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Using blogs in the foreign language classroom: Encouraging learner independence

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... Another feature of blogs, seen as essential by most bloggers (i.e. blog authors), is the ability for visitors to post comments in relation to the content of posts (Pinkman, 2005). Ferdig and Trammel (2004) note that the pedagogical worth of blogs is based on their ability to provide a space for learners to publish their ideas in a public, social space, and to have these ideas commented on by others, whereby learners are given support as they seek to construct knowledge. ...
... • the ability to reach and interact with one's readers through the commenting functionality, which provides continuous, at times nearly instant, feedback on one's work (Pinkman, 2005). ...
... In addition, even when an instructor's aim in initiating blogging is not the improvement of writing skills, students may still believe their writing has improved. Pinkman's (2005) chief objective in using blogs with her Japanese learners was to explore its role in promoting learner autonomy, yet it was discovered that learners also perceived improvement in their writing skills. ...
... It is evident from qualitative analysis that blogging practice in the field is reported to both make contributions to students' learning from each other through feedback or comments on blog posts (Bener & Yildiz, 2019;Bhattacharya & Chauhan, 2010;Gedera, 2012;Giannikas, 2019;Grami, 2012;Huang, 2016;Kitchakarn, 2012a;Kitchakarn, 2014b;Lakarnchua & Wasanasomsithi, 2013;Ozkan, 2011;Roy, 2016;Vurdien, 2013;Yeh et al., 2019;Zhang et al., 2014) and develop interaction among them (Ahluwalia et al., 2011;Al-Qallaf & Al-Mutairi, 2016;Bhattacharya & Chauhan, 2010;Gedera, 2012;Istifci, 2011;Mompean, 2010;Ozkan, 2011;Pinkman, 2005;Rojas Álvarez, 2011;Sun & Chang, 2012;Termsinsuk, 2015;Trajtemberg & Yiakoumetti, 2011;Wu & Wu, 2011;Zhang et al., 2014). Making comments and suggestions to peers' blog posts is instrumental in developing students' self-reflection (Bener & Yildiz, 2019) in respect of helping them realise their own errors and progress (Giannikas, 2019), which in turn enables them to adopt a critical eye for analysing their own writing (Grami, 2012). ...
... Drawing on data collection tools such as questionnaires (Ahluwalia et al., 2011;Aljumah, 2012;Al-Qallaf & Al-Mutairi, 2016;Featro & DiGregorio, 2016;Gedera, 2012;Giannikas, 2019;Gunduz, 2016;Huang, 2016;Istifci, 2011;Kitchakarn, 2012a;Kitchakarn, 2014b;Koç & Koç, 2016;Kung, 2018;Pinkman, 2005;Sulaiman & Kassim, 2011;Wan & Tan, 2011;Wu & Wu, 2011), interviews, and artefacts like blog posts or notes (Chew & Lee, 2013;Grami, 2012;Lizarazo Jara, 2012;Lin et al., 2013;Pinkman, 2005), 21 of the reviewed studies (39.62 %) pointed out that students found blogging activities enjoyable, beneficial, and satisfactory for their language learning. For instance, the study of Koc and Koc (2016) performed with undergraduate students partaking in a blog-mediated EFL course highlighted that almost all students found use of blogs useful and a contributory factor in their learning of conceptual knowledge regarding linguistic subjects. ...
... Drawing on data collection tools such as questionnaires (Ahluwalia et al., 2011;Aljumah, 2012;Al-Qallaf & Al-Mutairi, 2016;Featro & DiGregorio, 2016;Gedera, 2012;Giannikas, 2019;Gunduz, 2016;Huang, 2016;Istifci, 2011;Kitchakarn, 2012a;Kitchakarn, 2014b;Koç & Koç, 2016;Kung, 2018;Pinkman, 2005;Sulaiman & Kassim, 2011;Wan & Tan, 2011;Wu & Wu, 2011), interviews, and artefacts like blog posts or notes (Chew & Lee, 2013;Grami, 2012;Lizarazo Jara, 2012;Lin et al., 2013;Pinkman, 2005), 21 of the reviewed studies (39.62 %) pointed out that students found blogging activities enjoyable, beneficial, and satisfactory for their language learning. For instance, the study of Koc and Koc (2016) performed with undergraduate students partaking in a blog-mediated EFL course highlighted that almost all students found use of blogs useful and a contributory factor in their learning of conceptual knowledge regarding linguistic subjects. ...
Article
In 21st century knowledge society, educators are naturally expected to be accountable for both creating innovative learning environments and designing educational facilities that enable students to gain 21st century skills in novel and appealing ways, in keeping with recent advances in ICT. Incorporating technological tools into EFL/ESL as a means to develop 21st century skills and English language skills in students has been a popular research topic in recent years. This review presents the first comprehensive qualitative analysis of whether the use of blogs is conducive to improving students’ 21st century skills, coupled with English language skills. Qualitative analysis of 53 reviewed articles reveals that blogging practices in EFL/ESL enhance collaborative, reflective thinking, and autonomous learning skills that are directly pertinent to 21st century skills. Although the implementation of blogging activities into EFL/ESL makes considerable contributions to students’ interpersonal, affective, and cognitive skills, it imposes such challenges as feedback concerns, teacher support, and arousal of negative emotions in English language students. Furthermore, given the research paradigm of the analysed articles, further research with undergraduate, graduate, and K-12 students based on more experimental research designs is warranted in terms of the effectiveness of blogging practices in the field. Key words: blogging; English language skills; 21st century skills; systematic review---SažetakU društvu znanja 21. stoljeća, od odgajatelja se prirodno očekuje da budu odgovorni ne samo za stvaranje inovativnih okružja za učenje, već i za osmišljavanje obrazovnih objekata koji omogućuju učenicima stjecanje vještina 21. stoljeća na nove i privlačne načine, u skladu s nedavnim napretkom u IKT-u. Uključivanje tehnoloških alata u EFL/ESL kao sredstava za razvoj vještina 21. stoljeća i vještina engleskoga jezika kod učenika popularna je tematika istraživanja posljednjih godina. Ovaj pregled prikazuje prvu sveobuhvatnu kvalitativnu analizu je li upotreba blogova pogodna za poboljšanje vještina učenika 21. stoljeća, zajedno s vještinama engleskoga jezika. Kvalitativna analiza 53 pregledana članka pokazuje da prakse blogiranja u EFL/ESL poboljšavaju suradničke, reflektirajuće razmišljanje i samostalne vještine učenja koje su izravno relevantne za vještine 21. stoljeća. Iako implementacija aktivnosti blogiranja u EFL/ESL daje značajan doprinos međuljudskim, afektivnim i kognitivnim vještinama učenika, nameće izazove kao što su briga o povratnim informacijama, podrška učitelja i izazivanje negativnih emocija kod učenika engleskoga jezika. Osim toga, s obzirom na istraživačke paradigme analiziranih članaka, daljnja istraživanja s diplomantima, poslijediplomantima i učenicima K-12 temeljena na eksperimentalnijim istraživačkim dizajnima opravdana su u smislu učinkovitosti praksi blogiranja u tom području. Ključne riječi: blogiranje; vještine engleskoga jezika; vještine 21. stoljeća; sustavni pregledÂ
... As one popular and user-friendly Web 2.0 device, blogs are likely to provide the learners with heightened interactive and cooperative learning, as a result of which the learners become more autonomous and self-regulated as they take the responsibility of their own learning and are assigned the freedom to express themselves by publishing their works (Lee, 2011). The use of blogs in L2 teaching and learning has been the focus of the investigation by numerous scholars (e.g., Godwin-Jones, 2003, Lee, 2011Pinkman, 2005). From this perspective, some studies have emphasized the benefits of employing blogs in L2 classrooms to improve writing competencies (e.g., Bloch, 2007;Campbell, 2003). ...
... A recently burgeoning body of literature on the role of technology in L2 language learning has documented significant findings verifying the beneficial role of technological devices in enhancing learner autonomy (Benson, 2004;Lee, 2014;Murphy, 2006;Murray, 1999;Pinkman, 2005;Smith & Craig, 2013;Schwienhorst, 2002;Snodin, 2013;Wachman, 1999;Yeh & Lan, 2018). It has been acknowledged that technology is likely to foster individualized and selftuned learning (Benson, 2013). ...
