Abstract
The enthusiasm for adopting social media technologies should be tempered by a critical, empirical understanding of how they facilitate an effective learning envionrment. This study analyzed blog use in two graduate-level university courses, specifically identifying reflective learning markers in 279 blog entries. This analysis was deepened with follow-up interviews of several top bloggers. The reflective bloggers were characterized as being comfortable with their audience, having a deeper thought process, enjoying the interaction, and progressing well throughout the semester. Our results suggest guidlines for effective use of blogging in the classroom to support reflective learning.
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Armstrong, L., Berry, M., Lamshed, R.: Reflective Learning and Blogs. In: International Conference on Computers in Education (2004)
Bouldin, A.S., Holmes, E.R., Fortenberry, M.L.: Blogging About Course Concepts: Using Technology For Reflective Journaling In A Communications Class. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 70(4) (2006)
Boyd, E.M., Fales, A.W.: Reflecctive Learning: Key To Learning From Experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 23(2), 99–117 (1983)
Chen, H.L., Cannon, D., Gabrio, J., Leifer, L., Toye, G., Bailey, T.: Using wikis and weblogs to support reflective learning in an introductory engineering design course. In: Proceedings: American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon (2005)
Costa, A.L., Kallik, B.: Getting Into The Habit Of Reflection. Educational Leadership 57(7) (2000)
Dickey, M.D.: The Impact Of Web-Logs (Blogs) On Student Perceptions Of Isolation And Alienation In A Web-Based Distance-Learning Environment. Open Learning 19(3), 279–291 (2004)
Du, H.S., Wagner, C.: Learning With Weblogs: An Empirical Investigation. In: Proceedings: 38th Hawaii International Conference on System Science, Hawaii (2005)
Dewey, J.: How we think. DC Heath, New York (1993)
Fulwiler, T.: The Journal Book. Boynton/Cook, Portsmouth (1987)
Hernández-Ramos, P.: Web Logs And Online Discussions As Tools To Promote Reflective Practice. The Journal of Interactive Online Learning 3(1) (2004)
Ke, F., Xie, Y.: Blogging for Reflective Learning in an Introductory Political Science Course. In: 29th Annual Proceeding of the Accociations for Educational Communications and Technology (2006)
Kember, D., Jones, A., Loke, A., McKay, J., Sinclair, K., Tse, H., et al.: Determining The Level Of Reflective Thinking From Students’ Written Journals Using A Coding Scheme Based On The Work Of Mezirow. International Journal of Lifelong Education 18(1), 18–30 (1999)
Knapp, C.E.: Lasting lessons: A Teacher’s Guide To Reflecting On Experience. ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, Charleston (1993)
Loo, R., Thorpe, K.: Using Reflective Learning Journals to Improve Individual and Team Performance. Team Performance Management: An International Journal 8(5/6), 134–139 (2002)
Macduff, I.: Using Blogs as a Teaching Tool. Negotiation Journal, 107–124 (2009)
Manouchehri, A.: Developing Teaching Knowledge Through Peer Discourse. Teaching and Teacher Education 18, 715–737 (2002)
Morrison, K.: Developing Reflective Practice In Higher Degree Students Through A Learning Journal. Studies in Higher Education 21(3), 317–332 (1996)
O’Keeffe, M., Arnedillo-Sánchez, I., Flanagan, A.: An Investigation into the Use Of Weblogs For Reflection In Learning. International Conference e-Society (2006)
Oravec, J.: Blending By Blogging: Weblogs In Blended Learning Environments. Journal of Educational Media 28, 225–233 (2003)
Paulus, T.M., Payne, R., Jahns, L.: Am I Making Sense Here?: What Blogging Reveals About Undergraduate student Understanding. Journal of Interactive Online Learning 8(1) (2009)
Stahl, G.: Building Collaborative Knowing: Elements Of A Social Theory Of Learning. In: Strijbos, J.W., Kirschner, P., Martens, R. (eds.) What we know about CSCL in higher education. Kluwer, Amsterdam (2003)
Stiler, G., Philleo, T.: Blogging And Blogspots: An Alternative Format For Encouraging Reflective Practice Among Preservice Teachers. Education 123(4), 789 (2003)
Thorpe, K.: Reflective Learning Journals: From Concept To Practice. Reflective Practice 5(93), 327–343 (2004)
Wagner, C.: Put Another (B)Log On The Wire: Publishing Learning Logs As Weblogs. Journal of Information Systems Education 14(2), 131–132 (2003)
West, R.E., Wright, G.A., Graham, C.R.: Blogs, Wikis, And Aggregators: A New Vocabulary For Promoting Reflection And Collaboration In A Preservice Technology Integration Course. In: Crawford, C., et al. (eds.) Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, pp. 1653–1658. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Chesapeake (2005)
Williams, J.B., Jacobs, J.: Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces in the higher education sector. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology 20(2), 232–247 (2004)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ahmad, R., Lutters, W.G. (2011). Promoting Reflective Learning: The Role of Blogs in the Classroom. In: Ozok, A.A., Zaphiris, P. (eds) Online Communities and Social Computing. OCSC 2011. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6778. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21796-8_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21796-8_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-21795-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-21796-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)