Educational Blogs Research Articles

Repurposing lectures and reviews into educational blogs.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a disruption in health education,1 and the delivery of content and skill development evolved into hybrid models, where most of the knowledge-based material is delivered online and the practical activities in person. This requires the faculty to have technological skills, to create learning objects (LO) that are suitable for the online methodology. A LO can be used as a stand-alone module or as a resource to create content.2 The repurpose of LOs has been described in health sciences education, including nursing3 and dentistry,4 with favorable response from the students. A proposed strategy to create LOs in an efficient manner, is to follow the concept of a supply chain, from planning to deployment, with the possibility of repurposing the material for a variety of educational contexts, using tools with the potential to export to diverse media.5 The transformation of a lecture or a literature review to a digital format, constitutes a re-design where the material evolves to produce additional educational objects. The New Media Consortium has created specific guidelines for the creation of learning objects.6 Some examples are a sharable content object reference model (SCORM) for a learning management system (LMS); a video file; a written document (blog or manual); or even a podcast. The newly developed LO can be used not only for teaching purposes, but also for marketing or showcasing to potential students and collaborators (Figure 1). By repurposing lectures designed for in-person instruction, and literature reviews created as complementary readings, a collection of blogs was created and hosted on an open platform (ostrowon.usc.edu). The blogs are organized by discipline and provide useful information regarding clinical entities and their management, suitable for clinicians or patients. The analytics on the website (April 1st – June 30th, 2022), show that the most visited blogs are those focusing on step-by-step “how-to”s for clinical procedures (Figure 2). The main challenge is to maintain a continuous flow of updated information. The proposed model of blog creation based on existing content could be used for any discipline. Further research is required to compare the efficacy of the blogs with other types of tools, such as videos and podcasts for dental education.

“We Can Position Ourselves as Experts”: Teachers Learning to Write and Publish on National Blogs

This article focuses on a collective case study of two teachers attending a professional development workshop focused on writing for publication via educational blogs. Through a qualitative study, we sought to understand how attending the workshop and publishing on a national organization's blog shaped the two teachers' own identities as teachers and shifted their thinking about blogs as a genre. We argue the two teachers had a shift in conceptualizing what counted as scholarship as well as problematizing who counted as a scholar. In an era of increased attacks on teachers' intellectualism and autonomy, we believe publishing on national blogs is one way teachers can reclaim their professional knowledge in our current socio-political landscape. Our work has implications for the fields of teacher education, teacher leadership, and professional development.

On the Design of Constructively Aligned Educational Unit

Modern pedagogy is moving away from traditional transmissive approaches, and it is extensively embracing constructive theory of learning. A prominent practical embodiment of this paradigm shift is a method called Constructive Alignment (CA). This approach focuses on learners’ actions and starts from a clear communication of the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the focal unit. ILOs are made of content, a context, and an Educational Goal Verb (EGV). According to the Bloom Taxonomy, the EGV is the core of an ILO and refers to the action the learners are expected to be able to master after completing the educational unit. The ILO is then aligned to the course activity using the EGV (i.e., EGVs are enacted through Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) and verified through Assessment Tasks (ATs)). Despite the ILO definition being extensively investigated and described, the extant literature has poorly explored how to devise suitable TLAs and ATs, lacking comprehensive contributions that identify and describe the different kinds of TLAs and ATs available to course designers. In view of the above gap, the authors searched and reviewed the literature (scientific papers (i.e., top-down, deductive approach)) and practices in higher education (university websites and blogs (i.e., bottom-up, inductive approach)) to identify all the possible sources of TLA and AT descriptions available. The results propose standardized templates that support the course design process, providing extensive descriptions of TLA and AT based on the best practices identified. The proposed templates include the core dimensions that proved to be suitable for designing traditional and remote-learning activities. Finally, the examples provided in the paper show how to use these templates on a few kinds of selected on-campus and digital TLAs and ATs from the educational units identified in the Erasmus+ MAESTRO project, which is based on Industry 4.0 technological enablers and their application in support of manufacturing sustainability.

