Great article by Lisa Zawilinski in a recent issue of The Reading Teacher. The article, "HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking", is a refreshing read on how to proceed with meaningful blogging activities for our lower school students.
She explores how blogs can support literacy programs, "especially to develop higher order thinking while reading and writing."
Zawilinski
cuts right to the chase, pointing out that "Some [educators,
administrators] believe that we simply need to place computers in the
hands of our students, and they will learn what they need" (652),
citing the work of Negroponte in 2006. As she points out, there is
limited accuracy to that statement, but "simply using these tools does
not predicate effective and efficient use."
One interesting
point is that "a blog does not simply develop communication skills.
Instead, online communication has become an essential aspect of online
reading comprehension (Castek at al, 2007)." In other words,
communication now includes reading comprehension; they
co-exist! She goes on to say that, "As online readers gather
information to solve a problem, they frequently analyze information,
critically evaluate, synthesize across multiple texts and communicate
with others using instant messaging, e-mail, blogs, wikis, or other
communication vehicles (Leu, Kinzer, et al, 2004; Leu et al, 2007)."
A
blogger myself, I take much of this interplay for granted, but I'm glad
that Zawilinski has taken the time to write about it in a refereed
publication! She, like many others, refers to blogs (and the like) as
the "new literacies," even distinguishing between out-of-school
literacies and in-school literacies. She underscores the fact that
student writers now have a truly authentic audience for their writing -
and it has moved beyond the classroom teacher. Anyone who can access a
blog can read a student's writing! That's pretty powerful, don't you
think?
Zawilinski highlights four common types of blogs found in
elementary classrooms: (1) Classroom News Blog, (2) Mirror Blogs, (3)
Showcase Blogs, and (4) Literature Response Blogs. Regarding the
latter, it's basically a writing prompt that is done online. As she
points out, though, an extension of this type of post is a
collaborative post, which "require[s] students to negotiate [...]
multiple perspectives about what is most important to share." She then
notes that "this type of teamwork is necessary in our global economy."
Why not start it all in Lower School?!
She
finishes the article by focusing on her concept of HOT blogging, one
which "develops higher order thinking around the new literacies of
online reading comprehension (Castek et al, 2007; Coiro, 2003; Leu et
al, 2007)." It follows this simple formula:
1. bolster background
2. prime the pump
3. continue the conversation
4. make multiplicity explicit
Steps
3 and 4 lend themselves nicely to blogging, and she supports the
collaborative blogging model, which makes great sense. The blog allows
the teacher and class to "draw out the many interpretations [of an
idea] that may exist. As students encounter multiple perspectives, they
will also see how important it is to support one's perspective. To
convince someone with a differing point of view, evidence and clear
explanations become necessary."(657)
So, the next time you're
wondering how and why you could incorporate blogging in your lower
school classroom, I suggest that you take the time to study the
strategies enumerated in Zawilinski's article. I think that you'll find
her argument(s) persuasive!