... The findings revealed that the blog-supported program enhanced LA by developing learners' language and cognitive skills and assisting them in making more informed choices about their decisions. Conducting a small scale action research, Pinkman (2005) investigated how a blog project can be incorporated into a foreign language class in a Japanese university. The purpose of this out-of-class study was to examine the effectiveness of using blogs in the foreign language classroom and to help foreign language teachers interested in increasing learner autonomy among their own learners. ...
Article
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Employing an explanatory sequential design, the present study investigated the effect of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) blog-mediated writing instruction on the students' learner autonomy. A number of 46 learners who were the students of two intact classes were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Over a 16-week semester, the control group students (n=21) were taught based on regular in-class writing instruction and the students in the experimental group (n=25) made use of blogs in addition to the traditional in-class writing instruction. The data were collected through administering a learner autonomy instrument, consisting of metacognitive, cognitive, social, and affective components, and conducting semi-structured interviews. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the blog-mediated writing instruction contributed to enhancing learner autonomy of the participants. More specifically, the students who experienced blog-mediated writing activities showed improvement in metacognitive and cognitive components of learner autonomy. The findings offer significant implications for EFL teachers.
... More closely related to the author's interest, Larsari (2011) touts not only the benefit of increased input and output from CMC use, but also the motivating aspects of using computers. Additionally, further findings from research carried out into the effects of CMC on language learners include an increase in interest and motivation, partly due to the interaction involved (Pinkman, 2005). In accordance with the Interaction Hypothesis, conditions favourable to L2 acquisition are also created through the use of CMC (Hata, 2003). ...
... d) the opportunities for rapid, frequent non-judgemental feedback. Bourques (2006) and Grimes-MacLellan (2015) found SCMC to improve levels of motivation while Tsukamoto et al. (2009) and Pinkman (2005) found the same to be true of ACMC. ACMC has additionally been found to lower foreign language learners' anxiety levels (Arnold, 2007), which according to Krashen's (1982) Affective Filter Hypothesis, increases the efficacy of SLA. ...
... The results show that learners enjoyed increased interest and motivation to use English due to interaction with, and feedback from, classmates and teachers. Of the 10 learners involved, only one stated they would not like to continue blogging (Pinkman, 2005). Finally, during a Weblog intervention in Malaysia among 108 undergraduate engineering students taking a reading course, results showed students were highly motivated to participate in discussions through the blog; however, motivation to participate in subsequent classroom discussions was not affected (Sulaiman & Kassim, 2010). ...
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Students in Japan have little opportunity to communicate with foreigners. They spend most of their time studying to pass tests. Many teachers and researchers alike, worry about the troubling phenomenon of demotivation, among JHS English learners. This research investigated a group of 25 grade 8 students at a private junior high school in Hiroshima, Japan. It was intended to ascertain whether offering students an opportunity to communicate with native English speakers at a private school in Australia would improve motivation to learn English. The research identified, by using questionnaires, whether students were intrinsically or extrinsically motivated and to what extent they possessed integrative or instrumental orientations. It also identified the causality of any demotives present. A short one month intervention was then carried out to assess the effects of using asynchronous computer mediated communication (ACMC) to improve students’ motivation to study English. Students in Japan were matched with students in Australia in a private blog accessible to the pair of students as well as teachers from both schools. Students were requested to write a blog on a chosen topic in a single 50 minute period in the IT room. Students were then able to communicate freely until the following week’s lesson in the IT room when they would be asked to write about the next topic. This intervention lasted 4 weeks. The research found that the students have a multifaceted motivational makeup. The students possess higher levels of intrinsic motivation and the students who self-assessed that they were ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ motivated possess high levels of intrinsic motivation. The students showed little signs of demotivation although they expressed a lack of opportunity to communicate as one such source. Students largely possess an instrumental orientation with no sign of what Gardner (1985) coined an integrated orientation - longing to integrate with an L2 community, whether through travel, migration or merely watching movies or listening to music in the L2. In fact, students highlighted a stark preference to integrate with Western nationalities in particular. Overall, student motivation levels increased after the intervention in 13 of the 25 students. A lack of enthusiasm from the partner school students in Australia is thought to have caused this lack of increase in some students.
... To create an efficient learning ambiance, EFL teachers need to focus more on the core principles of the learning community such as integration of curriculum, active learning, student engagement, and student responsibility (Darabi, 2006 ). Speaking about its educational potential, Pinkman (2005) suggests that blogs can provide interesting, authentic, and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in the EFL classroom. Blogs can also encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Yang, 2009). ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
Conference Paper
Summary Movement maintains the vitality of the whole body. Regular physical activity, prolongs life and reduces mortality of the human population from chronic diseases. This trend can be especially noticeable in the age group of 50 to 70 years. Regular exercise, starting from school age, in addition to maintaining health, also helps in faster recovery after illness. However, the „amount“ of physical activity should - must be properly dosed. Inadequate „dosing” of physical activity has two opposites. In one case, this may delay the onset of the disease or the disease itself may have minor consequences for the human body. Otherwise, it can cause the onset of injury or illness. Therefore, a careful approach is needed, knowledge of how the human body functions, but also the etymology of various diseases. Education on movement dosing, requires the unity of different institutions in terms of providing conditions for exercise and movement of the entire population, as well as developing a strategy with clearly set goals. All of the above can significantly improve the health of the entire population. Key words: Movement, determination of load, positive changes Sažetak Kretanje održava vitalnost cijelog tijela. Redovna tjelesna aktivnost, u principu produžava život i smanjuje stopu smrtnosti od hroničnih nezaraznih bolesti. Tvrdnja se posebno odnosi na starosnu životnu dob od 50 do 70 godina. Redovna tjelovježba, počev od školskog doba, osim što održava zdravlje pomaže i kod bržeg oporavka nakon bolesti. Obim kretne aktivnosti treba biti doziran na odgovarajući način. Neadekvatno „doziranje“ kretne aktivnosti ima dva međusobno suprotna kraja. U pozitivnom smislu-može spriječiti nastanak oboljenja, umanjiti posljedice bolesti i ubrzati oporavak, dok u negativnom-može olakšati nastanak oboljenja ili produžiti vrijeme oporavka nakon oboljenja. Zbog toga se i zahtijeva oprezan pristup, dobro poznavanje funkcionisanja ljudskog organizma, ali i poznavanje načina nastajanja povreda ili oboljenja. Nastavnim procesom tjelesnog i zdravstvenog odgoja, ostvaruju se pozitivni utjecaji na organizam, pri čemu se procesom vježbanja stimuliše razvoj morfološko-motoričkog prostora i razvijaju funkcionalne sposobnosti, što posredno utječe na razvoj drugih organskih sistema. Educiranje o doziranju kretanja, navikavanje na redovno vježbanje, obezbjeđenje uslova za vježbanje i kretanje, kao i izrada strategije sa jasno postavljenim ciljevima, mogu značajno unaprijediti zdravlje cjelokupne populacije. Ključne riječi: Kretanje, opterećenje, pozitivne promjene
... To create an efficient learning ambiance, EFL teachers need to focus more on the core principles of the learning community such as integration of curriculum, active learning, student engagement, and student responsibility (Darabi, 2006 ). Speaking about its educational potential, Pinkman (2005) suggests that blogs can provide interesting, authentic, and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in the EFL classroom. Blogs can also encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Yang, 2009). ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
Conference Paper
Summary This paper discusses the impact of physical exercise on overall health. Physical or kinesiological activity is part of general upbringing and education, but still a large number of people are not aware of its importance. It is needed by both adults and children to strengthen, build coordination, self-confidence or lead a healthy life in general. Thanks to physical activity, bone-connective, neuromuscular and other organic systems are developed and maintained, so it is necessary to "dose" various forms of kinesiological activity in the right way. Inadequate determination of physical activity could, instead of positive ones, cause negative consequences for the organism. Civilizational "benefits" have resulted in hypokinesia, overweight, or nervous tension that is not conducive to either developing or maintaining the health of the population. In order to overcome the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, it is necessary to develop the habit of physical exercise, otherwise, as a result of physical inactivity, even more chronic non-communicable diseases will occur, which are already the main cause of health problems in the developed world. Key words: health, movement, load, recommendations Sažetak U ovom radu govori se o utjecaju tjelesnog vježbanja na cjelokupno zdravlje. Tjelesna odnosno kineziološka aktivnost dio je općeg odgoja i obrazovanja, ali još uvijek veliki broj ljudi nije svjestan njenog značaja. Potrebna je kako odraslima tako i djeci kako bi ojačali, izgradili koordinaciju, samopouzdanje ili uopšte vodili zdrav život. Zahvaljujući kretnoj aktivnosti razvijaju se i održavaju koštano-vezivni, živčano-mišićni i drugi organski sistemi, tako da je neophodno razne oblike kineziološke aktivnosti na pravilan način „dozirati“. Neadekvatno određivanje kretne aktivnosti moglo bi umjesto pozitivnih, uzrokovati negativne posljedice po organizam. Civilizacijski „benefiti“ rezultirali su hipokinezijom, prekomjernom težinom ili živčanom napetosti što ne pogoduje niti razvoju niti održavanju zdravlja populacije. Kako bi se prevazišli negativni efekti sjedalačkog načina života, potrebno je razvijati naviku o tjelesnom vježbanju, u suprotnom, kao rezultat tjelesne neaktivnosti, nastati će još više hroničnih nezaraznih bolesti, koje su već sada glavni uzrok zdravstvenih problema razvijenog dijela svijeta. Ključne riječi: zdravlje, kretanje, opterećenje, preporuke
... To create an efficient learning ambiance, EFL teachers need to focus more on the core principles of the learning community such as integration of curriculum, active learning, student engagement, and student responsibility (Darabi, 2006 ). Speaking about its educational potential, Pinkman (2005) suggests that blogs can provide interesting, authentic, and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in the EFL classroom. Blogs can also encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Yang, 2009). ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
... Campbell (2003) defined three types of blogs used in foreign language classes: the tutor blog, administered by the teacher to provide reading practice to the students, convey the course and syllabus information, assign tasks and homework, provide links to websites useful for selfstudy, etc.; the class blog, run by both teacher and learners and mainly used as a cyber environment for discussions and students' publishings; the learner blog, as the students' own personal online space appropriate for reading and writing contexts and students' self-study. If In language learning, blogging has been experimentally used for the development of writing skills (Pinkman, 2005), and many studies have recorded its positive outcomes and the improvement of the English writing skills among ESL learners (Downess, 2004;Hall & Davison, 2007;Pinkman, 2005). Ward (2004) implemented a blog project into his reading/ writing class at the tertiary level and concluded that blogging can serve as an alternative way to teach and assess authentic writing and reading skills and also increase students' interest in learning. ...