Medical Education Blog and Podcast Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

IntroductionThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted traditional in-person learning models. Free Open Access Medical (FOAM) education resources naturally filled this void, so we evaluated how medical blog and podcast utilization changed during the early months of the pandemic.MethodsAcademic medical podcast and blog producers were surveyed on blog and podcast utilization immediately before (January-March 2020) and after (April-May 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic declaration and subsequent lockdown. Utilization is quantified in terms of blog post pageviews and podcast downloads. Linear regression was used to estimate the effect of publication during the COVID-19 period on 30-day downloads or pageviews. A linear mixed model was developed to confirm this relationship after adjustment for independent predictors of higher 30-day downloads or pageviews, using the podcast or blog as a random intercept.ResultsCompared to the pre-pandemic period, downloads and pageviews per unique blog and podcast publication significantly increased for blogs (median 30-day pageviews 802 to 1860, p<0.0001) but not for podcasts (median 30-day downloads 2726 to 1781, p=0.27). Publications that contained COVID-19 content were strongly associated with higher monthly utilization (β=7.21, 95% CI 6.29-8.14 p<0.001), and even non-COVID-19 material had higher utilization in the early pandemic (median 30-day downloads/pageviews 868 to 1380, p<0.0001).DiscussionThe increased blog pageviews during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the important role of blogs in rapid knowledge translation. Podcasts did not experience a similar increase in utilization.

The Metaphor in the Conceptualization of Innovation in Lim Kok Wing's Writings

The concept of innovation is prevalent and has been discussed in varied disciplines and published in various documents, such as educational magazines, books, and blogs. One example of such documentation is the writing on innovation by the late Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, compiled in a book titled "The Future is Coming". In education, innovation is required to transform the education system to prepare future generations for an innovation-driven economy. This study examined the concept of innovation using metaphorical expressions in writing on innovation in education. Specifically, it aimed to unravel the metaphor in the writings and to examine how the unravelled metaphors reflect the conceptions of innovation in education. In total, 42 written texts on innovation were included as data of the study. The data were analyzed based on Lakoff and Johnson's Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The findings of the study revealed seven salient conceptual metaphors underlying the expressions related to innovation in education. These metaphors involve the mappings of the source domains of JOURNEY, WAR, OBJECT, HUMAN BEING, SPORT, BUILDING, and FORCE to the target domain of INNOVATION. The unravelled metaphors underlying the writings on innovation suggest that innovation is conceived as a long process, which requires careful planning. The findings of the study provide insights into how innovation is conceived using metaphor, reflecting the ideas of a renowned brainchild of innovation in education in Malaysia, Lim Kok Wing.

Проектирование цифровых образовательных ресурсов для осуществления информационно-цифровой подготовки магистров

The article considers the use of computer modeling technologies for visualization of learning elements of engineering disciplines in order to improve understanding of the structure and functioning of complex technical objects and technological systems. The principles of digital didactics and their influence on the formation of the content of educational resources are analyzed. An education blog is presented as a modern tool for information and digital training of vocational education teachers. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that the use of computer modeling technologies as meta-technologies for organizing information and digital training of modern masters allows us to take a fresh look at the process of digitalization of education and at the design of its content. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that inclusion of computer modeling technologies in educational practice allows not only to improve its quality, but also to prepare a graduate to enter the innovative digital system of an educational organization.

Develop an Electronic Educational Blog and Inquire Its Affecting both the Immediate and Delayed Attainment for the First Secondary Grade Female Students on Chemistry in Jordan

Develop an Electronic Educational Blog and Inquire Its Affecting both the Immediate and Delayed Attainment for the First Secondary Grade Female Students on Chemistry in Jordan

THE USE OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICAL EDUCATIONAL SCHOOLS

The article emphasizes the need for the application of innovative Internet technologies in medical schools. The authors submit some practical aspects of using educational blog Blogger, mental maps Mindomo and application Learning Apps in training of medical students when they study the professional disciplines. The results of a survey of would-be doctors and junior medical staff are described. They prove the effectiveness of the use of blogs, mental maps and online exercises by means of Learning Apps in studying of professional disciplines. The purpose of the article is to highlight the methodology and results of experimental work aimed at the verification of the effectiveness of using of innovative Internet technologies in medical schools. The experimental verification of the effectiveness of the introduction innovative Internet technologies on the training of future junior medical staff in study of special disciplines is presented. It was specified that future doctors and junior medical staff of the experimental groups at the formative stage of the experiment received better results, than the students of the control groups and they have a higher level of readiness for professional activity. The statistical verification also confirmed the effectiveness of the implementation of Internet technologies.

