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BLOGGING INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE
Blogging Instructional Course
Research &Development Project Proposal
Rachel M. Mudrich
University of South Alabama
Summer 2012
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Table of Contents
Abstract………..…………………………………………………………..………..…3
Purpose of proposed project………………….…………………………………….….3
Statement of need……………………….……………………………………….…….3
Literature review ……………….……………………………………………...……...4
Goals and objectives ………………………………………………………………….6
Overview of instructional project…………………………………………6
Design and development of instruction………………………………...…7
o Entry skills………………………………………………………...7
o Task analysis………………………………………………………7
o Delivery system and materials…………………………………….8
o Instructional strategy and procedures……………………………..8
Constraints…………………………………….………………………………………9
Assessment approach …………………………...………………………………….. ..9
Formative evaluation (actual)……………………………………..…………………10
Summative evaluation (proposed)……………..…………………………………….10
Dissemination…………………..……………………………………………………11
Gantt chart……………………………………..…………………………………….12
References……………………...………………………………………………….…13
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Abstract
In the public school system there are students of all cultures and backgrounds. The
educational system is progressing in a positive way on a national scale, however the foundational
practices of core subject areas are falling by the wayside in the swiftness of this progressing.
The language arts subject area, specifically writing, has been somewhat lacking in progression
over the years. Common writing practices have been sidestepped with the growth of social
media and informal writing. However, recent literature discusses information on how blogs can
be used to enhance writing. Generally speaking, blogging is a social platform within society
rather than seen as an educational platform. This research project will be to develop instruction
for middle school students in the appropriate use of blogs to improve their writing skills.
Purpose of Research & Development Project
The purpose of this research and development project is to enhance the writing skills of
middle school students by developing instruction on the appropriate use of blogs within the
classroom. After viewing the work samples and products provided by teachers, it is apparent that
students writings are not on the level of expectations for their age and ability. Designing and
implementing a unit of instruction on using blogs to enhance creative writing techniques will
provide the outlet for writing needed to captivate students and therefore improve skills and peer
communication within formal writing.
Statement of Need
About a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students, and roughly a quarter of its high
school seniors, are proficient writers, according to Dillon’s (2008) article published in The New
York Times. These results are mirror images of the results from the same examination given in
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the year 2002. Thus, the writing standards and skills of students progressing through the
educational system have met a stalemate. Writing and communication techniques have shifted
from a primary focus of educators and students and the results in research are showing this gap.
Although there are several approaches to improving writing, for this project blogs are the source
of writing enhancement. There is a need for such an instructional unit on blogging to assist in
improving the overall writing and communication language of students which will in turn result
in increased test scores on a national scale.
Literature Review of Research & Development Project
Using Blogs for Language Arts Classes
In the year 2007, the National Assessment of Educational Progress assessed through their
series of tests that about a third of the nation’s eighth-grade students, are proficient writers. The
national writing test was given to 140,000 eighth graders selected to form a representative
sample of all students nationwide. Each student wrote two 25-minute essays intended to
measure skills at writing to inform, persuade and tell stories. Where thirty-three percent scored
at or above proficiency level, eighty-eight percent scored at or above the basic level. These
results are up from eighty-five percent in 2002, but are still substandard from where they should
be as a nation. James H. Billington, the librarian of Congress, states that the lack of clarity in
the sentences of students is what has been killing writing. Billington also explains that there is a
slow destruction of the sentence, due to the fact that young Americans do most of their writing in
disjointed prose composed in Internet chat rooms or in cellphone text messages. (Dillion, 2008).
One such research based area that this project will look at as a way to enhance writing within a
classroom is the use of blogs. Research shows that many students are already constructing
microblogs hourly, via Twitter and Facebook, so having a way to use those same concepts to do
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school work would also increase participation and motivation within a writing course. Students
love to write to their friends for fun, so having a personal website that allows them to do this,
respond and collaborate among other students during the process of writing (Abidin, Pour-
Mohammadi, & Hamid, 2011). There have been several roadblocks on the road to immersing the
educational world with new-aged technology that is often viewed as “social media”. However,
research shows that there are a plethora of benefits to instructional blogging when used within an
educational setting. The enormous potential of this instructional outlet along with the benefits
makes it a shame not to put such an educational asset to use in the classroom.
