To Blog or Not to Blog? A Comparative Study of the Effects of Blogging in the Teaching of Writing in the High School Classroom

Nicole Roth

Defense Date

3-7-2007

Graduation Date

Spring 1-1-2007

Availability

Restricted

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

EdD

Department

Instructional Technology (EdDIT)

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

Joseph Kush

Committee Member

Donald Maue

Committee Member

Misook Heo

Committee Member

Wayne Brinda

Keywords

blogging, hand-writing, high school, high school stakeholders, journaling, word processing, writing

Abstract

Educators, administrators, parents, and students may question the validity of implementing a trendy technology such as blogging into the high school classroom. While there are certainly risks to be considered including exposing impressionable students to the negatives of the online environment and the sometimes frustrating side-effects of technology enhanced learning, the overall benefits of implementing this already existing technological application are endless. If students are prohibited from participating in the online environment, academic institutions run the risk of graduating students who are uncomfortable both with and in the changing world around them. Therefore, this study was conducted in an effort to determine whether the implementation of blogging as a journaling activity into the teaching and learning of writing in the high school classroom enhanced writing skills and increased enjoyment throughout the process. Three distinct journaling styles were compared: Group 1 consisted of participants who hand-wrote their journal entries each week for eleven-weeks, Group 2 consisted of participants who word processed their journals entries each week, and Group 3 consisted of participants who blogged their journals entries each week. The results clearly indicate that participants who blogged made the greatest gains in writing proficiency. These results are important because this study represents the first of its kind to examine the efficacy of blogging as a teaching tool in the high school writing classroom. Hopefully, this study will benefit teachers who are considering using blogs in their own classrooms.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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