Using blogs for adult education

13. Anything Else?

2007-05-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

As this is a co-enquiry, I am hoping tht there will be more issues raised on this blog.
I will be keeping checks on it and if there are any further issues raised or questions I will give them a new section.
Thanks!

12. What do you think the research question should be?

2007-05-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

As this is a co-enquiry, the research question should be decided from the findings on this blog, and by all who contribute to it.
It has been suggested that a co-enquiry question could begin...'How can/do... or 'What does/are....'
However, as we are not following the traditional avenues of co-enquiry, this need not necesarily apply.

I have my own thoughts on what the question COULD be, but we can't decide this until the research itself has been conducted.
What do you think?

11. How can we minimise barriers to blogging?

2007-05-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Initial set-up found that many uers did not have email adddresses, so ths had to first be rectified.
Learners also had problems remembering their sign-in details, so we kept a log of these from the first post.

10. Success Stories - please feel free to add your own.

2007-05-22T05:49:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the many positive learning experiences that came about through the use of blogs:I was working with a young adult male learner with sever dyslexia who who frequently excluded himself from the group. His interests lay in films, comics, gadgets...and he spent most of his time in class surfing the Internet looking for what interested him.
He was one of the first learners who wanted to have a blog, and he set it up just as he liked it, using it mostly to write about movies and his comic book heroes and to post pictures of them. He would diligently write down information about his favourite movies, and then post it to his blog. Soon he was linking to film websites, and posting on other learners' blogs.
Within a couple of weeks he was helping others to use their blogs, with confidence and patience, and developing his own use of blogs as a personal learning tool.
This is just one story - I have recently been invited by other learners from this group to view their 'bebo' sites. It is wonderful to see them trying new things and continuing to develop their use of personal web pages. All credit to their tutor who was the first to start his own bebo, and has no doubt instigated their use of bebo.
Well Done!

9. How can we sustain blogging as a learning tool?

2007-05-22T05:47:00.001-07:00

This comes down to indicators again - how can we prove that this is a valid way of learning?

8. What indicators can we use to show the benefits of blogging?

2007-05-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

I had my own set of indicators for showing this with my group:
increase in learners engaged in blogging, progress reports, learner feedback, self-reflection, sustainability, increase in Internet usage, increase in communication online between learners...

However, these are mostly qualitative indicators, and it is difficult to show a direct correlation between indicators and benefits.

7. What are the implications for adult learning with the continuing development of new technologies?

2007-05-22T05:45:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a relatively new area of working in adult learning, and with the speed of IT development there are sure to be more innovative approaches for learning - opinions???

6. Discuss: the concept of the 'online learning community'

2007-05-22T05:43:00.002-07:00

Does it exist? If so, what is it?
In working with adult learners with learning difficulties, it was vital that only they had access to each others' blogs. This was done through the security settings available on 'blogger'.
This created a closed community, where learners frequently wrote to each other; when out of class, those with Internet acces at home were able to contact each other with ease.
I know of a few publications on this subject, but I would be fascinated to hear other peoples' experiences of this...

5. Can blogging develop other skills?

2007-05-22T05:43:00.001-07:00

I'm thinking ability to use computer technology with more confidence, particularly with increased usage; improved typing skills...etc

4. Does blogging help learners to build skills and confidence?

2007-05-22T05:41:00.001-07:00

I strongly believe that it does - through this can be hard to prove.
Any thoughts?

3. How can blogs be used?

2007-05-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

Personal - diaries, storing photos, keeping in touch with friends...

Group blogs - I've not used these, but have seen them used for group projects and displaying work.

2. Ethics - considerations for this research

2007-05-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

1. Any information posted here may be recorded for research purposes.
2. The purpose of this blog is to share information; therefore you may freely quote and analyze any material found here without consent.
3. By posting information on this blog, you are consenting to it being reproduced in other arenas.
4. Participants must be 18+.
5. Please refrain from posting any personal information about yourself, such as email address, place names, institution names etc.
6. If you use a pseudonym, be aware that these function similarly to rel names and should be treated as such.
7. All information posted here will be judged as true and accurate for research.
8. Every effort will be made to ensure the accuracy of the information.

1. What is this blog all about?

2007-05-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

Do you work in Adult Education?
Have you ever used blogs as a learning device?

My name is Lucy Holroyd and I am undertaking a postgraduate diploma in Community Education at Dundee University.

As part of my student placement I was working with a group of adults with learning difficulties; one of my larger projects was helping learners to set-up personal blogs, and supporting them in their continual use.

The project was a great success, and led me to focus on blogging for my research project.
As such I have developed this blog to act as a co-enquiry for my research, and to maintain the site as a tool for sharing good practice. There is not enough written on the benfits of using blogs in learning, and I feel that this new technology is one that must be further explored.

Traditionally such an enquiry might be undertaken differently, (ie. interviews, group dicussions etc) but I wanted to take advantage of the medium available and felt it appropriate to do so, considering the subject matter. Naturally, the more people that contribute, the better, and so using The Web was a natural step to take. I have chosen blogger as we used it in class - it was easy to use and secure.

If you have any experience of using blogs for learning, please contribute to this co-enquiry.
Before doing so, please refer to the ETHICS section of the blog posted on this page.

I have posted a series of thoughts and questions to comment under - please feel free to add your own. If you wish to be referenced in the end research please post your name after your comments - if not, use a pseudonym. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thankyou so much for your time, and for contributing to this co-enquiry.

Lucy.