Introduction
Blogging can best be defined as the process of creating online entries of one’s thoughts/ perspectives/ ideas (similar to a journal) in order to connect with other people. Each blog is made up of entries that have provisions for comments at the bottom thus allowing readers to include their reactions on the preliminary material. Blogs normally contain links to other blogs that eventually lead to a large blog community known as blogosphere.
Sometimes more than one person can be responsible for making entries into a blog. They can be created for personal reasons where writers maybe interested in merely airing out their thoughts; alternatively, they may be done solely for business, for journalistic purposes or other motivations. Entries in blogs are usually arranged in diminishing order i.e. from the latest entry to the oldest. This allows one to study developments with time. In order to create a blog, all one needs to do is to register with a blogging company.
Thereafter, a template will appear where the person can place his or her content and then allow other online users to view it. Blogs provide enormous possibilities for students in linguistics classes because they allow students to use them in order to make discussions about their developments or to ask for advice on certain problematic areas. On the other hand, these tools are particularly helpful to teachers who also get the chance to provide students with additional support and also use them as instructional tools. (The educause learning initiative, 2005) Through a look at two case studies, it will be possible to analyse how valuable blogs are in enhancement of language learning.
One of the major strengths of blogs is that they provide a forum in which people can interact and collaborate with one another in areas of mutual interest (Allard, 2006).
Their increased popularity demonstrates just how practical the tool is; this maybe because no limitations exist on topics of discussion thus making them particularly flexible. Additionally, they motivate students to improve their communication skills because participants need to consider how their material will be perceived by other readers. Also because one obtains feedback through reader’s comments, face book or twitter then this can facilitate two way exchanges; both the information creator and the recipient can benefit and grow. It is also interesting to note that businesses which choose to open up their own blogs can have immense opportunities for growth because employees can give feedback to their bosses while consumes can also state their concerns.
One of the major limitations of blogs is that anyone can write them. Consequently, assessing quality of content can be problematic especially in cases where one is dealing with a highly technical topic that requires great expertise. This problem has been echoed in the media industry; stakeholders argue that most traditional media users are abandoning the latter outlets for direct discussions with news editors and this may reduce availability of credible news.
Blogs are also challenging if inappropriate information has been written. This can lead to lawsuits from affected parties who may sue for character deformation or something similar. It may also place one in danger in case the material placed therein is infuriating. (Saranow, 2007)
Case studies of how blogs have been used for language learning
Case study 1
An interesting case of how this tool was used was in the 200-wordsaday.com blog. The latter blog is basically a Spanish teaching platform for native English speakers. It is written by tutors who think of various ways in which they can facilitate easier capture and learning of the Spanish language. The site does not have a chronology for blog entries as the tutor simply comes up with interesting hints and writes them. It was mostly active in the year 2007.
One of their blog entries written in the month of November, 2007 was particularly valuable; a word was identified and several examples were given on how the word can be applied in short sentences. The word under analysis was ‘Illegar’ which is Spanish for ‘arrive’. Phrases like ‘llegar tarde’ and ‘la llegada’ were cited which mean ‘to arrive late’ and ‘arrive’ respectively. In the month of July of that same year, the tutor focused on the Spanish word for ‘Olive’ and then gave several examples of phrases that can contain the word.
These two November entries can be particularly helpful to students learning Spanish because they have selected words that carry a lot of significance in the Spanish culture and have then applied them in practical situations. It was crucial that these words were not just used in isolation in that they were translated in English first and they were then placed in sentences. If the writer had merely described Spanish words without necessarily introducing their context then it would have been fruitless to the language learner using this blog. Linguistics analysts often assert that languages are best learnt in phrases because that is how the human mind is programmed.
It was very intuitive for this author to have applied such a method. Additionally, roughly seven to eight phrases were given for each word. This allowed for flexibility in tenses and examination of how the key word could alter once used in a certain manner. The phrases in most entries within this blog were placed in increasing order of complexity such that students could start with the simple sentences and then proceed onto the more difficult ones. Furthermore, those students who were interested in finding out more about the level of flexibility that could be added onto sentences were allowed to do so by going onto the permalinks (Links to specific details about a blog entry).
For instance, in the latest blog entry in the website, full conjugation for the word ‘arrive’ had been provided. In that same month, another entry was made where the author did not focus on just one word; she analysed a conversation that she had had with an individual in Spain. Here, she had been asked a question and responded to it. The instructor then proceeded to give variation of her responses by using the affirmative and the statement as it was. By doing this, she provided the blog readers with an opportunity to look at several ways in which they can express themselves through related phrases. For instance, she gave examples for the words ‘of course not’ in Spanish, ‘why not’ and ‘sure’. (200 words a day.com, 2007)
In the subsequent month, the blog entry was for phrases that were related to age and happy occasions; for instance, Spanish for ‘birthday’, ‘to reach the age’, ‘when do you reach twenty? ’, ‘today we have been married for five years’ and so on were given. This entry was quite helpful to language learners because they could now be confident about discussions at public functions. By choosing weddings, birthdays and the like, the author was sticking to a certain theme and thus heightening chances of recalling what that terminology actually meant to Spanish speakers.
