In the last decade, the internet has undoubtedly brought a new dimension to the field of education, allowing both teachers and students alike to access a wealth of content previously unavailable and to communicate electronically via email and discussion lists.
In its nascent stages, publishing content to the web was limited to those with programming skills and a high affinity to technology. As the internet evolved, however, the barriers to webpublishing fell tremendously, enabling anyone with a mouse and keyboard to add to the growing organic network of information and communication.
Weblogs, or 'blogs', and their wiki cousins, both allowing the user to type directly into the browser and to publish with the click of a button, are largely responsible for the latest revolutionary turn in barrier-free access to the participatory web experience.
The ease of webpublishing and the advent of tools to track the resulting conversations that arise from it, bring an exciting new, interactive world to the ESL/EFL classroom. No longer are teachers and students limited to the four walls of the classroom, the sterile monotony of the email box, or the stifling, centralized rigidity of discussion lists or forums.
By
taking part in this webquest you have discovered how blogs and wikis can enrich
the learning experience and tap in to the intrinsic motivation of learners
by providing them with vehicles to explore the 'world out there' in the target
language and interact with people from many different countries along the
way. Not only do they enable us to expand our ESL/EFL learning communities
beyond the classroom, but they also empower learners to build their own learning
communities centered around their personal interests. Start
blogging and incorporate subversion!
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits
This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons License.
Webquest designed
by
Aaron Campbell, Barbara Dieu
and Graham Stanley
for Evonline 2005 workshop
on Blogs
in EFL/ESL
Classes