Distance learning of students through informational and educational blogs

The present study aims to disclose the structure, content, and stages of creating a teacher’s informational and educational blog designed to serve the cognitive component of professional and communicative culture during distance learning of students of psychological and social university faculties. Different stages of the present study involved deploying the following methods: in addition to the scientific literature, a questionnaire allowing the authors to determine the degree of formation of the cognitive component of the professional and communicative culture in future specialists; in addition to other procedural axes. The objectives and functions of a said blog, as well as the stages of creating one, are determined and its structure is developed. The requirements for the content of a blog and the format of content delivery are established. Information should be presented in the form of clips; vivid visual presentations with clear and figurative language are to be used; visual images in the form of slides of animated videos are also recommended for use.

Clinical Case-Conference Blogs: Integrating Clinical Librarians to Enhance Resident Education and Enforce ACGME Competencies.

Resident conferences are primary educational endeavors for trainees and faculty alike. We describe the development of collaborative clinician-librarian educational blogs within the Internal Medicine (2009), Pediatrics (2012), and General Surgery (2018) residency programs. Clinical librarians attended resident conferences and generated evidence-based blog posts based on learning topics and clinical questions encountered during the conferences. In the decade since introduction of the blogs, this partnership has resulted in over 2000 blog posts and generated over 1800 individual views per month. The development of a clinical librarian-managed blog serves as a relevant resource for promoting evidence-based practices within a case-based learning curriculum, engages interdisciplinary collaboration through existing resources, and is generalizable across various clinical practice disciplines and trainees.

Examining the Use and Awareness of Educational Blogs among University Students

Blogs are widely used in education since their emergence particularly in higher education. This research study investigated the use of educational blogs by students at university level. 100 male and female university students were the sample of this study. Data was collected through a questionnaire and focused group discussions. Descriptive statistics i.e., frequency and percentages, were calculated for the analysis of quantitative data and the qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study indicated that students used blogs to get educational ideas and communicate with other people. They used educational blogs and commented on relevant course related posts. In this way, students get knowledge of different subjects through blogs. Students and teachers also used educational blogs to get to know each other better by visiting and reading blogs. Educational blogs help teachers to teach and students to learn. It is suggested that at university and college level there should be workshops and awareness programs for the use of modern technology into education. Teachers should offer blogs related courses at university and college levels. This study also creates awareness among university students about the use of blogs for educational purposes.

FORMING STUDENTS’ CREATIVE INDEPENDENCE WHILE WRITING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article substantiates the methodology and provides the practical experience of the organization of students’ independent work with the help of foreign language writing in Ukrainian higher educational establishments. The article establishes the principles of providing the learning process with proven methods of individualization, determining the incentives to motivate students to intensify self-education as the most problematic aspects in the system of foreign language training. The authors identify the specific features of the methods of organizing students’ independent work in the conditions of quarantine restrictions, its peculiarities during distance learning, the advantages and disadvantages of students’ individual activities and approaches, which allow the teachers to combine students’ independent activities with online classes. The effectiveness of the implementation of extracurricular activities in the process of learning a foreign language is determined. Emphasis is made on the importance of establishing new forms of writing skills in the process of students’ independent work: the use of educational blogs. According to the authors, the technology of students’ blogging is an effective means to improve modern approaches in the system of foreign language learning. Methods of research: analysis, synthesis, generalization of the studied issue, pedagogical observation, analysis and substantiation of the practical experience of the organization of students’ independent work with the help of foreign language writing.

