(RE) ENGAGING STUDENT WRITERS: USING BLOGS AS A PLATFORM FOR CRITICAL READING AND WRITING

Nayelee Villanueva, Ph.D.College of Southern Nevada

TYCA West 2016

Social Action and Student Engagement in the English Classroom

BACKGROUND

• As a FYC Instructor, it became evident that from the time I started teaching FYC that student interest in reading and writing drastically changed. • Technology is ever changing and so are the students (and instructors) who

use it. • Raises the question of what my responsibility is as a teacher of writing:

academic discourse vs real world writing (digital spaces).• Students today gather most of their information within these digital spaces

(Facebook, Twitter, Blogs…) as well as engage in everyday argument but are often ill equipped with how to analyze arguments and establish strong arguments of their own. • The need for critical literacy is necessary in a world in which our students

are barraged with information more than ever before.

QUESTIONS

• In what ways can students engage in writing that they perceive as authentic and important to them not just the instructor?

• How can students reclaim their authority as writers?• How can students develop a voice not compromised by academic writing?• In what ways can students realize the importance of rhetorical decisions they make and the impact it has with

audiences other than the instructor?• How can students understand the concept of audience in writing i.e. audience addressed vs audience invoked

(Ede and Lunsford, 1984)?• How can students read and engage with the writing of their classmates?• How can the gap be bridged between what the writing students do in the everyday spaces they occupy and

academic discourse?• How can students participate in critical thinking and be able to share conclusions and perspectives about the

texts they read?• How can students participate in writing that is more democratic and free from a “banking model” (Freire, 1970)

of writing? Why is it important they do so?• How can students gain new knowledge through writing i.e. writing as a mode of learning?

WHY BLOGS?

• Even though blogs have been around in the composition classroom since the 90’s, many students today are not aware of them as a tool for writing or are not familiar with the genre. While older, they are relatively new to students.

• While many students are not overly familiar with how they can use blogs themselves, today, they are familiar with blog sites or sites similar to blogs (BuzzFeed, Gawker, CollegeHumor, Upworthy, PopSugar) where many of them receive their current events or news; therefore, it becomes easier for them to mimic those styles by incorporating multimodal elements in their writing rather than plain text.

• Blogs work well within the “grading” system that is implemented in the course; thus, students feel more free to experiment with style, voice, and multimodal elements with little fear of judgement.

• Students recognize there are demands for writing and specific discourse depending on the space, which results in students seeing academic writing as a discourse of writing rather than higher standard of writing.

• Students are able to understand that the rhetorical decisions they make about their writing in blogs might have an impact on audience and readership.

• Students realize their audience is more than the instructor. Since there are no grades, students focus more on how their audience will respond and in turn, consider revision as a necessary process for writing.

WHY BLOGS?

• Students are able to read and respond to their classmates’ writing, ideas, and questions of readings or other writing, which is more reflective of both real world writing and academic writing.

• Students understand the nature of language appropriate to their audience because they know exactly who their audience is. Language changes over time as they learn about their classmates and instructor over time.

• Students use blogs as a way to communicate their understanding and ideas about what they read. They often find ways to connect the ideas of the readings to their own lives and the lives of their audience.

• Students use blogs as a platform for questioning the arguments and ideas of what they are reading knowing that their audience may just as well question them in turn holding them responsible for their writing. This allows students to make conscious decisions about the rhetorical moves they make.

• Blogs allow the instructor to become a real member of the audience as reader rather than grader. Students recognize there is no one way to write.

• The other students in the class are able to learn through others’ experiences and ideas shared through the blog, not just the instructor.

• Students engage in intertextuality by bringing texts that students engage with thus making this process a mode of learning.

• Blogs can be used to help with the issue of “literacy accumulation” (Brandt, 1997).

IMPLEMENTING BLOGS

• Prior to the start of the course, an email is sent out to inform students that they will be creating and maintaining blogs for the course.

• I request computer classrooms for my courses so that students can access their blogs at anytime, particularly during discussions of readings and writing assignments.

• Norms are established at the beginning of class as well as a negotiation between students and myself on how the blogs are to be evaluated (this falls in line with the grading contract).

• Most blogs used in the FYC are used as a form of journaling and a place to develop ideas for writing; however, for this course, they are used to respond to readings and other assignments that are used for reflection and experimentation as well as a place to begin academic writing.

• Scaffolding happens at the beginning of the semester as well as throughout the semester if any significant changes in blogging patterns occur that might hinder the purpose of using blogs.

• Students are encouraged to set their blogs to “private” to adhere to FERPA or any possible issues with regards to work etc. This discussion takes place at the beginning of the semester as well.

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RESPONDING TO READINGS

• Students Selected Reading Responses:• 1) An entry that extends ideas of the reading and topic of the reading. • 2) Students are encouraged to use this posts to serve as exploratory, introductory writing

toward larger, later assignments. • 3) Students are encouraged to offer an interpretation, ask a question, link to, quote from, and

respond to anything and everything read this semester.• 4) Should be concerned with the regular examination of ideas and provide concise arguments

via unique viewpoint and voice.• Students Use Blogs As a Place for Summaries (Text Book They Say, I Say)• 1) Provide a Summary• 2) What did they learn that they did not know before• 3) What questions remain (for me to read and address during class)

STUDENT SAMPLES OF READING RESPONSES

• Student Sample • Student Sample• Student Sample

STUDENT SAMPLE OF SUMMARY RESPONSES

• Student Sample

RESPONDING TO OTHERS

• Students establish norms for responding.• Students are encouraged to ask questions and to encourage

dialogue.• There can sometimes be tension, but I feel that it is

important for students to experience opposition to their viewpoints as long as they are attempting to engage in a way that includes elements of argument.

• It is critical on my end to help facilitate these conversations.• Student Sample

USING BLOGS FOR WRITING ABOUT WRITING, REFLECTING ON WRITING TOOLS, AND WRITING ABOUT LANGUAGE

•Personal Writing History• Student Sample•Distraction Free Writing Tools• Student Sample•Language in Our World• Student Sample

CRITICISM OF BLOGS

• Assessing can be complex, particularly to students because they are unfamiliar with the parameters.• The potential for a student to be offensive-blogs cannot be

monitored 24/7• Students fear having others read their writing• Students compare their writing to others• Students fear not being good enough or having anything

important to say• Disposable writing

WHAT STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY

• “I think with the readings with the blogs. I loved the blogs by the way. At first it was hard for me at first. I know I had to revise the first couple of blogs because I wasn’t grasping the critical thinking part but once you wrote your comments and I followed along with what I was to be looking for it got easier. For my papers it made it easier to know what I should be focusing on.”

• “Getting feedback from other students [blog comments] from other students was helpful for getting ideas that I could use for my essays”

• “I feel like after the course was over I was able to understand a piece of writing in a better manner and was able to then write about it with a better understanding. Through all the assignments I learned that it is not always about quantity but quality. Before taking the course I would always write very long and dense essays that ended up not saying much. Instead of requiring us to always reach a word count in our writing, you gave us more freedom in our writing and I feel as if it made me a better writer overall. It brought out a more confident side of me through my writing and I was more open and honest through my writing because of it.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

•Learn to Learn, Learn to Teach•Writing doesn’t have to be boring and hated•Writing is power •Language is power•Everything is a text

QUESTIONS