McGrail and Davis (2011) pointed out in their research that blogs facilitate literacy
development through storytelling and dialogue and this is based upon the facts that the format in
which blogs are composed are more personal in nature. Martindale and Wiley (2005) noted that
blogging has emerged among a variety of web-based instructional possibilities as a leader, in part
because it allows students the ability to interact in a more public venue, sharing their thoughts,
ideas, interpretations, hopes, and fears with anyone willing to spend time looking on the internet
(as cited in Brescia & Miller, 2006, p. 45). Blogging expresses the importance of social and peer
interaction as focus of the learning community. When used by instructors within a well
disciplined knowledge area, blogs allow for students to contextualize real-world experiences.
Students begin to make an investment in their writings through blogs, because it allows for them
to advance their own perspectives and experiences. Macbride and Luehmann (2008) outlined
seven potential uses for blogs with the classroom which include:
Promote reflective thinking
Nurture collaboration and relationship-building
Increase perceived accountability and quality of student work
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Encourage peer support for one another
Increase opportunities for students to receive feedback
Extend learning outside classroom walls
Allow and encourage interactions with experts and others outside the classroom
When taught an implemented correctly, blogs have a vastly positive impact on students and their
ability to write. Getting students to blog simply isn’t enough – blogs must be monitored through
feedback, and must be activity-centric. Blogs provide the outlet for students to practice their
creative writing skills and peer communication skills needed in informal and formal writing. As
Nedeva and Nedev (2010) concluded, blogging is one tool that has the ability to be used cross
discipline and effectively in extended learning beyond classrooms.
The Goals and Objectives of this Research & Development Project
Overview of Instructional Project
Using the Dick and Carey Model of Instructional Design, instruction will be developed
for middle school Language Arts classes to enhance their creative writing courses with the use of
blogging. This process will start by analyzing data to assess the performance instruction need.
After analyzing all instructional needs, instructional methods will be designed and developed,
instruction will be implemented, and the effectiveness of the instruction will be evaluated in the
end. An instructional unit will be designed and developed, along with PowerPoint and SMART
Board presentations, handouts, and an instructor packet for instructional materials.
A performance analysis will be conducted to gather formal and informal data to help
achieve this goal. I will conduct a further review of the literature, interview teachers, and review
annual test scores. The learners will be middle school 8th grade Language Arts students, in a
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public school setting. I will conduct a learner analysis to see what knowledge and capabilities
the learners currently hold in the area of writing and technology use through an Entry Skills test,
which will be included in the final report. The instruction will take place in a Language Arts
classroom and adjoining computer lab, to involve both intellectual and psychomotor skills, as
learners are to construct and navigate a blog, and physically operate a computer. An evaluation
of the course and instructor will be given via questionnaire at the end of the instruction, to weigh
the effectiveness of the course. This will be completed by mentor teacher, and students who
participated. Questionnaire will be included in final report.
Design and Development of Instruction
Entry Skills
Learners must identify mandated objectives for the course of writing as set forth by
Mobile County and ALCOS standards. Learners must be able to identify programs for media,
navigate websites, and maintain an email address communication throughout instruction.
Positive and frequent communication skills are necessary for this project as well.
Task Analysis
The task analysis for blogs to enhance creative writing will be completed by using the
ALCOS (Alabama Course of Study) as well as a review of current English/Language Arts county
pacing guides in relation to course syllabi. The Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) here will consist
of the teacher, the current Subject Grade Level Chairperson, and the Media Technologist.
Alabama Course of Study objectives for English Language Arts standards will be included in
final report.
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Delivery System and Materials
The instructor will deliver instruction in a lecture style model while providing
demonstrations through Microsoft PowerPoint and SMART Board. Learners will be provided
with time for small group break-out sessions to practice the skill they have learned. These
breakout sessions will take place in nearby computer labs that house the required equipment, all
of which must been correctly set up. Materials needed for instruction include the required
electronic equipment mentioned previously, a Blogging Instructor Packet to guide the instructor,
and various handouts for the students for rubrics, checklists, notations and future referral on the
lecture procedures. Evaluation questionnaires, entry skills tests, and pretest for students,
instructor, and collaborating teacher will also be needed and supplied for this project.
Instructional Strategy and Procedures
Gagne’s Conditions of Learning (1985) identified nine events that should take place
during instruction to facilitate the internal process of learning. These nine events will be
present in this unit of instruction, and will be included in the appendices in the final report.
The blogging instructional unit will be broken down into three main parts. The first will
be a background component, starting with an entry skills test to analyze the current skills the
learners hold. The course begins with the foundations of writing and blogging. The second
component will be the design and development phase of creating a new blog and all the potential
uses they allow for, along with following and reviewing others’ blogs. The third component is
the assessment phase, where the training gives a student an assignment to answer via created
blog, along with a posttest and questionnaire.
