Recent releases
- Monday February 20 2012 Séverine Parent (Cégep Limoilou) Michelle Deschênes (Collège O'Sullivan de Québec) Pedagogical Applications of Twitter Michelle Deschênes, a teacher of website technology at Collège O'Sullivan in Quebec City, and Séverine Parent, an IT pedagogical counselor at Cégep Limoilou, present a handsome report on the pedagogical applications of the Twitter microblogging resource. They explain what Twitter is in simple language and provide an overview of its basic characteristics. Pedagogical activities and examples of interesting classroom applications are included along with a reference section of additional examples, support documents and practical tips.
- Monday October 3 2011 János Varga (Cégep John Abbott College) Cloud-based Blended Synchronous/Asynchronous Shared Documents János Varga explains how cloud-based blended synchronous/asynchronous shared documents promote collaboration and active learning among students.
- Monday August 24 2009 Sophie Ringuet (Cégep@distance) Using On-line Academic Forums As students now collaborate on the web for academic purposes as well as for fun, the electronic forum has become an excellent tool to encourage academic motivation. Sophie Ringuet, a pedagogical counselor at Cégep@distance gives us an in-depth tour of what a forum is as well as various academic applications where the forum can be of interest. The report presents concrete examples and and a detailed guide to their use within an academic context. The reference section allows the reader to go beyond the information presented by indicating resources in both English and in French. We hope that you will find Profweb's article 'Using On-line Academic Forums' a useful resource to familiarize yourself with forums. Feel free to comment and ask questions in the sections provided for this purpose.
Reports List (11)
Reports
Teaching and Learning Using Blogs
Charles-Antoine Bachand
Educational Advisor, Cégep de l'Outaouais
Practical Applications
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
As discussed above, a multitude of ways to use blogs in a pedagogical context exists. Below, the steps necessary to provide students with a portfolio blog or a diary are presented.
HOW TO START PEDAGOGICALLY BLOGGING
In an imaginary situation, students have a long term assignment as part of their course. Periodically, they must hand in copies of progress reports explaining their activities, a projected schedule, and a preliminary project as well as their thoughts about these activities. What would be the best tool to use to accomplish this task?
Blogging could be the perfect solution. The blog would permit you to accomplish the following activities:
• Create an authentic situation;
• Promote self-reflection;
• Promote student exchange;
• Allow archival information;
• Create a feeling of control in students over their own learning process.
In fact, the steps presented below could lend themselves to any learning situation where students are required to formally consider their learning and the process of its acquisition.
Preparation
- Familiarisation : The first step of the process is to become familiar with blog creation. Logically, the best way to do this is to create your own blog using WordPress software. It is also possible to receive technical support for installation as well as to consult their website. Another option is to use very simple tools like Blogger or Posterous. Don’t forget to erase your first attempts! Visits to a certain number of other blogs are in order to familiarize yourself with their operation. Take a look at the blog by D. Warlick http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ or the one by W. Richardson http://weblogg-ed.com/. These sites are known internationally for the quality of their thoughts about using blogs.
For those who want to go a step further, APOP offers continuing education courses on pedagogical uses of blogs such as “APOP-1C-02 Blogs: their educational potential within a context of responsible citizenship”. - Setting a Publication Date : The second step is to go to your course plan to identify when students will need to publish their thoughts or material. These moments can be determined by time period, such as every three weeks, or by goals such as publication of plans, reading journals, etc. Of course, these times can be official or informal. Furthermore, you can allow your students to publish as they wish. In this vein, tolerance is the order of the day as students publish material that is perhaps less on task and more personal as they familiarize themselves with the process of putting their thoughts online and working with others. These first entries will most likely not contribute much to the overall quality of thought but can foster a lasting community of learning within the group.
- Identifying an Operating Protocol : Are you taking a team oriented approach or not? Are you going to ask your students to make a minimum number of comments about classmates’ entries? Are you going to give the address of a group’s blog to other members of the class or retain these addresses for yourself only? It is important to note that forcing students to make peer comments does not always produce positive results. The quality of comments can be compromised. Furthermore, it seems that the act of formalizing ideas on-line does have an effect on learning. Finally, students in general do not like to be obliged to read or comment on classmates’ entries, but do appreciate visiting the blogs of their peers. It may therefore be useful to make a repertory of student blogs available to the class.
Classroom Protocols - Requiring Students to Create a Blog : It seems that imposing a particular tool on students or worse yet imposing a group blog is a mistake. The feeling of blog ownership is important. You can, however, suggest the tool (Blogger, WordPress ou Posterous), leaving the final choice open for each student to heighten student motivation.
- Explaining Blog Operation : As this will most likely be a first experience in the blogosphere for some of your students, take the time to explain the anatomy of a blog in class.
- Explaining Your Expectations : Students need to know what you expect of them on their blog. Give them publication deadlines, select team members (if there are teams) and even provide the questions and themes that could be helpful in their tasks. It might also be helpful to ask them to consider what elements they didn’t understand and what difficulties they encountered during the course of their learning.