Експериментальна перевірка сформованості особистісного компоненту готовності студентів-медиків до професійної діяльності

The results of the formative stage of the experiment have been analyzed. Comparative characterization of the experimental groups and control groups has been presented. At the primary stage of researching an insufficient level of readiness of junior medical staff was determined. The research was conducted in 2017-2019 years. The empirical basis at the formative stage of the study included 247 students and 70 teachers of professional disciplines at medical colledges of Vinnytsia region: Vinnytsia medical college named after D.K. Zabolotny, Bershad medical college, Haisyn medical college, Mohyliv-Podilsky medical college and Pohrebyshche medical college. At the formative stage of the experiment students of the control groups studied according to traditional methods, and their teachers of professional disciplines used traditional teaching technologies: educational blogs, mental maps, online exercises LearningApps. Students of the experimental groups studied according to innovative methods, and their teachers used Internet technologies. The experimental verification of the effectiveness of the introduction of the pedagogical conditions: contextual learning technologies, methods of forming deontological competence and innovative Internet technologies on the training of future junior medical staff in study of special disciplines is presented. It was determined that during the pedagogical experiment there were significant changes in personal component of readiness. It was specified that future junior medical staff of the experimental groups at the formative stage of the experiment received better results, than the students of the control groups. Prospects for further researching are perceived in creation of teaching and methodological support for the formation of readiness of future medical staff to their professional activity by means оf modern technologies at the studying of others disciplines in medical schools.

Pelatihan Pembuatan Teacher’s Web Blog Pada Guru SMK PGRI 23 Jakarta Selatan

Web Blog has been used since the raise of web 2.0 for writing content on the Internet. On this community dedication activities, we teach the teachers from SMK PGRI 23 to make an educational blog as part of teaching methods. The main objective of preparing the teachers with enough skills to blogging so they can face all challenges on the fast growth of Internet technology. The e-learning education method with using the blog as a new platform, expected to be an additional media for their current conventional teaching method. The blog platform used was WordPress because it is one of the popular Content Management System for blogging. We teach them practically in the computer lab so they can have hands-on experience directly to use the blog system. The study case is related to their own teaching experience so they can grasp the meaning of education blogging. The result is an education blog publication by each teacher in the public domain wordpress.com. The continuation of the program is suggested by the audience so they can continue the learning process on to the next level.

WEBLOGS IN THE TRAINING OF GERMAN-SPEAKING TEACHERS IN ROMANIA – PLANNING, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATION AND DISCUSSION USING THE EXAMPLE OF PROF-ES.COM

The present study deals with the use of a weblog in the further training of teachers at Romanian public schools with German teaching. The question whether an educational blog meets the needs, wishes and expectations of the target group was investigated using the IMMS questionnaire based on the ARCS model by Keller (1983, 1987). The evaluation results show a positive impact of the blog on the study participants and point out the importance of motivational factors in designing online learning content. This referred to the multimedia narrative presentation and the clear structuring of current psycho-educational topics with practical relevance for the target group.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY, PEER FEEDBACK AND COURSE ENGAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF LEARNING IN BLOG ENVIRONMENTS

Blogs have the potential to improve in-depth thinking, reflection, interaction and sense of community in higher education settings. Although the effectiveness of blogging on performance and thinking skills, student interaction and collaboration have been investigated by many educators, the number of studies on what influences learning in blog-based learning environments is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sense of community, perception of peer feedback, course engagement and learning in a blog-based learning environment. A relational study was adopted, and 170 university students participated in this study. The data of the study were collected through an online questionnaire that measures students’ sense of community, peer feedback, course engagement, and perceived learning. In order to analyze the data, correlation and multiple regression tests were applied, as well as mean and standard deviation. At the end of the study, it was found that students’ perceived learning, sense of community, peer feedback perceptions and course engagement were at a high level. In addition, the results of this study showed that in blog environments, students’ sense of community, peer feedback perception and course engagement were significant predictors of their learning. The study findings have implications for both teachers and students and can be used as a framework to help the successful use of educational blogs.

