POSITION PAPER: BLOGS AS A MOTIVATOR FOR WRITING 1

Position Paper: Blogs as a Motivator for Writing

Mary-Vaughan Spruill

North Carolina State University

POSITION PAPER: BLOGS AS A MOTIVATOR FOR WRITING 2

Introduction

With the ever-growing use of technology in our society, it is common to see

teachers and students using technological resources to incorporate writing and reading in

and outside of the classroom. A tool that I have found fascinating is using weblogs or

blogs as a writing tool in the classroom. Blogs are defined as, an online diary or

journal, where users are allowed to upload texts containing their opinions, viewpoints, or

even narrations of their experiences (Santos, 2011, p. 15). Blogs are easily available to

teachers and students and can be used for informal or formal writing about a vast variety

of topics. Because blogging is prevalent in our everyday lives on Facebook and other

popular websites, I feel it would be a beneficial tool to use as a motivator for writing in

the classroom.

Position

As an educator, I feel that using blogs in the classroom as a motivation strategy

for writing would be beneficial for my students. My students are first graders; although

they would not be able to blog independently at this age, I feel that teaching my students

what blogging is, modeling how to do it, Internet safety, how blogging is important for

their futures, and setting up an electronic blogging portfolio to follow them through their

academic careers will ultimately lead to writing motivation in school.

Research Findings

One of the key aspects of blogging in the classroom that is a motivator for

students is that they are writing to an audience versus writing to be turned into a teacher;

Asking students to write only for the teacher as the audience is a bit like training a

major-league batter by only having him hit off a tee. His swing may strengthen, but it
POSITION PAPER: BLOGS AS A MOTIVATOR FOR WRITING 3

will be of little use against a curve ball from a quality pitcher (Jones, 2012, p. 16).

Students are able to connect with an audience while blogging, which gives them a reason

or purpose for their writing, motivation for writing and writing well, and the ability to

collaborate with peers, teachers, parents, classrooms around the world, etc.

When blogging, students have the ability to see others work and their own work

on display. Research shows that students want to do their best when blogging, Students

seem to be more motivated to do their best when they are publishing for a worldwide

audience (Davis & McGrail, 2009, p. 522). Even if your students are not published

worldwide, blogs can be set up for classmates, teachers, and parents to see. This gives

students a clear motivator to write and write well. Students want to publish work they are

proud of, because they know others, besides just their teacher, will be reading their work;

In fact, the moment writing becomes more about getting a grade than communicating an

idea, it loses something essential-it becomes artificial (Jones, 2012, p. 16). When

students write a blog, the information comes from their minds or research that they have

put time and effort into finding to support their thinking. They publish work that is

meaningful and have a clear purpose for writing.

Blogs can give students a chance to relate to others and collaborate with their

peers (Santos, 2011). Collaboration naturally occurs with this type of writing, Blogging

seems to promote a culture of collaboration because of the very nature of asynchronous

or synchronous communication (Felix, 2007, p. 229). Many researchers have found that

the use of blogs in their classroom has created stronger relationships among peers and

teacher-student relationships.
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Another motivating feature of blogging is that this type of writing is found daily

in their lives and may be a useful strategy for the future. Many people blog daily and do

not even realize their writing could be considered blogging. Students that understand

what blogging is and how to safely use this tool are being set up for success in the future.

The Internet has become a resource that many use constantly throughout the day. Our

students must be taught to safely navigate the Internet and teaching students to blog lends

many opportunities to teach Internet safety. By teaching students to safely navigate the

web and how to use it as a tool, we are setting our students up to be successful in the

future. Blogging may help students to be better researchers, evaluators, and more

knowledgeable with the use of technology (Oomen-Early & Burke, 2007). Therefore, by

teaching students to blog we are also teaching them to safely navigate the Internet.

One of our jobs as educators is to set up our students to be successful in the real

world. We have the ability to help our students to be college and career ready, one aspect

of this is the understanding of how to use technology and how valuable it is to their

futures. Many high school and college courses use blogs as a learning strategy, And for

teens, posting their writing to a class blog is similar to the academic requirements they

will face in college (Read, 2006, p. 44). Many college courses are centered around

online coursework; it is important for students to be prepared for this type of higher

education. Not only will students need these skills for college, but will most likely use

them in their careers one day. We must not only prepare our students for end of year tests

or meeting curriculum requirements, but to also set them up to be successful in the real

world.
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Although it is difficult for students to truly understand why these tools they are

learning about right now are so important for the future, there are many ways teachers

can show students how or why these tools are important. One way to motivate students

over time is to create an electronic portfolio, which can show their development

throughout their education (Yang, 2009). Another motivator is to connect blogging to

real world experiences. By modeling the use of blogs, bringing in community and/or

family members that can speak about/model their use of blogs, showing students real life

examples of blogs, and using blogs often in the classroom can be motivating for students

while also helpful to their understanding of why they are of importance. Once students

understand why blogs are useful and important for the future, they may be more

motivated use them as a writing tool. By connecting students to real-life experiences,

motivation may increase.

Some difficulties may arise while teaching students to blog. Internet safety must

be taught and monitored to ensure students and their writing is protected from outside

sources. To prevent harmful situations, keep parents involved by regularly

communicating with them, having consent for online assignments, and keep them

updated on student assignments. Help children remain safe by using Internet safety

checklists, modeling Internet safety, and monitoring student work often. Another

difficulty with blogging is access to technology. Some families and schools do not have

the technology necessary to complete blogging assignments. It is important to be aware

of students backgrounds and their access to technology; alternate assignments or

completion during the school day may be a necessary option for those students. Finally,

it is important to use a blogging site that is safe for children. We as teachers must keep
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our students focused and safe on the Internet; by researching blog sites, we can ensure

our students safety.

Conclusion

Based on my research of blogging and how it can be an effective motivator for

writing, I think this tool would be a positive addition to the classroom. Although I work

with young students, I think it would be an applicable tool to introduce in the younger

grades and continue to use as students progress through the years. Students would have

the ability to see their work throughout the years by creating a blogging electronic

portfolio that could follow them through each grade. Younger students would need

assistance uploading or writing their work, but with time, available resources, and

modeling, I feel students would be able to independently blog. Blogging is an easy,

inexpensive, and fun tool to use in the classroom as a strategy to motivate student

writing.
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References

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Felix, J. P. (2007). Chapter 5. In Edublogging: Instruction for the Digital Age

Learner (pp. 228250). San Diego : UC.

Imperatore, C. (2009, March). Wikis and Blogs: Your Keys to Student Collaboration and

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Jones, S. R. (2012). Digital Access: Using Blogs to Support Adolescent Writers with

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Khairnar, C. M. (2015). Advance Pedagogy: Innovative Methods of Teaching and

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