A Big Round of Applause…

to all of you who attended the Blogging workshop yesterday and helped make it a success. In particular, our thanks to the bold blogging volunteer, whose blog is now in the blogroll in the sidebar. Thanks to all of you who asked questions. I personally was disappointed that we couldn’t be in a computer room and have everyone creating blogs “live”, but never mind.

If any of you create a blog, particularly a class blog or have your students create blogs, we would like to hear from you, so that we can point our students to visit your (or your students’) blogs. We will also add you to the “blogroll” in the sidebar.

Best of luck, and keep in touch.

Using Weblogs in Language Learning Classes

Welcome to the companion site for the JALT 2006 pre-conference workshop session on blogging in language learning classes. Some of the 25 participants have already left comments at the bottom of this page, telling us their expectations for this workshop. Please add your expectations if you haven’t done so already. Don’t be put off by the scary technical terms on this page. All will be explained! And it’s not rocket science (hey, if we can do it…).

Workshop time: Session #3: 16:40 – 17:40, followed by 10 minutes for Q&A.
Workshop venue: Kokura International Conference Center, 3F, 33A and 33B.

Below you will find a seven-point outline of the workshop content, with each point containing links to further information and resources on that particular topic. Feel free to leave suggestions or questions in the comment space below.

By the end of this one-hour workshop, you will know

1. what a blog (and blogging) is
2. how to create a blog
3. the key features of a blog
4. some of the main ways blogs are used
5. what RSS is and its vital importance to blogs and blogging
6. some key social networking tools
7. some of the blogging issues that language educators need to know about

and you will have

1. a handout with these key points on it
2. a website that you can visit to refresh your memory and for further reading/reference
3. a budding community of practice (your fellow workshop participants) who can provide you with support and information

1. A blog (weblog):

• is a frequently/regularly updated website
• is for personal Internet publishing (sometimes also groups or companies)
• is in reverse chronological order
• allows readers to leave comments
• has a header, a sidebar and a footer
• permits syndication/subscription

2. Blogs are used for:

• Professional Development
• Teaching and Education
• Grassroots Journalism
• Causes and Politics:
• Personal Journalling / Social Networking
• Marketing and Promotion

3. Weblog technology:

• RSS/Atom Syndication Feeds
• Feed Readers
• Social Networking Tools
  • tagging
  • profiles
• Social Networking Sites

4. Weblogs in EFL/ESL

• Student blogs
• Teacher blogs
• Class/Group/Community blogs

5. Getting Started with Weblogs

• Selection: which service/software?
  • ease of signup
  • ease of use
  • social networking features
  • privacy
  • cost
  • hosting
• Sign-up – it’s as easy as signing up for a Yahoo or Hotmail account
• Posting – it’s as easy as sending an email
• Commenting
• Subscribing

6. Issues with Weblogs in Language Learning

• Language Learning
• Pedagogical Approach
  • teacher-centered vs student-centered
  • learner autonomy
• Choice of Software
• Ethical Issues
  • names or anonymity?
  • unwanted visitors
  • ownership/copyright
  • privacy and safety

7. Discussion

• Communities of practice
• Support for Teachers/Students