Academic reading instruction in tertiary English preparatory classes: A qualitative case study of an experienced instructor

Academic literacy is a crucial means to read, comprehend, and reflect on academic texts. In tertiary English preparatory classes, to lay strong foundations for academic literacy, it is necessary to build a well-structured framework for academic reading instruction. One means of doing this is exploring the pedagogical views and practices of experienced teachers. This qualitative case study focuses on a highly experienced English instructor with established records of success and investigates the participant’s views about academic reading instruction, her academic reading instruction practices, and the extent of consistency between her views and practices. The instructor has forty-one years of teaching experience, was given the Excellence in Teaching Award by her institution and is an active digital immigrant with two educational blogs. The research reveals an in-depth analysis of the instructor’s multiple subjectivities in academic reading instruction and the details about her investment in learning. The data were collected by semi-structured interviews, teacher’s blog posts and journal, and classroom observations and analyzed via thematic analysis. The findings displayed that the instructor believes in the significance of construction and activation of students’ background knowledge as well as teacher and student motivation for successful reading. She reported teaching and practicing a number of pre-, while- and post-reading strategies. The reading instruction practices of the instructor displayed full compatibility with her concerning views. The study has significant implications for contexts teaching English for academic purposes (EAP) and concludes that experienced L2 teachers may apply effective teaching practices and serve as examples for their colleagues.

Developing an educational blog and investigating its effect on the achievement among frst scientifc secondary students in the subject of Earth and Environment Sciences in Jordan

Developing an educational blog and investigating its effect on the achievement among frst scientifc secondary students in the subject of Earth and Environment Sciences in Jordan

The effect of using Navigation style in educational blogging on academic achievement for English Language curriculum to the second- grade students in Prince Abdul Majeed secondary school in Medina: أثر استخدام نمط الإبحار للمدونات التعليمية على التحصيل الدراسي لمنهج اللغة الإنجليزية لطلاب الصف الثاني الثانوي في مدرسة (ثانوية الأمير عبد المجيد) بالمدينة المنورة

The objective of this research to find out the effect of using Navigation style in educational blogging on academic achievement for English Language curriculum (the present perfect and the present perfect continuous) to the second- grade students in secondary Medina. The search was based on the quasi-experimental approach, where research has been applied to a sample of the 30 students from the second grade students were selected from secondary school secondary Prince Abdul Majeed Medina, in the second semester of the academic year 1433- 1434 AH. The students were divided into two groups of them (15) as an experimental group studied English grammar through Menu Navigation style. And (15) students studied the same rules by Hierarchical Navigation. The search tool was an achievement test and make sure of its sincerity and firmness before actually applied on the two sets of search. And reached results that there is no statistically significant differences at the level (0.05) between the average student achievement in the experimental group- who has studied the rules of English through Hierarchical Navigation style- and the average student achievement in the group Experimental II- who has studied the rules of the English language on Menu Navigation style- in the post- test for the experimental group. The following recommendations can be made after the previous results as use electronic blogs to teach the English language in general and to teach its grammar in particular, as its use as a modern educational method contributes to raising the level of academic achievement of students compared to traditional educational methods in teaching the English language and its rules. Also, Urging the teachers of the English language to use the electronic blog as an educational method in their teaching of the English language subject and its rules by making them aware of the active role in the classroom, as it contributes to raising the level of student performance in learning the English grammar. Finally, Encouraging researchers to conduct more scientific studies that explain the feasibility of using electronic blogs as an educational method in teaching the English language and its rules in stages and educational classes other than the ones covered in this study.

Web Information Seeking Behavior of Undergraduate Students in Kwara State Nigeria

The study examined Web Information Seeking Behavior of undergraduate students in Kwara State Nigeria. The study evaluated the web information seeking behavior of undergraduate students by considering search engines, scholarly databases and educational blogs. Private, State and Federal Universities were fully represented in the study. 100 questionnaires’ each were distributed to three universities in Kwara State which represented each category of university. Descriptive analysis, One-Way ANOVA and Cross-tabulation were carried out in the analysis of data using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Results showed that the major evaluating criteria of information sources by undergraduate students were the relevance of the information source with only few students giving consideration to the author and currency of information source. The study further evaluated search engines, scholarly databases and educational blogs, results showed that search engines remains the proffered information source for undergraduate students with more than 50% of undergraduate students rating search engines authoritative, accurate, accessible and relevant. The study further showed that accessibility, authority and relevance significantly influence students’ preference for search engines. This study evaluates the web information seeking behavior of undergraduate students by focusing on the role of information literacy. This study has implications in improving the information literacy skills of undergraduate students in Nigeria.