Supporting Learning Through the Use of Self-Reflection Blogs: A study of the experience of blended learning students in the United Arab Emirates

Adrienne A Isakovic,Allan Mcnaught

doi:10.5944/openpraxis.5.4.89

Abstract

This exploratory study seeks to examine how the use of student-written blogs support student learning through the student perspective. The blogs were introduced to provide support in four distinct areas: as a medium for facilitating learning; as a medium for interactivity; as a medium for metacognitive thought and reflection; and as a learning tool. This study was conducted over the course of one academic year with undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in a blended learning university located in the United Arab Emirates. Results indicate that for the students in this study, the use of blogs provided support in all four identified areas, as well as in additional areas not expected by the researchers. This paper provides details of the results of the data analysis, provides suggestions for classroom implementation, discusses the limitations of this research study, and proposes research questions which can guide future research studies on this topic.

Highlights

As our world grows smaller and increasingly more connected, technological tools become embedded into the social fabric of our cultures and enable greater sharing, collaboration, and interaction among individuals and groups
Such technology has changed our social interactions but has had a great impact on instructional strategies, and it is critical as these tools are so rapidly adopted into our pedagogies that they be critically examined for evidence of the type of impact, if any, they have on the learning process and outcomes of our present and future students
This paper reports on an exploratory study that seeks to illuminate student perspectives of using a particular Web 2.0 technology, blogging, in enhancing the learning process

Summary

Introduction

As our world grows smaller and increasingly more connected, technological tools become embedded into the social fabric of our cultures and enable greater sharing, collaboration, and interaction among individuals and groups. The advent of Web 2.0 technology has increased the rapidity of adoption of such tools into our everyday lives. Such technology has changed our social interactions but has had a great impact on instructional strategies, and it is critical as these tools are so rapidly adopted into our pedagogies that they be critically examined for evidence of the type of impact, if any, they have on the learning process and outcomes of our present and future students. As online education continues to become increasingly present in higher education, it is critical that it is used in such a way as to support best practices in learning, and not just as an online replication of the traditional, teacher-centered classroom

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Discussion

Conclusion