Do we NEED BLOGS?

On our spring course we faced with a new and unfamiliar methodology, academic blogging. IT technologies don’t stay at the same place also as we and blogging became a new method of assessing students. Blogging was a combination of challenges and positive experience as for instructors as for students.  

Form our previous experience in fall course it was clear to have some topics fron the instructor and discuss them in class. It was logical and formal way of writing with academic structure and academic citing which was not a bad experience for increasing our writing skills. The purpose of writing assignments was to focus on our instructor but for blogs situation is quite different. The approach of writing blogs is quite unusual which based on public opinion. New topic is huge issue in blogging, especially when you write under the pressure such deadlines and procrastination. Blogger should not focus on someone only but the web provide with full access as for writers as soon as for readers. Full access might cause the critics toward your topic and writing style which may foster you to investigate new topics properly and share with others  (Mongomery, 2015). The main aim of choosing topic is to catch, grab somebodies attention and motivate him/her to follow your flow.

In another hand we can see positive dynamic in writing style among our students. Blogging is an integration of positive emotions such as enjoyments in being read and enjoyment to be helpful and supporting in the way of giving feedback (Lai & Chen, 2009). Literacy also may increase as the factor of communication and sharing ideas which is related to the topic. Freedom of choice is sometimes very attractive and interesting but at the same time it causes a dilemma what to choose and how might it work on the auditory. Sharing and caring are other factors of blogging. Reading in order to give a comment to foster communicative processes and accept other’s experience in order to facilitate your own the academic blogging. Another pivotal thing is to increase creativity and critical thinking. Posting is focused on public as was mentioned before that is why ethical image of the post plays a dominant role after the content of the paper. Critical thinking activates during the writing and analyzing the data which focused on skimming and scanning of different materials and summarizing it.

Finally, we can say that the role of blogging in studying foreign language is enormous. It connects four main factors such as individual, educational institution, high technologies and comfortable environment which provide with comfortable working environment for students and instructors   (Lai & Chen, 2009).  That is why we should practice it in daily life and for professional purposes also.

References

Lai, H. M., & Chen, C. P. (2011). Factors influencing secondary school teachers’ adoption of teaching blogs. Computers & Education, 56(4), 948-960.

Montgomery, D.P. (2015, April). Did you read my new post?: Improving autonomy, English and engagement through class blogs. Paper presented at The International Conference for Building Cultural Bridges, Suleyman Demirel University. Kaskelen, Kazakhstan:ICBCB.