Conference Paper
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The education system is facing great challenges due to the unexpected epidemiological situation caused by the COVID-19 virus, which has hit the whole world. The aim of this research is to examine and determine the manner of implementation of online teaching of sports activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. 1000 students from the University of Sarajevo participated in the research. The method used is a survey questionnaire. Based on the obtained data, we can conclude that classes in sports activities are mostly realized online. 82.4% of students state that most teachers don’t perform sports activity exercises online, but only send certain theoretical assignments. Although 100% of the respondents believe that sports activities are important for health and that it is necessary to exercise at least 60 minutes a day, 61% believe that sports activities are less important than other subjects. 58.1% believes that the content of exercises from sports activities cannot be successfully realized online. 58.8% of respondents believe that the contents of exercises from sports activities can be realized at home. 77.9% of respondents believe that there are difficulties in implementation of the content of these exercises for those who live in an apartment. The students listed various difficulties they encountered. 45.5% of respondents believe that props for performing these exercises can be made and improvised in various ways. The contents of exercises from sports activities that the respondents believe cannot be realized online at home or in the apartment are martial arts, swimming, some natural forms of movement, athletics, sports games, rhythmic gymnastics, obstacle courses, most elementary games. 60.8% of respondents believe that the best way to implement online classes in sports activities is a live demonstration. It can be concluded that exercises from sports activities can be realized online, but that depends on the creativity of each teacher. Key words: challenges; online teaching; students; sports activities; health, COVID-19.
... Whatever the definition, blogging is a widely used ICT application in language teaching for increasing reading and writing competences (Dizon & Thanyawatpokin, 2018). Since the beginning of the century, a good number of local, usually small-scale studies have been conducted to test the integration of blogs in the teaching and learning process in the foreign language classroom (Arslan & Şahin-Kızıl, 2010;Campbell, 2003Campbell, , 2004Fithriani et al., 2020;Montaner, 2017;Pinkman, 2005;Ward, 2004;Zhang, 2009). These analyses focus on foreign language training and the beneficial use of blogs to increase competence acquisition. ...
... Analysis of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews revealed that students found Blogger to be effective in promoting their writing fluency and "their awareness of writing for audience" (p.87). In the same vein, Pinkman's (2005) qualitative study researched the usefulness of using blogs in the foreign language classroom. Findings suggested that learners regarded the use of blogs as positive. ...
Article
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Blogging has become very popular in different educational fields, including second language teaching. This article arises from the need to research the impact that the implementation of blogging has on the acquisition of certain language competences. The main objective of the study was to research the impact of the use of blogging on the development of writing skills in the foreign language (L2). Students, divided into four groups, were asked to write a number of descriptive essays in which they could reflect both on the theoretical and practical contents seen in class. Using statistical tools such as Coh-Metrix to establish the errors that Spanish engineering undergraduates make when writing in English, the metrics of their texts were compared to the metrics resulting from a set of reference texts. Findings revealed that the use of blogging was positive in the four different groups. The high correlation between the grades awarded to students' essays by the teachers and those given by the Coh-Metrix tool showed its effectiveness in the study of the linguistic and discursive indices of the English texts produced by students.
... More clearly, advanced communications technologies are widely regarded as a potential tool to enhance teaching and learning writing skill (Hyland, 2003).Additionally, Hewett (2000) emphasized on the positive roles of blogs played of grammar fluency and proficiency improvement. As a fact, students" motivation and interest in writing and reading are increased, and "the autonomy and independence of learners is promoted with the employment of blogging in the context of learners has been confirmed by recent studies" (Pinkman, 2005;Zhang, 2009, p.52). ...
... Likewise, Pinkman (2005) emphasizes that blogs a tool for developing writing skills and to provide a practicing environment that enables students to think, reflect, and create language slowly with their peers. It is time to say that blogs do not need learners to be skilled users of blogs technology, it needs a little knowledge such as adding, copy, cut and paste, insert images and audios, etc. Blogs have huge important tools for second language teaching and learning. ...
... Among the most common types of such techniques in ELT are portfolio assessment, personal response assessments such as journals, reading logs, videos of role plays and presentations, asynchronous Blogs: A blog is an online site that allows learners to improve their written communication skills as they can draft their work, edit, and conduct updates. Blogs provide a space for students to practice language created for a real audience (Pinkman, 2005) and encourage substantial language production and stimulate motivation for learning (Sun, 2009). Some LMSs include blogs as a tool and enable teachers to set up blogs for individual or collaborative group tasks. ...
Article
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This study aimed to explore English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perceptions regarding alternative e-assessments in the Turkish tertiary level context. The study utilized semi-structured interviews with a sample of EFL instructors from 17 higher education institutions in Türkiye. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify emerging themes. The results revealed varying perceptions about alternative e-assessments, with six primary themes emerging: impact on learning, workload, academic integrity, digital technology, grading and feedback, and assessment competence. Overall, this qualitative study provides valuable insights into the perceptions of EFL teachers regarding alternative e-assessments, highlighting key areas of concern. The study emphasizes the need to address these concerns in professional development programs that provide teachers with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement alternative e-assessments. The results also have implications for the development of effective assessment policies and procedures, optimizing educational practices in the digital age.
... As mentioned in relation to the first research question, the section entitled 'Do you want to know something about me?' was the most propitious one for social networking and hence for the construction of new learner knowledge. There was one instance if which the beneficiary of new knowledge provided by a learner was actually the blog administrator, reversing the traditional student and teacher roles as knowledge recipient and provider respectively and indicating that blogging can foster learner empowerment and independence (see Pinkman 2005). The absence of reconstruction-of-existingknowledge episodes may be due to the fact that the process of knowledge reconstruction implies a deeper analysis of the cultural elements involved in the notions of self-ness and other-ness than these students were ready to embark on at the time data were collected. ...
Article
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Within the last twenty years, large electronic corpora have become an invaluable resource for linguists of all kind of specializations. In an attempt to draw our attention to the significance of corpus linguistics for a sociolinguist and/or discourse analyst investigating English medical consultations, the paper outlines the history of corpus-linguistic practice in general, and then it proceeds to more specific corpora-related issues, focusing, among others, on the British National Corpus (BNC) and its informative and technological value for the analysis of doctor –patient communication.
