Blogging as L2 Writing: A Case Study

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Armstrong, K. & Retterer, O. (2008). Blogging as L2 Writing: A Case Study. AACE Journal, 16(3), 233-251. Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/24300.

Journal Information

AACE Journal
ISSN 1065-6901
Volume 16, Issue 3, July 2008
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)  Chesapeake, VA

More Information on AACEJ

Authors

Kimberly Armstrong, Oscar Retterer, Franklin & Marshall College, USA

Abstract

Weblogs-personal online, web-based publications-have exploded on the internet scene in recent years. They are among the technologies indicating changes in the way information is created, managed, and exchanged. This study examined the use of a blog in an intermediate level Spanish class and its effect upon students. Could blogging provide an opportunity to help students become more actively immersed in a foreign language over the course of a semester? Would students write more using a blog than in traditional course? Would students feel more confident writing in a foreign language because they were writing weekly? By the end of the semester, students had written 375 postings; 81.25% of the class reported posting to the community blog at least twice a week; 100% responded that they felt more comfortable writing in Spanish; and 100% indicated that they felt more confident in their ability to manipulate verbs forms in Spanish. While students were, at first, surprised to learn that they were expected to "hyperwrite," the overall experience proved to be a positive one for students leading the authors to conclude that this generation of computer literate students found blogging an appealing way to communicate in a foreign language.

Keywords

• Post Secondary Education
• Classrooms
• Languages
• Curriculum
• Educational Technology
• Instructional Materials

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