Blogging seems like a much more intimate form of
communication within a group than a discussion board. In one sense, a
discussion board can be intensely personal, but also limited to what people
prefer to reveal within the course of a particular thread. Blogging, by contrast, seems to be a forum which enables one to bring more of “themselves” to the
presentation. Whereas discussion boards are likely moderated and have a set
format, a blog lends itself to freer expression by its author.
If blogging is potentially more “fun,” and more
personalized, then the next question must be, is there a difference in how
people learn from each? This blog post argues there is not. As Tucker and Courts (2010)
discuss the nature of online collaborative learning as an improved environment
for learning experiences which engenders “cooperation, collaboration and
self-sufficiency in learners.” (p.38) it does not discriminate between platforms. The potential for increased “awareness
and attention,” by using online venues, the authors state, may lead to increased overall perception of
the experience to the learner, just by participating in online, multimedia
learning.
Another perceived benefit to online learning is socialization.
Robinson, Reeves, Murphy and Hogg (2009) did a study with college students in a
Diagnostic Radiology program at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom
which utilized discussion boards and gathered both quantitative and qualitative
results. They patterned their findings to coincide with a particular set of
requirements for effective online socialization within a group. One result they
found using a discussion board was it was not easy to follow
chronologically on the platform they used (Blackboard); therefore, they posited that a
blog may have been an even more effective delivery method. At any rate, in those students who participated in the discussions- a
mix of new students and those further along in the program as mentors- there
was engagement in dialogue
and an increase in welcoming feelings by the incoming students. In fact, the
students continued using the discussion boards for three months after the
initial tutor-facilitated sessions.
Socialization happens in blogging on a professional level
as well. King & Cox (2011) discuss the blog as a type of journal for a
learner’s own reflective learning practice. In using this medium within a
learning setting, they assert that one’s professional circle of relationships
also grows through the virtual community members with which they engage.
In this age of ubiquitous social media, sharing and
blogging via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, we are
becoming a human, online collaborative society. In an educational setting, the
difference may be the moderation and intervention of a third party to drive
learners to an objective, yet we become fast “friends” via the online
communities we use. It will be interesting as usage of online formats continues
in educational settings to observe where the lines between learning and sharing
converge.
References
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide
to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Robinson, L., Reeves, P., Murphy, F., & Hogg, P.
(2009) Supporting socialization in the transition to university: A potential
use for on-line discussion boards. Radiography,
16, 48-55.
Tucker, J. & Courts, B. (2010). Utilizing the
internet to facilitate classroom learning. Journal
of College Teaching and Learning, 7, 37-43.
I'm going to borrow a statement from one of our other classmates, Brandon(our classmate) wrote on his blog a quote that I believe makes some sense,
ReplyDeleteLee and Ik (2014) point out that “since blogs have to be shared with other people, learners have to put some thought into how they are going to organize the content and link them to each other.”
Your post above indicates that you do not believe there is a difference in learning between formats so long as there is class collaboration, but does the closed discussion board where no one can see it require less reflective thinking then an article that maybe seen by anyone? We freely say what we wish in our Canvas/KSU online discussion threads, but a blog partly represents us as people. Does the blog help people become accountable for their own reflective thoughts and what they write?
Maxam, B. (2016, September, 6)Not All Posts are Created Equal [Weblog post]. Retrieved from http://adultlearnersandtech.blogspot.com/2016/09/not-all-posts-are-created-equal.html
Lee, Y.L. & Ik, Y.H. (2014). Expanding the uses of blogs in the classroom. eLearn Magazine. Retrieved from http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=2687335
The findings you posted from the study by Robinson, Reeves, Murphy and Hogg (2009)are quite interesting. As you mention, the researchers found that the discussions were hard to follow as they weren't being posted in chronological order on Blackboard and therefore posited whether blogging might be the better alternate solution. I have been using Blackboard, albeit to various degrees, since 2006. While the default settings in Blackboard can result in posts that do not follow chronological order, there were ways, even in 2006 (at least on the version my institution was using), to change the settings so that the posts could be displayed in a variety of formats (order that they were posted from oldest to newest, most recently commented on, etc.). I wonder how much of the results were driven by instructors' inabilities to master the technology, or perhaps if the IT department setting up the course pages wasn't allowing faculty to use the technology to its fullest potential? As King and Cox (2011) point out, faculty are often "...pressured in many institutions to respond to the growing drumbeat to adopt technology in the classroom" (p. 95), so perhaps they weren't given sufficient time to master the technology before rolling it out to students?. I find it interesting that their immediate response was to suggest jumping to a new form of technology (maybe one they are already familiar with?) rather than research whether the current technology can be modified to better suit the needs of the course?
ReplyDeleteYour blog post discusses a similar topic to mine,reflection, which King and Cox (2011) find to be a primary benefit of blogging. Along with your introductory statement about blogs being more personal, I have to agree on both counts. Discussion boards are often a 'safer' environment where most of the posts are formatted similarly thus somewhat dulling that creative edge one may need in order to reflect according to his or her writing style. Personally, I love the idea of blogging, but I find it much more intimidating than a discussion board, because I feel that I am somehow held more accountable for what I post on my blog. This seems to be a common theme in others' blog posts, this week. Most tend to agree that somehow one possesses more ownership through a blog post, rather than a discussion post.
ReplyDeleteKing, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
At our institution, some instructors have gone so far as to mark students down if they reference Wikipedia in their papers. When I have suggested to students to see what Wikipedia has on their topics, the response is a resounding no way. It can’t be counted on because it is a wiki. I suggest looking at it as more of a search engine. You cannot reference Google or Yahoo either, but you can use them for a starting point to resources of quality information.
ReplyDeleteKing and Cox site Educause Learning Initiative (2005) in noting the concern that a wiki represents the collective bias of a wiki based on the group that creates and uses it (2011, p123). However, if this is understood, Wikipedia can still be used as a starting point and possibly still lead to resources of differing perspectives from the person or persons making the entry on Wikipedia.
I have seen some obviously bias articles on Wikipedia. I was reading an entry on a singer from the ‘80s and it read like the press release by her agent. There were very few references and absolutely no negative remarks at all. This person had the most wonderful life with no problems ever. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
References
King, K. & Cox, T. (2011). The professor’s guide to taming technology. Charlotte. Information Age Publishing.