Sometimes, language teachers tend to focus on obvious statements and may forget that on occasion phrases have underlying meanings that should not be taken at surface value. The Spanish teaching blog writer did a good job of highlighting this fact in her May blog entry. Here she informed readers that ‘standing in your leather’ in Spanish can be understood to mean being naked. To elaborate why this was utilised, the tutor looked at each specific word.
She started with the Spanish term for leather which was ‘el cuero.’ She then introduced an idiom ‘en cueros’ which inferred nakedness. However, the tutor also offered alternatives in which this word could be understood such as through the phrase ‘ser un cuero’. This sentence had a totally different meaning since it translates to; ‘she is gorgeous’. The blog entry was particularly functional to Spanish language learners because while a native may not confuse the meaning behind such similar phrases, a secondary learner might do so and it may be necessary for such an individual to be cautious of those differences when communicating in the language.
Similarly, the blog entry written at the end of the month of April also follows this pattern. The writer wanted to inform students that while certain words in English are often treated separately; the same should not be applied in Spanish since some may be represented by one word. For instance the Spanish interpretation for ‘come and see’ is simply ‘ven’. This implies that sometimes what may be pronounced as a simple word in Spanish may actually be a concentration of several words in English. An example is ‘ven ellos ven’; interpreted to mean ‘come here!, they see!’. (200 words a day.com, 2007)
Most of the blog entries written previously simply focused on Spanish phrases and their interpretations in English, however, in one of the entries made the author during early April 20007, the teacher made a point of giving students hints on how best to remember words. She gave an illustration of a famous celebrity and then linked her name with the Spanish phrase under analysis. This was a great way to assist students because as the writer rightfully points out, most people rarely forget visual images and once a word could be associated to a certain picture then chances are that the language learner would be able to remember.
Furthermore, when the name of a well known or prominent personality is used then this further heightens chances of recalling. The concept of having memory triggers was also reflected in a November 2006 blog entry in which the latter writer was teaching students the Spanish word for restlessness. She used a combination of tactics to help students recall this word and its application. The first was the action involved in the word, the second was visualisation of the person carrying out the action and the third is combination of these two. Here, the author wanted to create a memory trigger by asserting that restlessness implied being unsettled or moving. She then asked the learners to think of diesel such that one could link the word moving with diesel so as to come up with the term ‘movedizo’.
These were probably some of the most helpful entries in her blog because they gave students new and exciting ways in which they could trigger their memories on certain words. At some point, a secondary language leaner may be overburdened by the series of words that he or she may have to learn within his course. If no hints or special methods are used to get learners to differentiate these words, then it maybe difficult to tell them apart and learning processes are subsequently hampered.
Generally speaking, this blog can be quite valuable to students learning basic Spanish because most of the emphasis is not on the process of teaching or learning but on the actual words and phrases. It would however be more effective if the author updated her site more regularly since some learners may be eager to find other tips that are in store for them. Although the author has given a number of pointers on how to remember certain phrases, this was not done uniformly across all the blog entries. It would have been more productive for the latter author to look for memory triggers in each and every entry that she did.
Nonetheless, for those students who do not want to read language textbooks or those who may not enjoy primary material on the Spanish language, this blog must have been invaluable to them because it is a rich source of terminologies. Its focus on the actual content of the language makes it a hands-on resource.
Case study 2
The second case revolved around an English teacher (M Benevides) making blog entries about a task based framework for teaching the language. The author does not look at specific elements of the English language; instead he gives various approaches and methods that can be useful for learning any language. In one of the blog entries, the author talks about narrow learning. Here he asserts that students should read materials that are specific to a certain theme or genre.
If the tutor selects detective novels, then this should be the focus for the entire semester. The rationale behind such a choice is that there are similarities between such stories and this is likely to increase recall for certain words. Additionally, the frequency of occurrence of certain words is likely to make them be more applicable to the concerned learners. These are all platforms for confidence building during reading. Such assertions are not just useful for teachers who may opt to implement narrow based teaching; students can also do the same for themselves by using this same technique and it may lead to substantial changes in their mastery of any secondary language. (Benevides, 2010)
In another entry, the latter author talks about how critical it is for students to carry out their tasks in the secondary language that they are trying to learn; an aspect that is quite uncommon in most schools. It would therefore be critical for teachers to ensure that students do not resort to their first language even when focusing on other non verbal aspects of the class. Such an assertion provides an explanation of the logic behind applying a secondary language at all times and also in revealing how students need to utilise all learning avenues in order to practice the secondary language especially in the classroom. The advice was therefore useful to teachers and students alike as both of them can now think of strategies that can assist them in staying on course.