- Validating the Publications of Your Students : To maximize interest and efficiency, the teacher should consult student blogs regularly to make constructive comments (remember the blog is public) or to simply stay informed of the progress of students. As well, the judicious use of RSS feeds greatly facilitates the surveillance that the teacher must perform with student blogs. RSS feeds will keep you informed of any new entry on your students’ blogs. Don’t hesitate to ask your students to consult a particularly interesting post of a classmate or to ask an outside source to make a comment of particular interest. Use the reflections published in your students’ blogs to stimulate discussion in class.
Note : If you need to communicate something confidential to your students, use old fashioned e-mail or a personal meeting.
A Final Report of the Blogging Experience
At the end of the semester, it is important to take stock as a group of the effect of blogging on the group’s learning experience. It is also important for the teacher to evaluate the use of blogs in their pedagogy. These exercises can result in modifications to future courses which could be changed to take further advantage of blogs’ usefulness in student learning. Notwithstanding the personal and less pertinent aspects of some entries, blogs open the classroom to the world and create a community of learning which can rapidly become rich and motivating.
Finally, it is important to note that the more the use of blogs is supervised, the less beneficial are the results. Furthermore, certain students will probably not appreciate the experience. You must ask yourself if it is imperative that everyone participate to the same degree. The principal objective must always be to advance student learning. As diaries have proved their value as has the teaching portfolio, the blog with an ever simpler operation, can be an extremely productive option.
Note: Don’t forget that blogging is a relatively labour intensive option for learners who must think about their processes and procedures. Comments from students about using blogs frequently reflect the effort expended in considering their methodology.
VARIATIONS
Considered Evaluation and a Community of Learning
Earlier, we presented the use of blogs in a project context. However, it is also possible to proceed in the same manner for a more traditional course. Asking students to consider what they haven’t understood well or to comment on readings, for example, would allow teachers to take advantage of the boost that self-reflection brings to the process of learning. A well-presented use of blogs can create new links among students during the course and because of the personal ownership of most blogs, this relation can continue throughout their studies.
The Teacher's Blog
The blog can also be used exclusively by the teacher to distribute content as a quick route to the Internet. The blog can contain texts, videos or images of interest for the course and its students. The teacher’s blog can allow students to interact with the teacher and other students outside of class hours which is its prime advantage. Once the teacher’s blog is up and running, the site can deliver material as diverse as addresses, RSS feeds and passwords to students. The teacher can take advantage of the easy operation of blogs to emphasize pertinent resources for students, ask them to react to a text or ask them to express their personal or team opinions on a theme or a work-study experience for example.
Comments by readersReact to this text
- English
- French
Wonderful Information on Blogs!
This information was very helpful to me. It has aided me in my Education Technology course assignment for gathering information on blogging because it answered my questions which were: Features of blogs, How it can work in teaching and learning and why is blogging effective. Thanking you for sharing your work, Respectfully yours, Deana Blossom.
Deana Blossom, Student / Teacher [2009-10-15]FORUM DE DISSCUSSION POUR ENSEIGNANTE EN VENTE
J'ai enseigner au collegial, la vente, le marketing, le commerce international.
ginette provost, Consultante, Collège LaSalle [2011-2-25]Forum de discussion
Bonjour, Je suis une récente enseignante en formation professionnelle et dans le cadre de mon Bacc en enseignement je dois participer à un forum de discussion. Alors, j'aimerais savoir s'il y a des membres parmi vous qui sont enseignants en vente-conseil et/ou representatation en formation professionnelle ou en gestion de commerce au collégial. Merci
Lyne Boivin, Enseignante, Centre de formation des Nouvelles Technologies [2010-4-22]Merci
Merci et bravo pour cet article très complet. A mon tour je partage un lien vers un dossier rédigé à destination des enseignants futurs blogueurs. De l'usage d'un blog en primaire; BLOG BLEU PRIMAIRE; Enquêtes pédagogiques.
Ostiane Mathon, enseignante asociée à la formation et blogueuse, Lewebpédagogique [2009-12-03]Wow !
Wow ! Charles-Antoine ! Quel beau tour de piste ! Les informations sont pertinentes et claires. Je ne répèterai pas les commentaires de mes collègues... Simplement, je dirais que tu as très bien délimité le territoire pour tous ceux qui souhaitent se lancer dans cette belle aventure ! Le blogue, un outil accessible à tous ! Merci, merci !
Claude Bilodeau, Enseignante, Cégep Beauce-Appalaches [2009-8-07]Un dossier qui fait du chemin
Un dossier super qui a été référencé dans le dossier de Rémi Thibert sur les pratiques collaboratives Quelles pratiques collaboratives à l'heure des TIC?. La preuve qu'en collaborant, on va de plus en plus loin... Merci!
Françoise Marceau, Conseillère pédagogique, Profweb [2009-5-22]C'est super !