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The design and development phase will include a course of action for creating and
establishing a student blog for creative writing purposes. Steps for posting, reviewing, and
commenting on peer blogs will be covered also and provided within the handouts the students
will receive. The assessment phase will consist of an assignment to post an additional blog and
respond to another classmates’ posting within a week. Students may refer to a checklist provided
within the handouts to complete the assignment. Upon completion, the instructor will evaluate
the students based upon the objective provided on a given rubric in handouts. A posttest will
then be given in short answer form to assess mastery of all skills taught. During this final phase,
the students will also complete a questionnaire about the overall effectiveness of the instruction
for creative writing enhancement.
Constraints of Research & Development Project
A limitation of the learning context is the fact that only few sets of equipment are present
in that particular classroom and/or lab. It is possible to open up a few nearby classrooms and
additional labs for hands on practice in small groups, but the instructor will have to travel back
and forth without being able to see and speak with all learners at once. Finding time to
participate in a full two weeks of uninterrupted instructional and training for all the students can
also present a challenge.
Assessment Approach for Research & Development Project
An entry skills test will be administered to identify any background knowledge about the
skills leading to the instructional goal. It will consist of a written test and a checklist, since the
skills for this goal contain both verbal information and psychomotor skills. An ending
assignment will be given, while a checklist and rubric for its completion will be provided within
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the student handouts. Following this checklist, rubric, and assignment, a posttest will also be
administered. During this final phase, the students will also complete a questionnaire about the
overall satisfaction of the instructional unit that prepared them for blogging, and the use of
blogging as a creative writing outlet.
Formative Evaluation for Research & Development Project
The formative evaluation will occur during the instruction itself. After each skill, the
students will be provided with time for small group break-out sessions to practice the skill they
have learned, while the instructor will go around and conference with the students to ensure the
directions and information were clear and understandable. Student assessment questionnaires
will be a formative evaluation of the effectiveness of the lesson as a whole. Because of the
nature of technology as a potential risk in education, a complete post-phase review/discussion
will be conducted at the end of each event. The information gleaned from this discussion will be
factored into the development for the next delivery of this instructional unit.
Proposed Summative Evaluation for Research & Development Project
After full implementation, the blogging instruction will be evaluated via a questionnaire
on the basis of effectiveness. Effectiveness will be based on the states’ objectives for writing
perceptions of students. This will be determined by the quarterly National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment, as well as county and state assessments
throughout the year.
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Dissemination
The blogging training will be disseminated to the students and teachers through lecture
and deliverables. Handouts will be provided to the students for retaining the information from
the lecture, and for future referral as needed. A Blogging Instructor Packet will be provided for
the teacher for use in future classes for years to come, and it will allow for edits and additions to
the current lesson of instruction.
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Gantt Chart
PhaseJULY1-30
AUG27
AUG28
AUG29
AUG30
AUG31
SEPT1
SEPT2
SEPT3
SEPT4
SEPT5
SEPT6
SEPT7
+ 5 MOS
DesignCourse
DevelopContent
Analysis
Objectives
Criterion Tests
Conduct & Verify
Evaluate & Revise
FORM FORM SUM
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References
Alabama Department of Education. (2012). Alabama Course of Study [Data File]. Retrieved
from http://alex.state.al.us/standardAll.php?grade=8&subject=ELA2010&summary=2
Abidin, M., Pour-Mohammadi, M., & Hamid, F. (2011). Blogging: Promoting peer
collaboration in writing. International Journal of Business, Humanities, and Technology,
v1 n3: 98-105.
Brescia, W. F., & Miller, M. T. (2006). What’s it worth? The perceived benefits of
instructional blogging. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education,
v5, 44-53.
Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J.O. (2009). The Systematic Design of Instruction (7th ed.).
New York: Pearson.
Dillon, S. (2008, April 4). U.S. Students achieve mixed results on writing test. The New
York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/education/04writing.html
McGrail, E. & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary school
writing. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25: 415-437.
MacBride, R. & Luehmann, A. (2008). Capitalizing on emerging technologies: A case study
of classroom blogging. School Science and Mathematics, v108 n5: 173-183.
Nedeva, V. & Nedev, D. (2010). A new approach of e-learning education using blogging.
Petroleum - Gas University Of Ploiesti Bulletin: Educational Sciences Series, v62 n1B:
162-169.
Poling, C. (2005). Blog on: Building communication and collaboration among staff and
students. Learning & Leading with Technology, v32 n6: 12-15.
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United States Department of Education. (2011). National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment [Data File]. Retrieved from
http://nationsreportcard.gov/writing_2007/w0003.asp
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