,rather than accuracy work.

In conclusion,Weblog can provide an exciting and motivating learning environment  where students have a sense of ownership and readership.They can be used to enhance analytical and critical thinking skills,create social interactions between students and the instructor ,students and peers,and students and a global audience.