Student Blogging: Importance of Authentic Audience and Student Ownership and Connecting Home with School

I recently had the chance to support all students Grade 1 through Grade 5 on a Library project that was then shared to our school community using Seesaw.  I saw something amazing with almost every student.  What I saw isn’t unique to the students in my current school as I saw this same characteristic in my last place of employment too. In my last school, the method used to share student work and reflection was different (we used self-hosted WordPress blogs) but the characteristic the students applied was the same.  What many students showed was ownership.  Ownership in what they were doing that positively affected the quality of their work.  To clarify this I will share what the students were doing. Keep in mind, while projects may differ the student reactions I have witnessed over the years in different schools and grade levels are not unique and took place over and over again as I worked with the students.

The student was working on his/her post. In this instance, the post was a picture of a poster they had made in Library about a book they enjoy.  The post also included an audio recording which told what the poster was, what book the poster was about, the author of the book and why they chose that book (what they like about the book).  The student would record and then when done, they would listen to their recording.  I would then ask is it ready?  If the student answered yes, they would continue posting.  However, many times, the student would delete their original recording and do it again.  Sometimes this would happen before I even had a chance to ask if they thought it was finished.  This is true ownership. When a student takes it on their own to make what they are sharing the best it can be, without the teacher having to ask, the student owns it!

So, what was creating this sense of ownership?

Authentic audience.

The student realized that this post, this work that they were sharing was going to someone other than their teacher.  Most of the time, in lower school, this translates to Mom and Dad but could also mean aunts, uncles and or grandparents.  To the student, this is an audience that cares about them and they care about the audience.  I am not saying that the student doesn’t care about the teacher or vice-versa, just that the family audience is far stronger of a motivator than the teacher alone.

What does this mean for students?

It means that they have a vested interest in ensuring that what they are sharing is the best it can be. It means that they will take the learning more seriously.  It means they will learn more because they are being mindful about the process and the quality of the end result.  When done regularly, the student becomes a reflective learner looking at their progress over time.

How does this help parents in supporting their child’s learning process?

Having a place where students can share their work with family, enables a deeper connection to the learning happening in the classroom to the conversations that happen at home about the school day.

Does this sound familiar?

Parent: What did you do in school today?

Student: Nothin

How much better does this situation sound?

Parent: I saw that awesome poem you posted today!  Can you tell me more about how you wrote such a great poem?

The student then has a lot to say because the parent asked a specific question about a specific area of learning.  They feel valued and more motivated to share their learning process with their parents.

This kind of dialogue will ultimately have a positive effect on the student’s attitude towards the work they are doing in school.

Are there any benefits in the classroom?

Yes! This type of platform which enables students to post their work, understandings and reflections assists in making their thinking visible.  When student thinking is visible the teacher has a clearer picture of their knowledge and can then use this information to inform their practice.

What tools exist to help teachers and schools with this?

There are several blogging platforms available.  If your school is a Google Suite for Education School Blogger can be turned on.  If you are worried about student privacy, there are ways to make the blog very closed so that only those on a specific list can read the blog.  Another platform that is inherently safe is Seesaw the Learning Journal.  This platform can serve to create that awesome connection mentioned above.  It is also easy to use so even Kindergarten aged children can use it.

Conclusion

Technology enables students to share their work with a wider and more authentic audience through the use of a blogging or journal platform. The authentic audience helps students build ownership of their learning process.  Parents are more connected to the learning happening in the school and a better relationship around learning can be formed at home.  The teacher can see more clearly what students know and this can help the teacher reach more students. Overall, a better learning environment and culture is formed. Are your students blogging yet?

Thanks for reading

Dr. Shannon H. Doak