Encountering E-Learning Education

Adapted by Emma Thomas

This reflection was written in response to an article by Sarah Fallan entitled “All the World’s a Stage”. The article is a critical evaluation of blogging as an effective teaching medium. Fallen states that blogs have recently “turned the political and technological world upside down. Now, they’re turning the classroom inside out”. This is an insightful reflection on how blogs have recently become an increasingly engaging teaching tool in “giving classrooms a new way to face the world” (Fallen, 2005). Blogs are described in the article as a form of online journal which provide an “audience to individual reflection and experience” (Fallen, 2005).

Fallen illustrates how blogs can be used by teachers to post thoughts and reflections on students’ work for parents to read and critique. Alternatively blogs can be used to showcase students’ work to an “outside audience” (Fallen, 2005). Anne Davis a teacher at J.H. House Elementary School in Georgia perceives this “outside audience” as having a dramatic influence on students. She states “they (the students) couldn’t believe that someone else would care what they wrote.”

However, like all educational tasks students require scaffolding for learning when creating weblogs. Simply instructing students to create a blog posting can be ineffective and unproductive. Davis guides her students in their blog writings by allocating topics related to current-events which they can reflect upon. Davis encourages students to develop a sense of audience by providing comment starters such as:

“I wonder why…”

“Another thing to consider is…”

Blogs are so readily accessible for students and teachers within the classroom and can become the backbone of authentic and constructive learning. Richardson states that blogs are an “easy, inexpensive technology” and have the power to “really change what you do with your curriculum” (Richardson, as cited in Fallen, 2005). This curriculum transformation is being recognised globally as teachers and students use blogs as a site for extensive and comprehensive learning. Additionally blogs place an emphasis on reflective practice and deep sense of audience which is fundamental in encouraging students to genuinely engage in learning tasks.

Fallen, S. (2005). All the World’s a Stage. Edutopia.

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