... For instance, Kashani et al. (2013) found that using blogging in the writing class motivated the EFL students to write more eagerly because they probably enjoyed learning using innovation compared to old traditional activities. In addition, students got other advantages, such as increased motivation to use more accurate and complex English after having immense interaction with their peers and teacher as indicated by Pinkman's (2005) study. Dizon (2016) revealed that smartphones and tablets stimulate them to work harder outside the classroom anytime and anywhere. ...
Article
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Integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into language learning has shifted how English classes are administered. The shift in teaching instruction from pen and paper-based activities to online-based approaches has led to interactive blogging to make the classes more authentic, motivating, and communicative. Thus, this paper mainly examines two significant issues: 1) how interactive blogging benefited the writing class when online feedback took place and 2) how the EFL students actively participated in the interactive blogging atmospheres. This study employed school-based action research involving 30 students majoring in the English Language Program of a university in Malang, Indonesia, who actively participated in the study. The data were taken from interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and writing tests. The findings revealed that online feedback in interactive blogging increases students’ writing performance covering CAF (complexity, accuracy, and fluency), and it enables students to interact more frequently with their teacher and classmates inside and outside the classroom. This indicates that teachers must empower students with technologies and more student-student and student-teacher interactions in writing classes. However, it is not as easy as paper and pen-based writing activities when giving and understanding online feedback.
... In ELT, blogging is a technological tool for interacting with people from all around the world (Pinkman, 2018) which can be used to facilitate writing skills, particularly content development in higher education context (Dowling, 2013). While blogging, students might be given a treatment that can optimize the success of writing activities on that platform. ...
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The purpose of this study is to assess students' writing abilities using dictogloss and blogging. It involved 24 students from vocational colleges and incorporated five audio scripts from Hughes and Naunton's "Students Book of Business Results (Intermediate)" (2008). It employed a mixed method in the form of a quasi-experimental. The data was acquired using questionnaires and interviews. The students were divided into two groups: half were assigned to the control group, while the other half were assigned to the experimental group, which received training while the control group did not. The experimental group achieved a score of 59, whereas the control group achieved an average score of 41. Future research should look in depth at how creatively tertiary vocational college students think, especially through listening activities.
... Yet, through this approach they were able to identify the benefits that the CWB project brings to them. Pinkman (2005) says that weblogs can provide interesting, authentic and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in language classroom and they can also be used to encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Gunduz, 2016;Yang, 2009). Indeed, the Collaborative Weblog Based Project (CWB) approach is effective in the teaching of writing among the university senior students taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English. ...
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We are very happy to publish this issue of the International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research. The International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research is a peer-reviewed open-access journal committed to publishing high-quality articles in the field of education. Submissions may include full-length articles, case studies and innovative solutions to problems faced by students, educators and directors of educational organisations. To learn more about this journal, please visit the website http://www.ijlter.org. We are grateful to the editor-in-chief, members of the Editorial Board and the reviewers for accepting only high quality articles in this issue. We seize this opportunity to thank them for their great collaboration. The Editorial Board is composed of renowned people from across the world. Each paper is reviewed by at least two blind reviewers. We will endeavour to ensure the reputation and quality of this journal with this issue.
... Therefore, in this digital information era, students need to possess digital literacy skill and one of them is weblog. According to Pinkman (2005) blogs can provide interesting, authentic and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in language classroom and they can also be used to encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Yang, 2009). ...
Article
Today, we live in a dynamic digital world where both educators and students are challenged with the ever changing technological developments. Thus, this research was aimed at investigating the development of students’ writing and digital literacy through weblog. The sample of the study was 20 students of the fourth semester English study program of Tridinanti University Palembang. The researchers used purposive sampling as the way of choosing the sample because the sample is taught by the researchers in writing class. The researchers applied quasi-experimental design in term of pretest-posttest non equivalent group design. Moreover, there are three types of data collection used by the researchers; they are test, questionnaire and observation. After the study, it was found out that the results of posttest between experiment and control group show significant difference with t value of posttest was 11.739, sig 0.000 while t value of gain score was 7.671, sig 0.000. Accordingly, all aspects of writing both posttest and gain score show significant differences. Furthermore, it was also found that the developments of digital literacy components from the highest to the lowest are as follows: 1) information sources (36%), 2) digital competencies (23%), 3) attitude and perspective (24%), and 4) basic ICT skill (17%). The results indicate that the concept of digital library in this study encouraged students’ knowledge about information sources. The highest progress made by the students from the observation results was in students’ basic ICT skill then followed by digital competencies because the number of the students who were in excellent category was almost or closely above 50% for these two components. Meanwhile, though attitude and perspective and information sources also increased still they were not as high as other two components as there was only small number of the students who were in excellent category. The results reveal that weblog is effective to develop students’ writing and digital literacy. In addition, students showed positive views because using blog was very interesting and it provided more cooperation between lecturer and students.Keywords : weblog; ICT; writing literacy; digital literacy.AbstrakSaat ini, kita hidup di dunia digital yang dinamis di mana dosen dan masiswa ditantang dengan perkembangan teknologi yang terus berubah. Dengan demikian, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menyelidiki perkembangan tulisan mahasiswa dan literasi digital melalui weblog. Sampel penelitian ini adalah 20 mahasiswa dari program studi bahasa Inggris semester empat Universitas Tridinanti Palembang. Para peneliti menggunakan purposive sampling sebagai cara memilih sampel karena sampel diajarkan oleh para peneliti di kelas menulis. Para peneliti menerapkan desain quasi-eksperimental dalam hal desain kelompok non-setara pretest-posttest. Selain itu, ada tiga jenis pengumpulan data yang digunakan oleh para peneliti; mereka adalah tes, kuesioner dan observasi. Setelah penelitian, ditemukan bahwa hasil posttest antara eksperimen dan kelompok kontrol menunjukkan perbedaan yang signifikan dengan nilai t postes adalah 11,739, sig 0,000 sedangkan t nilai skor gain adalah 7,671, sig 0,000. Dengan demikian, semua aspek penulisan posttest dan gain score menunjukkan perbedaan yang signifikan. Selain itu, juga ditemukan bahwa perkembangan komponen literasi digital dari yang tertinggi ke yang terendah adalah sebagai berikut: 1) sumber informasi (36%), 2) kompetensi digital (23%), 3) sikap dan perspektif (24% , dan 4) keterampilan dasar TIK (17%). Hasil menunjukkan bahwa konsep perpustakaan digital dalam penelitian ini mendorong pengetahuan mahasiswa tentang sumber informasi. Kemajuan tertinggi yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa dari hasil pengamatan adalah dalam keterampilan TIK dasar mahasiswa kemudian diikuti oleh kompetensi digital karena jumlah siswa yang berada dalam kategori sangat baik hampir atau hampir di atas 50% untuk dua komponen ini. Sementara itu, meskipun sikap dan perspektif dan sumber-sumber informasi juga meningkat, namun tidak setinggi dua komponen lainnya karena hanya ada sedikit mahasiswa yang berada dalam kategori sangat baik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa weblog efektif untuk mengembangkan tulisan dan literasi digital mahasiswa. Selain itu, mahasiswa menunjukkan pandangan positif karena menggunakan blog sangat menarik dan memberikan lebih banyak kerja sama antara dosen dan mahasiswa.Kata kunci : weblog: TIK, literasi tulisan; literasi digital
... Yet, through this approach they were able to identify the benefits that the CWB project brings to them. Pinkman (2005) says that weblogs can provide interesting, authentic and communicative resources that can serve a variety of purposes in language classroom and they can also be used to encourage interaction among students and between teachers and students (Gunduz, 2016;Yang, 2009). Indeed, the Collaborative Weblog Based Project (CWB) approach is effective in the teaching of writing among the university senior students taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English. ...
Article
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Advancements in educational technology have kept teaching and learning undisrupted during unprecedented times. Individual and collaborative web-based learning activities have addressed language teachers’ dilemma on how to approach teaching and learning remotely. Weblogging characterised by online journals has been considered to address students’ difficulty in mastering writing as a productive skill. In this study, the effectiveness of a collaborative weblog-based (CWB) project approach was explored. Utilising a quasi-experimental design, 56 English pre-service teachers enrolled in a state university were purposively selected to be the study participants. The validated pre-post-test questionnaire, course syllabus, lesson exemplars, and scoring rubric were used to gather the needed data on students’ writing skills. Results of the paired t-test revealed a significant increase in the three aspects: organisation, elaboration and grammar, usage and mechanics. The CWB project approach is an alternative way to improve students’ writing performance. It is recommended that CWB project may be used by teachers handling writing courses and other related disciplines to address writing proficiency.
