How to teach using How to teach using bloggingbloggingFausto Colombofausto.colombo@unicatt.it

Why blogging?Why blogging?Main differences between traditional academic teaching and blogging logic:

Academic Teaching: ◦vertical, institutional, one-way

communication

Blogging: ◦orizontal, informal, interactive

communication

But…But…There are many ways of

teaching…

…and many ways of blogging:◦ http://www.wittgenstein.it/◦ http://www.serracchiani.eu/2009/08/01/il-m

io-pd-in-fvg-ricambio-autonomia-condivisione/#disqus_thread

Blogging for teaching: Blogging for teaching: why yes?why yes?Because it is a nice way to stay

in touch with your studentsBecause blogging allows to have

more tools to evalutate students interests and attitude

Because it get us used to write daily, (or at least frequently)

Blogging for teaching: Blogging for teaching: why not?why not?Because it is really time spending

(and nobody will give credit to your additional job)

Because you can become addicted to the response of your public like a pop-star!

Because you can become used to write too often, in easy and informal style (and it can be dangerous for your academic style… and career)

My experienceMy experience(brief history of an academic (brief history of an academic blog)blog)Context:

◦crowded classes◦two groups of students: one with low

level of culture, low motivation; one more self motivated, with more cultured people

◦need to change relationship with students and in general with my “public” (publishers, collegues, public opinion…)

Results:◦http://laculturasottile.wordpress.com

Main acquisitionsMain acquisitionsThe success of a blog used for teaching

depends from what happens in your real academic life (conferences, didactic cases, papers presentations, contacts…)

You can use the blog to have more criteria of evaluation

Blog platforms provide you with an important set of tools to evaluate the results of your teaching (statistics, number and quality of comments, most successfull contents…)

Questions to answer (in general) Questions to answer (in general) before startingbefore starting

What do you want to do making a blog?◦what’s your specific contribution to the

public sphere?◦what is your public?

What’s the main field of interest of your blog (content)?

What level of “openness” do you want?

Some more questionsSome more questions(from didactic point of view)(from didactic point of view)

What kind of place do we want to design for students?◦new channel for your traditional

content?◦new relationships?

What is the relationships between blog and your traditional ways of teaching and communicating?

Simulation:Simulation:

START BLOGGING!

But before…

a.choose the didactic strategyb.choose and organise the contentc.edit the content and suggest

student work

a. choose the didactic a. choose the didactic strategystrategy

Role of the blog in your coursesRole of the participation of studentsChoice of publication of the results

(yes, no, if yes, which ones?)Boundaries for publication of the

comments (wich level of freedom?)

b. edit the content: b. edit the content: Berlusconi’s CaseBerlusconi’s Case

Searching phase:Search about the case on

international pressSearch documentation (videos

and images) about the case

b.2. suggestions for on line b.2. suggestions for on line researchresearch

International presshttp://temi.repubblica.it/repubblicaspeciale-repubblicaspeciale-ten-new-questions-to-silvio-berlusconi/

Documentation http://www.google.com/search?

as_q=silvio+berlusconi+escort&hl=it&num=10&btnG=Cerca+con+Google&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=lang_en&cr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&as_rights=&safe=images

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=silvio+berlusconi&as=1&and_queries=silvio+berlusconi&exact_query=&or_queries=&negative_queries=&search_type=&search_duration=&search_hl=en&search_category=&uploaded=&geo_name=&geo_latlong=

c. organizing phase (one c. organizing phase (one slide)slide)

Suggest possibilities of in-depht analisys

Assign goals and work

ScheduleScheduleGroups of 5-6 people35’ to

◦agree about the didactic strategy◦search and find the content; choose

what document you want to post (no more than one or two)

◦suggest student work (what they have to do with the documentation you put on the blog)

Presentations (3’ per group): 3 slides, o.c.

ConclusionsConclusionsBlogging is a (possible) tool for your

didactical strategy (but not only)Its usefullness depends from:

◦the context of the teaching◦your sensibility◦your general strategy of communication

If you use a blog◦be personal, but also be serious◦assign to your students creative and

involving activities

How to teach using How to teach using bloggingbloggingFausto Colombofausto.colombo@unicatt.it