In the blog, the author also looks at a very pressing issue amongst most English language teachers which is the need to focus on fluency or accuracy. Since time allocated for most classes is quite short, then it may be difficult to achieve both accuracy and fluency at the same time. Teachers are therefore advised to focus on accuracy over fluency because communication is what counts. (Benevides, 2010)
Through the blog, English learners can therefore gain insight about the practicalities of learning the English language and some of the issues that may need to be forgone as they keep learning; this may encourage students who feel frustrated over fluency issues. The blog has therefore addressed a pressing concern for both students and teachers and it has contributed towards better understanding of language essentials.
Furthermore, it can enhance language learning indirectly by giving teachers useful methods for delivering curriculum content thus making lessons more productive. Conversely, it can also benefit concerned students because most of them can try out these hints on their own and hence gain greater efficiency. Additionally, students’ fears and frustrations about unimportant aspects of the secondary language can be dispelled by assertions given by the later author.
Lastly, this blog is looking at a holistic view of language acquisition; the question being answered is not ‘what should I teach’ as was the case in the first case study but ‘how to effectively teach’. Most language learners fail not because of their own fault; but because their tutors lack the knowledge to deliver learning material. Therefore, through blogs such as the Benevides (2010) blog, teachers can go a long way in providing a diversity of ideas to their students. This is especially from the feedback offered by fellow teachers who may have tried out some of the recommendations made by the blog’s writer.
How blogging can be applied to my own area of learning
In my own area of teaching, blogging can be applicable in providing students with a holistic picture of the language learning process as well as giving guidance on direct methods that students can use in order to gain mastery of the language. A number of blogs are currently available on detailed aspects of a secondary language. Other blogs may take on the opposite approach by focusing on what teachers can do rather than what students can practice on their own.
Alternatively, some blogs usually give advice that is too general to be useful. In my area of teaching, I will bridge this gap by including all these missing elements. For instance the concept of writing down notes has worked well for many secondary language learners. However, most of them tend to write only a word or phrase in the new language without including a trigger for it. It would therefore be quite helpful if a blog contained such tips reminding students to include trigger word beside secondary language words while writing them down. This will solidify the words in their minds and thus facilitate efficient learning.
Instructors also need to be given tools on how to enhance teaching in their classrooms. Consequently, the blog in my area of teaching will contain information on how to handle beginners. Many teachers tend to present a series of topics to first time leaners without following any particular order. It will therefore be fruitful for these individuals to start with certain overriding themes such as ‘eating’, food’, ‘health’, ‘visiting’ and others. A shift to topic centred learning can enhance first time learner’s ability to observe common patterns and can also contribute tremendously towards language proficiency. Teachers need not be the sole beneficiaries to this information as self learners can also find out that it would be helpful to add more focus in their learning process.
In order to enhance learning in my area of teaching, it would also be refreshing to discuss aspects of culture in the secondary language that students are learning. This means that words and phrases chosen for the blog will have a certain context to them and students are likely to be excited about the practicality of the language. A blog that gives a short history on the way of life of the concerned culture and their various practices can sustain the interest of the students.
After looking at a ceremony, a number of common phrases and words used in that ceremony can be identified and then translated and written in the secondary language. It would be helpful to include pictures of those cultural practices as well as the words in the primary language of the speaker and the words again in the target language. For instance, when talking about music, common words would like singer, sound, tune and rhythm will be translated and discussed.
Another productive way in which blogs can be used in my area of teaching is through placement of explanations on a new aspect of learning in both the language of the learner and the target language. This will provide better contextualisation of information. In other words, every paragraph written in reader’s primary language in the blog will be translated into their target language.
Conclusion
The cases analysed are distinct from each other in terms of their target audience and their structure. The inadequacies in one format were compensated by the strengths in another. In my area of teaching it would be insightful to incorporate all the missing elements in the latter two studies. Examples include; teaching first time learners specific topics, discussing and describing words and phrases in cultural functions and writing all discussions in the blog to the native language of the learner and the secondary language
Reference
The educause learning initiative (2005). 7 things you should know about blogs. Web.
Saranow, J. (2007). Blogwatch – this old house. Wall street. Web.
Allard. N. (2006). What is blogging? Web.
Benevides, M. (2010). A blog about task based language teaching. Web.
200wordsaday.com (2007). Learn Spanish. Web.