... Other studies have also shown that wikis motivate many students to write well and improve writing ability in EFL classes through working together (Grant, 2006). Many researchers point out that wikis are helpful in reducing students' fear of EFL writing (Ducate & Lomicka, 2008;Pinkman, 2005). -students had positive attitudes towards using wikis in learning. ...
... In language learning, blogging can be used as a tool to develop writing skills, and while not a substitute for face-to-face communication, it can provide a practical environment for students and practitioners. A blog [15] allows you to think, reflect and slowly build a language for a real audience. ...
Article
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Living in today's age of technology, we have witnessed great and rapid changes in the world of online learning for different purposes and in different industries. In this review, 3 theories were examined-the Community of Investigative (CoI) model established by Anderson, Garrison & Archer (2000), Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) being a proposed theory by Linda Harasim (2004) and Terry Anderson (2011) models, and 20 literatures to assess their influence on learning and the learners' community. All theories focused on the learner and the learning environment. Based on these theories, blogging can bring purification and release stress, depression, and emotional challenges in everyday life while studying, building strong bonds with each other. Additionally, participating in a blog can provide a sense of belonging and community; it allows us to share our deepest beliefs and feelings about a particular issue because we know they will be better understood and accessible to hard-to-reach offenders. People who face educational, logistical or temporal barriers geographically, want to remain anonymous, or need the convenience of learning new things.
... They also indicated that reading the posts of other students allowed them to recognize variations in vocabulary and grammar. It was apparent that exposure to the authentic language use by the UKS had a positive effect on the English learning of the JUS, which supports the findings of previous studies (Pinkman, 2005;Chen & Brown, 2012;Gardner, 2013) that asynchronous text-based online communication is beneficial for learning English writing. ...
Article
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This practical report describes the design and implementation of an asynchronous online written communication activity connecting EFL students in Japan with JFL (Japanese as a Foreign Language) students in the UK through an educational social networking site. The achievements and issues of the activity are assessed based on the qualitative perceptions of the EFL students. It was found that this form of authentic communication with the JFL students contributed to the motivation of the EFL students to learn and that the online activity helped them understand the importance of the careful usage of grammar, vocabulary, and writing for successful interaction. On the other hand, the findings concerning student understanding of a different culture indicated that the EFL students tended to gain only a surface-level understanding of popular cultural events from their JFL counterparts, which might lead to the formation of cultural stereotypes. It is evident that advanced cultural information exchange that inspires critical awareness and avoids promoting stereotypes is challenging when the communicating with novice language learners.
... It has been claimed that blogs help to develop learner autonomy and grammatical awareness (Harwood, 2010;Illés, 2012) as well as provide opportunities forpeer learning and collaboration (Dieu, 2004;Trajtemberg & Yiakoumetti, 2011). Hewett (2000) and Pelletieri (2000) emphasize its positive effects on improving grammar proficiency and fluency .An emerging body of studies and reviews on the use of blog peer feedback ineducational contexts have recently been attracted a great deal of research attention in development of EFL skills.Therefore, no surprise, a number of research studies have explored the use of blogs inEFL teaching and learning (Harwood, 2010;Pinkman, 2005;Ward, 2004, Zhang, 2009. ...
Article
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Abstract This paper attempts to provide the outcomes resulted by using Blogs in teaching Academic Writing course to 75 freshmen students of three faculties at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh. Students shared their experiences and posted writing assignments on the blogs as an online portfolio. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to collect and analyze the data including pre-tests and post-tests which were mainly gathered through students’ writings posted to the blogs, peer feedback, questionnaire and interviews. The findings showed that the participants made quite outstanding participations-sharing, discussing and arguing in English successively. Further, the findings of the study reveal that collaborative learning made them more dynamic on language fluency and grammatical accuracy and provided experience of receiving and providing peer feedback using blogs that was integrated into an online instruction of teaching and learning. The findings and discussion of this paper may assist practitioners in implementing blog for peer feedback process and designing suitable activities for the use in EEL classrooms. Keywords: Blog, Collaborative, Academic writing, Students, EFL, and Perceptions
... Lee, , 2012. Blogs have been suggested to be a motivating tool in foreign language instruction (Gorąca-Sawczyk, 2013) that can help increase learners' interest in the target language (Pinkman, 2005) While it has been pointed out that blogging may not be beneficial for all learners (Chen, 2015), when designed carefully blog activities can provide learning opportunities that enhance and complement existing classwork. For example, blogging can allow students to think more deeply about the cultural topics that were discussed in class or issues they encountered during their time in the target country. ...
Article
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In spite of the superior effects of semester- or year-long educational experiences abroad, the majority of students prefers short-term study abroad for which participation numbers are steadily rising. Due to the increased student interest in short-term study abroad options, investigations into how a short stay abroad can be designed to maximize learning outcomes for participants are important. While some studies suggest that technology can have negative impacts on language learning during study abroad, effective inclusion of technology can maximize learning. This article summarizes the results of three years of research investigating the effects of daily online journaling during an intensive German summer program on second language (L2) learners’ writing skills during an intensive German summer program. The context of the program will be described along with the rationale for including online journaling assignments. The study investigates whether there is a relationship between the amount students wrote in their daily blogs and their writing development, and whether students’ linguistic progress can be traced in their journal posts. Lastly, the article will provide a pedagogical evaluation of the benefits of incorporating journaling or blogging in short-term study abroad programs and present suggestions for successful projects. The terms journaling and blogging are used interchangeably in this manuscript; while a blog was used as the journal platform in this project, a different format than a blog can serve the same purpose of providing a space for reflective journaling for students.
... The findings of the research paper revealed that EFL students had a good attitude and perception toward applying blogs for EFL major writing classes at Qassim University. Pinkman, (2005) conducts research to identify the effect of using blogs in the foreign tongue lecture hall and to support foreign language experts. Arab World English Journal www.awej.org ...
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In the contemporary information era, we enjoy many innovations and advancements in the domain of digital technology and informatics are manifest. The weblog is one of the innovations that help students find chances to practice written translation outside the lecture hall. Over recent years the facet and the aspect of teaching translation in tertiary and college education have changed. In the knowledge era, the traditional lecture method of teaching translation has been replaced by web 2.0 technology such as weblogs. The current research paper mainly purports to extrapolate the perceptions of written translations of female students toward the effect of utilizing the weblog technology to enhance their written translation performance and to evidence the merits of employing the weblog in translation learning and practice. The critical significance of this study is how perceived weblogs' effects on improving written translation performance. The main question of this study is: what type of perceptions do translation students have towards the impact of utilizing weblog technology to enhance their written translation performance? Moreover, to accomplish the objective of the study, the two researchers used a descriptive research method. Information gathering was collected by a questionnaire of fifteen items based on a four-point Likert Scale. Fifty students were selected randomly from King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia, majoring in translation. The study evinces that female students of written translation have a positive attitude toward applying weblogs in registered translation classes. The study also shows that there is development in translation for female students' written translation performance to translate innovatively and artistically. It has been found that utilizing the weblog technology in written translation has many merits. For example, selected translation female students' translation performance is enhanced,and collaborative learning of written translation is boosted. Based on the findings, the study recommended utilizing the weblog platform in written translation merging it with in-person instruction, i.e., in-person besides synchronous and asynchronous, affected female students' written translation performance.
... Ducate and Lomicka (2008) further found that blogging fosters creativity and ownership among students and provides them the opportunity to expand their cultural knowledge beyond the textbook setting. Pinkman and Gakuin (2005) revealed that blogs are useful for encouraging ELT students to communicate in the target language; blogs increase students' motivation and interest to communicate and thus to blog further after the semester ends. And finally, Sun (2009) demonstrated that students view voice blogging, blogging aurally rather than in writing, as an effective way to learn, self-present, exchange information and network socially with others as a part of the L2 learning process. ...