Super ce dossier sur l'utilisation des blogs! Je suis vraiment ravie et servie car ce dossier me sera d'un grand secours. Je suis en 5e année (fin de formation) en TIC, nous sommes la 1re promotion, et nous découvrons chaque jour un peu plus en matière d'intégration de TIC. Et depuis que notre enseignant nous a demandés de créer et d'utiliser des blogs, pour la préparation de nos projets, je suis impressionnée par tout ce que j'apprends. Mon blog qui fait office de portfolio, (je l'ai découvert récemment) a pour adresse http://www.ens2009.memoire.virblan.over-blog.com, j'avoue qu'il représente mes premiers pas dans ce domaine, mais jetez -y un coup d'oeil et faites-moi vos remarques, elles sont les bienvenues. En outre, à cause de ma formation préalable (je suis en master 2 Lettres Modernes Françaises), j'aimerais, en tant que technopédagogue, créer pour la partie pratique de mon projet de fin de formation, un véritable blog d'apprentissage car mon projet consiste à mettre en ligne un cours de grammaire française (pour le collège) selon les principes de l'ingénierie pédagogique à bases d'objets (cours et mémoire organisationnelle, ressources pédagogiques...). Je compte sur vos conseils, car je sais qu'en les suivant, je fournirai un travail de qualité. Je vous remercie d'avance et j'attends vos commentaires sur mon blog ou par courriel. Merci!
Virginie Ngah, Elève-Professeur en filière TIC, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Yaoundé (Cameroun) [2009-3-11]Livre Mais non, je blogue (Milan Jeunesse, France) et appel à témoins
Bonjour ! J'ai pris connaissance de votre site par l'intermédiaire de Mario Asselin. Je suis l'auteur du livre "Mais non, je blogue! Le petit guide des jeunes blogueurs pour bloguer vite et bien" qui vient de paraître (Milan Jeunesse, France). Je prépare actuellement pour le blog officiel du livre (http://www.maisnonjeblogue.com) un petit article sur l'usage des blogs par les élèves et les enseignants. Les témoignages de certains de vos élèves, enseignants blogueurs ou bibliothécaires blogueurs m'intéresserait beaucoup! Je m'intéresse également aux blogs de correspondants entre écoles de régions ou de pays différents. L'appel à témoins est lancé ! A vos plumes! (par e-mail ou en commentaire sur maisnonjeblogue.com) N'hésitez pas à faire suivre ce mail! Blogueusement vôtre!
Astrid de Roquemaurel, Auteur du livre "Mais non, je blogue !" (Milan Jeunesse), Animations multimédia [2009-2-07]Merci
Merci à tous pour les bons mots. J'espère que le dossier pourra être utile dans vos milieux. @Jacques Cartier : La question se pose effectivement et il importe d'en tenir compte. Sur le plan des droits d'auteur, ce qui s'applique ailleurs (dans nos notes de cours ou dans les présentations que nous faisons en classe) s'applique bien entendu sur les blogues. J'ajouterais cependant un élément qui peut avoir son importance. En effet, le blogueur est tenu responsable des propos qui se tiennent sur son blogue, et ce, qu'il s'agisse des siens ou des propos de ceux qui y commentent... d'où l'importance de modérer les commentaires de son blogue.
Charles-Antoine Bachand, CP, Cégep de l'Outaouais [2009-1-30]Une synthèse intéressante
Bonjour à Vous, En premier lieu merci pour votre travail de fond sur l'utilisation du blogue. Je pense à un aspect important que l'on pourrait aussi développer : la problématique du droit. En effet, en créant son blogue, on devient "directeur de publication" ce qui aux yeux de la loi n'est pas anodin. Droit d'auteur, droit à l'image, ... Bien à Vous, Jacques Cartier - www.jacques-cartier.fr Blogue à thème : http://formationdistance.blogg.org Blogue personnel : http://carter.blogg.org
Jacques Cartier, Enseignant, Mission tice du Rectorat de Besançon - France [2009-1-30]Dossier à diffuser
Merci à Charles-Antoine pour ce dossier. C'est d'ailleurs grâce à lui si j'ai réussi à faire mon premier blogue. ;-) Je vais faire de la pub dans mon cégep pour le faire connaître auprès des enseignants.
Michel Vincent, Conseiller pédagogique TIC, Cégep de Saint-Laurent [2009-1-28]Tout ce qui se conçoit bien s'énonce clairement...
À la lecture de ce dossier, on voit que Charles-Antoine maîtrise le concept « blogue » sur le bout de ses doigts virtuels : ce qu’il est, comment il se présente, ce qu’on peut en faire dans un contexte pédagogique, tout y est présenté clairement. Le blogue peut se prêter à des activités pédagogiques variées comme la création d’un portfolio d’apprentissage : vraiment inspirant. De son côté, le logiciel WordPress accessible dans l’Espace personnel de Profweb permet de gérer plusieurs blogues à partir d’un seul logiciel. Dès lors, dans son propre espace, un enseignant peut gérer les blogues de l’ensemble de ses étudiants : intéressant dans un contexte où le blogue peut devenir le portfolio d’apprentissage de l’étudiant ! Bravo et merci Charles-Antoine pour avoir ajouté une pierre de plus à l’édifice technopédagogique du réseau collégial!
Nicole Perreault, Animatrice, Réseau REPTIC [2009-1-23] |
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respecting certain conditions.