Article
Second language teaching strategies have long evolved with changes in educational technology. In today’s Web 2.0 environment, we strive to ensure students richly participate in computer-mediated communicative (CMC) activities so as to expand students’ target language and/or target culture knowledge. One key element lacking in the literature is the importance of knowing who our students are in relation to what they do in the CMC environment. The Big Five personality inventory has previously helped researchers to identify the association of openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness with social Internet use, particularly highlighting that those who choose to blog are high in extraversion and high in neuroticism. This present study of cross-cultural blogging in a L2 teaching methods course tracked students’ blogging habits and commentary in conjunction with an analysis of their personality types. This mixed-methods study revealed that openness and conscientiousness were the strongest predictors of interaction in CMC cross-cultural discussions. As we engage students in blogging, unveiling the role of personality will help educators to enhance interaction and learning within CMC cultural discussions. Knowing how personality types can impact participation can allow for improved course and activity design and enhance active and engaged conversation to the benefit of all.
... It focuses on organizing different activities to transform the classroom into a social experience. Montaner-Villalba (2020) proposes the use of blogging, noting that there is significant empirical research on blogging in the ESP classroom in universities (Murray & Hourigan 2008;Pinkman 2005;Bran 2009;Awada & Ghaith 2014;Patel 2015) to refer to. When teaching terminology (from any field), any kind of memorization should be avoided. ...
Article
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Terminology is one of the key language elements in the development of communicative competence in any language for specific purposes course. Tourism, as any other field of knowledge, predisposes certain specifics in its terminology. The aim of this paper is to establish a model for effective implementation of LTP (language for tourism purposes) in a university tourism-related language course. To reach this aim tourism terminology typology has been investigated via literature review and a study of the characteristics of tourism terminology and its teaching from both teachers' and students' perspectives, conducted at the University of Primorska, The results are shown in a model of LTP terminology implementation that suggests methods and activities in teaching tourism terminology which tends to be rather multidisciplinary, internationalised and (de)terminologised. The findings are not limited solely to tourism-related foreign language courses but could be adapted to any LSP university course.
... Moreover, feedback from peers help blog members develop critical thinking skills. Furthermore, students' attitude to blogs as a writing platform is largely positive, and they view it as interesting, unique and creative in comparison to traditional writing (Chen & Brown, 2012;Nguyen, 2012;Pinkman, 2005). Besides, a weblog is empowering for learners since it encourages group learning and collaboration in the blogosphere when students are not in the classroom . ...
Article
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In contrast to the product approach to writing, the process approach entails planning, drafting editing and revising stages. Blog an online platform for practicing process approach has long been used by EFL teachers to develop their students’ writing skill. But in Bangladeshi rural higher education context, its efficacy is yet to be investigated. Hence, the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using blogs to enhance student writing skills at tertiary level at a private university located in a rural area of Bangladesh. It focuses on the advantages of incorporating blogs as a virtual writing platform for teaching writing to a group of students used to the traditional product approach. Research participants were 98 undergraduate level stu�dents of third semester in the Department of English at a private university in Bangladesh. The research method is mixed based on primary and secondary data. Online survey was conducted on 98 participants and the test scores of 25 samples were seen through random sampling techniques. The primary numerical data were analyzed through the Google form and the secondary data were manually analyzed. We found students’ attitude to writing in blogs more positive in comparison with the traditional way of writing. Students felt writing in blogs to be more effective and motivating due to its continuous interactive feedback and correction and editing facilities. The test score also indicates gradual development of writing skill. It indicates that in spite of being a new platform to the participants, it can be effective to develop the rural students’ writing skill.
... In the literature of computer assisted language learning (CALL), it is often emphasized that telecollaboration can stimulate students' intercultural competence (Kabilan et al., 2010;Klimanova & Dembovskaya, 2010;Lee & Markey, 2014;Liaw & Bunn-Le Master, 2010;Dugartsyrenova & Sardegna, 2019). Moreover, many previous studies have asserted that it can help develop English language skills (Lee, 2004;Pinkman, 2005;Chen & Brown, 2012;Gardner, 2013) and nurture autonomy in language learning (O'Dowd, 2007;O'Dowd & Waire, 2009;Coutinho, 2016). In this way, telecollaboration serves as a beneficial tool for foreign language teaching and learning. ...
Article
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Telecollaboration using social networking sites (SNSs) allows students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) to communicate and collaborate online with native English speakers (NESs) easily in the present global communities. Furthermore, researchers realize that telecollaboration contributes to cultivating learners’ intercultural understanding, developing foreign language skills, and activating learner autonomy. There is a risk of practitioners facing several unforeseen obstacles during the process of designing telecollaborative projects; however, these difficulties can be solved with careful consideration and planning. This paper therefore presents important elements that contribute to successful telecollaboration in EFL teaching and learning, highlighting asynchronous text-based telecollaboration using SNSs that are user-friendly and allow the promotion of close relationships between peers. The paper further describes critical components in the three program phases—preparation, implementation, and assessment.
... Additionally, there is a possibility to link one's classroom with another classroom somewhere else in the world. It is the way to open for communicates with Bloggers outside the classroom (Pinkman, 2005). This technology enables the learner to learn at anytime from anywhere, time and space will not be a constraint. ...
Article
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Blog provides opportunities for students to learn autonomously as they take more control of their learning and it enables teachers to augment instruction by providing effective teaching and learning platforms. This experimental study explores the efficacy of Blog based learning by adopting pre-test, post-test parallel-group design. The researcher has chosen eighty eleventh-standard students as a sample from a Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore. During the experimentation for the control group, the conventional method of teaching followed whereas, for the experimental group Blog based learning was adopted. The content taken for learning was the concept of Gravitation and Space Science from the eleventh standard Physics textbook of the Tamilnadu state board syllabus. The post-test was administered for both control and experimental groups at end of the treatment. After one-month gap, the retention test was administered for both groups to know the memory retention of the learner. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and differential statistics. In this study, the students learned Physics effectively through Blog based learning rather than the conventional method of teaching.
... It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject. Due to blog features that easy to use interface, frequent text update, and interactive comment field, most teachers and lecturers applied their blogs to reading and writing classes (Oravec, 2002;Wilder & Merritt, 2004;Pinkman, 2005;Richardson, 2009;Sun, 2009). Based on Lin, Groom and Lin (2013) The use of BALL in the classroom was perceived as a way of learning writing by doing a journaling. ...
Article
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Improving students’ writing skill at higher education level in Indonesia through using technology becomes a primary attention given by the researchers. Blog-Assisted Language Learning (BALL) is one of the best alternative medium of improving students’ writing skill. This BALL is never used by the lecturers who are teaching writing skill to students at State Islamic University of Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to investigate if there is a significant different between students who are taugh by using Bog-Assisted Language Learning (BALL) and without in term of students’ writing skill at State Islamic University of Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Additionally, this study also investigates the students’ response toward the use of BALL in teaching and learning process of writing skill. The study involved 40 third year English students of the State Islamic University of Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh. The study employed quantitative method in collecting the data through pre-and post-writing tests and a set of questionnaire for both groups; experiment and control. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistic. The results showed that the use of BALL in teaching writing improved significantly rather than students who were taught without using BALL. In addition, the majority of students’ response toward the implementation of BALL in teaching writing skill were positive. Therefore, the use of BALL in teaching and learning writing at English Department students of State Islamic University of Ar-Raniry can improve students’ writing skill.
... Moreover, FB has "unique features that offer constructive educational experiences while maintaining privacy and safety" and that the potential of Facebook is "growing every day with new applications" (Blattner & Fiori, 2009, p.8 Lastly, Facebook is considered to be an effective tool in promoting learning. In similar studies, it is confirmed that Facebook has facilitated students' language learning, made a more collaborative class environment and even motivated them to learn (Seitzinger, 2006;Pinkman, 2005;Abu Bakar, 2010;Bakar, 2009). Additionally, students considered Facebook as an innovative learning setting which provided them a novel experience in learning English writing. ...
Article
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Facebook is a website that allows users who sign-up for free profiles, to connect online with friends, work colleagues, or strangers while providing prospects to share pictures, music, videos, and articles, as well as their thoughts and opinions with people they prefer. Considering its capacity to build networks out of various types of interest groups among young people, this study strives to investigate the utilization of a Facebook group as a platform for teaching and learning English as a Second Language (ESL). In the present experiment, a sample of 30 intermediate-level ESL learners joined with a Facebook group under the banner “Time for Writing” to learn paragraph writing in English for a period of six weeks. Throughout the period, the teacher presented the lesson material and instruction on paragraph writing via Facebook while assessing students’ writing along with constructive feedback in the same way. Moreover, the students employed the Facebook group to share their work with the entire group including the teacher, correct the work of their peers, and exchange their feedback on each other’s work. After the relevant period, the group of participants assembled in a traditional classroom situation, writing paragraphs by means of the paper-based method. Thus, they were facilitated to compare the Facebook environment and the traditional classroom environment and were expected to provide their feedback on the two types of ESL settings. The findings achieved through a review of their responses to the two respective pedagogical settings, online via social media and classroom with physical amenities and resources, reveal that learning via a Facebook group has benefits in terms of boosting confidence, intensifying motivation, and promoting connected learning, despite a few challenges concerned with distractions and technical problems. Moreover, the results suggest Facebook as an innovative learning setting that is appealing, motivating and full of social interactions which are incredible in comparison to traditional teaching practices. The findings of the study may help ESL educators in incorporating Facebook into their teaching repertoire.
... In 1991, weblogs or "blogs" appeared initially in the internet (Sujud & Rahim, 2013), and the weblogs received more attention in 1999 after the website "Blogger.com" was spread to online networking (Pinkman, 2005). Since then, blogs had rapidly grown and implemented into education. ...
Conference Paper
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Technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) has played an importantly integral tool in providing EFL students with valuable language experiences in language classrooms. Since the introduction of recording machine for pronunciation in 1970s', teaching and learning innovation has been advanced and moved forward with an interesting pace. It is however an unanswered question whether teaching innovation can make any true advantages to Asian students who have typically been familiar with a spoon-feeding learning approach. This study focuses on technology-enabled lessons as a supplemental teaching tool for teaching English writing to EFL university students in a Thai university. Additionally, a discussion is developed on the benefits found in using technology (e.g., web-based lessons, blogs, electronic feedback, and Microsoft Office Word) as a part of writing activities. The researcher is particularly interested in investigating on how Asian students harness technology when they have always been passive learners in schools. The paper thus further illustrates the importance of promoting learner autonomy in Asian EFL context and elaborates the main factors contributing to its development. The author also criticizes on the effectiveness of TELL in an Asian university for future advancement in EFL education.
... Consequently, viewers are welcome to make comments or post messages. Additionally, students can benefit from blogs written by native speakers in so far as to acquire cultural knowledge from a range of different stances (Elola & Oskoz, 2008;Pinkman, 2005). ...
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Today Web 2.0 technologies, including blogs, are presenting both teachers and learners with new horizons in the field of language teaching and learning. A blog is an online journal which can be continuously updated by its users (Matheson, 2004). People can write their views at their own pace without space and time constraints. Blogs aid in the development of interpretive and critical thinking skills. The present study explores how a blog as a computermediated tool engages a group of EFL learners, at a language school in Spain, in reflective and collaborative learning, and argues that personal blogs can motivate students to build on their writing skills through self-reflection and peer feedback. The students had become more careful with planning their task and error correction before submitting their work. Collaborative skills were also fostered through students’ regular interaction on the blogs.
... The analyzed studies are evidences that CALL provides an opportunity to develop "classrooms without walls" (Charlesworth & McKinney, 2005). For instance, using blog provides an opportunity to "explore information, solve problems and promote new pattern for thinking"; it is students centered and peer focused; provides continuous learning outside the classroom; authentic, interesting and communicative (Pinkman, 2005;Bakar, 2009;. Furthermore, through the utilization of corpus as learners' cognition is fully expounded in real-time data concert (Yoon, 2008). ...
... In language learning web blogs have been used experimentally as tools to improve comprehension skills in writing and reading: implications suggest that while web blogs do not substitute face-to-face contact, they should offer a realistic atmosphere where students can focus and construct vocabulary slowly for a real-life audience. (Pinkman, 2005). Web blog have been emerging as a new space to communicate via the internet as online communication. ...
... Armstrong & Retterer, 2008;Arslan & Sahin-Kizil;Koçoğlu, 2009;Liaw & English, 2017), raising cultural awareness (e.g. Elola & Oskoz, 2008;Pinkman, 2005) as well as increasing learner motivation and autonomy and creating a learner-centred learning environment (e.g. Atay & Kurt, 2016;Hew & Brush, 2007;Lindahl & Folkesson, 2010) has been widely recognised in various second/foreign language teaching contexts. ...
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For the last few decades, technology has been commonly integrated into various foreign/second language teaching contexts. A significant amount of research has been conducted to investigate the effects of technology integration on student learning and demonstrated its effectiveness in improving language areas such as grammar and vocabulary and four language skills as well as in raising cultural awareness, increasing student motivation and autonomy and creating a student-centred learning environment. Despite research interest into the use of technology in education, studies depicting technology-integration practices in young learner classrooms are not many in number. The present quasi-experimental study conducted in the Turkish context aimed to investigate whether the completion of technology-mediated tasks would improve young EFL learners’ achievement in listening and reading and writing tests. The analysis of data indicated a higher improvement in the experimental group, compared to the control group who completed traditional homework assignments, but not at a significant level. The study also explored the experimental group learners’ opinions about technologymediated tasks they completed and revealed their self-perceived higher ability in English, enhanced selfefficacy beliefs in technology use and positive attitudes towards technology-mediated tasks.
... Also, a regular feedback can help adjust and improve the online learning experience for students. Foreign languages and FFL teaching oriented research has been found to explore several significant topics including Web2.0 for sustained student focus and motivation (Martínez, 2012;Ducate, Lomicka, 2008;Pinkman, 2005), learning autonomy (Lenkaitis, 2020;Cruaud, 2018;Cappellini et al., 2017), and self-confidence (Bournel-Bosson, Kostov, 2018). Several studies are increasingly exploring the use of social media in informal learning of foreign languages. ...
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The objective of this paper is to explore the adequacy of French as a foreign language (FFL), with specific context to teaching and learning of the beginners' course for the International Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) standards. Specifically, in terms of the impact of coronavirus pandemic on teaching foreign languages. The paper utilized qualitative methodology with the two mediums of direct observation and the open questionnaire. According to the study results, adaptive changes were seen in the curriculum, and these were in accordance with the INEE standards for education in emergencies. For example, revision in the contents, planning and methodologies. More specifically, while the Blackboard platform saw an increase in the new learning materials and written communicative activities in the forum; there was a clear reduction in the oral skills and language practice. Also, in comparison the use of traditional methodology was seen to be higher than the communicative method.
... Additionally, blogs can increase learners' motivation to learn and participate in the foreign language classroom (Garcia Sanchez & Rojas-Lizana, 2012;Lee, 2011;Pinkman, 2005, Sercu, 2013. In this context, Sercu (2013) suggested that blogs have motivational as well as communicative potentials. ...
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This paper is a report on a three-month telecollaboration between two groups of students studying in ISEAH of Sbeitla in Tunisia and SPSU, Atlanta, GA, in the USA. By bringing together students from two culturally and linguistically different environments, the telecollaboration aims at helping them communicate interculturally and raise their intercultural awareness and understanding. By means of a blog, students exchanged, discussed, and compared information about their cultures in the form of stories of which they are the main characters. The telecollaboration was evaluated by means of a questionnaire inquiring about students’ satisfaction with the use of the blog, the knowledge they gained of the foreign culture, their attitudes toward it, and the intercultural communicative skills acquired. The findings revealed participants’ satisfaction with the use of the blog as a means of communication and intercultural learning. It was also found out that students’ development of intercultural communicative competence manifested in their knowledge of the other culture and people, a change in their attitudes towards them, an ability to communicate with culturally different people, and an increased awareness of themselves and the other group.
... In language learning, the blog has been experimentally used as tools to develop writing and reading comprehension skills. The implications indicate that although blogging should not replace face-to-face interaction, it may provide a practice environment where students can think, reflect, and create language slowly for a real-life audience (Pinkman, 2005). It means that the blog should be viewed as the space for the students in generating their ideas, formulate them into texts, and their peers can check each other. ...
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Obtaining English Foreign Language (EFL) students’ views dealing with their preferences of blog to assist their writing skills in practice is needed in order to make them more helpful in writing practice. This research aims at finding out significant correlation between students’ perspective on the use blog in writing activity and their writing performance. It is correlational study that correlates two variables: blog use and writing performance. The result of this research shows that there is no significant correlation between the students’ perception on blog use in writing activities with their writing performances. Although the students have high and positive perception toward blog use in writing actives done by the teacher in the class, it does not give high response to the students’ writing performance. It happens because some extraneous and possible factors may influence the result of this research. Finally, this research is expected to contribute towards enriching teaching approach knowledge in writing.
... Empirical studies have shown that blogging can help students improve their writing skills (Johnson, 2004;Pinkman, 2005;Zhang, 2010;Sun, 2010). It also allows cooperation (if it is done collaboratively), which Nurul Fadilah, Akmal, Kamisah Ariffin Developing Students' Communicative Writing Skills through Blogging 2 enables further improvement in the writing skills. ...
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Blogs have gained popularity among language teachers as a tool to develop students' writing skills. However, using blogs in teaching writing has not been widely practised in Indonesia depite the positive effects on students' learning as reported in the literature. This paper examines the development of students' communicative writing skills through blogging. The data were collected from students' writing based on different themes posted in a class blog over a five-week period. Using Franker's ELT blog rubric as a framework for analysis, the findings were classified into four codes of communicative skills in writing: creativity, critical thinking, voice and comment. The findings indicate a general improvement on the students' communicative skills in writing based on these codes. Students also responded positively towards the use of blogging in developing their communicative skills in writing. Not only blogging helped to develop their minds critically and evaluatively, they were able to write their thoughts and respond to others' point of view freely without the presence of the instructor and fellow friends. Such findings indicate that with advance of technology in education, blogs can be an alternative medium for teaching writing in class, especially in this IR4.0 era.
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Students’ collaboration is essential for the construction of effective,deep, and reflective learning. In the context of computer-mediated learning, students’ collaboration was facilitated by discussion forum. While discussion forum is used among distanced learners, there is still lack of knowledge on what really happens when students participate in the discussion forum. This study shed lights on students’ engagement in three discussion forums of two language skill courses (Speaking 1 and Writing 1) conducted asynchronously. The engagement was measured from (i) students’ posts or comments to see how much students’ participation in the forum, (ii) engagement patterns they formed, and (iii) how such collaboration reflected the phases of practical inquiry in online-mediated learning. Results showed that during online asynchronous seminars, students’ participation was minimal, and teachers’ posts were prevalent, with posts confirming students’ answers. This type of interaction, in turns, resulting in a one-way serial monologue – students did not response to each other posts. Analysis on practical inquiry model also confirmed the findings that students’ engagements were in the level of triggering event by which students only responded to the teacher’s thread and did not respond to each other posts. Students’ exchange of information was not negotiated, thus not allowing students to move forwards to integration and resolution phases. The findings were linked with the tasks set out by the teachers in both courses.
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The use of technology in language learning is not an unfamiliar concept. ‘Weblogs’ or ‘Blogs’ are a type of technological category that allows writing personal journals online that can be published and viewed over the web. Even though blogs are being used for personal, educational, journalistic and commercial purposes worldwide nowadays, it is not a common practice for the non-native English users. This paper shows how blogs can be an effective tool for “English as a Foreign Language”/ “English as a Second Language” (EFL/ESL) users of non-native English speakers in order to improve their English skills. It also explains how blogging not only can help in improving the basic language skills of the blog users, but also in developing their other skills like communicative and critical thinking abilities.
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Integration is always an issue with new technology, and this one is no exception. Amid the pandemic, many education researchers are still questioning whether online learning environments help students become more creative and improve their writing skills. This study uses mixed research methods and aims to examine student engagement in writing using weblogs during COVID 19. Twenty-three online students at computer science faculty of universitas al Asyariah Mandar in Indonesia were treated using weblogs to identify those who were actively involved in their online learning experiences. Furthermore, the researcher uses several indicators to assess this writing, starting from grammar, critical thinking, content of writing, and argumentation. The aim is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how EFL students in the higher education landscape view online learning through weblogs. Analysis of student feedback was carried out quantitatively. The findings of this study explain how EFL students view online learning as the main means of teaching and learning during this critical period. The results showed that by navigating new digital genres such as weblogs, students' engagement and creativity were demonstrated in their behavior during writing. Teaching writing using the internet, which has been shown to have a positive impact on writing, has taken a new direction. Weblogs are used to teach writing, which helps students improve their writing skills, behaviour and creativity.
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The recent advancement of digital technologies has triggered a prominent shift within the field of language education. Considering the teachers' vital roles in adopting modern instructional technologies, this study investigates in-service EFL teachers' TPACK self-efficacy levels, explores the relationship between their TPACK self-efficacy levels and their demographic features and perceptions towards Web 2.0 technologies. Employing a mixed method design, the study collected quantitative and qualitative data in two phases. The quantitative data was collected through an online survey with 227 EFL teachers from various schools. Following the first phase, seven voluntary teachers were interviewed. The findings suggested that participants had a high level of content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, but they reported a relatively low level of self-esteem when the knowledge of technology was included. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between the teachers' TPACK self-efficacy levels and their educational level, school type, perceived digital literacy levels and previous INSET experience on Web 2.0 technologies. A positive and high level of correlation between TPACK self-efficacy of EFL teachers and their Web 2.0 selfperceptions was also reported. Semi-structured interviews demonstrated that despite their favorable perceptions towards Web 2.0 technologies, EFL teachers do not amply utilize Web 2.0 tools in teaching mainly due to their inadequate technological and technological pedagogical knowledge.
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Blogs are widely used in education since their emergence particularly in higher education. This research study investigated the use of educational blogs by students at university level. 100 male and female university students were the sample of this study. Data was collected through a questionnaire and focused group discussions. Descriptive statistics i.e., frequency and percentages, were calculated for the analysis of quantitative data and the qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that students used blogs to get educational ideas and communicate with other people. They used educational blogs and commented on relevant course related posts. In this way, students get knowledge of different subjects through blogs. Students and teachers also used educational blogs to get to know each other better by visiting and reading blogs. Educational blogs help teachers to teach and students to learn. It is suggested that at university and college level there should be workshops and awareness programs for the use of modern technology into education. Teachers should offer blogs related courses at university and college levels. This study also creates awareness among university students about the use of blogs for educational purposes.
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Using a mixed methods design, this study investigated the effect of an EFL blog-mediated writing course on the students' level of learner autonomy, which was operationally defined as learner self-initiation and learner self-regulation. For the purpose of the present study, the control group students (n = 21) were taught based on regular in-class writing instruction and the students in the experimental group (n = 25) made use of blogs in addition to the traditional in-class writing instruction. The results of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the blog-mediated writing course contributed to enhancing learner autonomy in general and self-regulation component in particular. More specifically, the students in the experimental group who experienced blog-mediated writing activities showed improvement in planning, monitoring and evaluation of their writing tasks. Overall, the findings support the efficacy of blog-mediated writing courses in learning a foreign language.
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IAFOR Journal of Language Learning: Volume 3 – Issue 2 Editor: Dr Bernard Montoneri Published: January 19, 2018 ISSN: 2188-9554 https://doi.org/10.22492/ijll.3.2 https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-language-learning/volume-3-issue-2/
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The increased use of sophisticated mobile devices opens up new possibilities and challenges for language teachers and learners, which has led to an increasing need to consider issues relating to mobile technologies specifically. To date, there is no comprehensive book-length treatment of issues relating to mobile-assisted language learning (MALL). This book fills that gap, providing a resource for present and future language teachers, and for graduate students of applied linguistics and TESOL, to understand how mobile devices can best be used for language teaching. It is founded on existing research, practice and theory, and offers a balanced perspective, based on the author's own experiences with mobile learning - considering the limitations of such an approach, as well as the benefits. Written in a practical and approachable tone, it provides a much-needed guide to MALL, and its fascinating insights promote further debate within the field.
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The purpose of this paper is to report an attempt of asynchronous telecollaboration amongst Japanese and Australian primary school students. Using an educational social networking site (SNS), students introduced typical cultural events from their own countries in written language. Observing students' engagement and reviewing their reflections, it was acknowledged that exchanging cultural information on the SNS became an authentic and meaningful opportunity in learning foreign languages (FLs). Moreover, the telecollaboration project enabled many students to enhance their motivation in learning FLs and understanding different cultures. Conclusively, telecollaboration amongst primary school students can be significant for enhancing FL learning and triggering intercultural understanding (IU), and thus, a telecollaboration project beyond borders is recommended for FL education for young learners.
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