Using Blogs in Education

A way of using a blog with learners is in regard to Engagement Theory's Relate component, that is, Collaboration. I am thinking in terms of motivating high school learners to learn, or supporting high school learners in their learning. For my purposes today, students needing motivation would be those who are disengaged from the traditional school environment - those who do not like school but are still wanting to learn, but wanting to learn about their chosen career directly. For my purposes today, learners needing support are those who require extension, that is, advanced learners.

I would use the Collaboration element of a blog as the communication backbone for all related activity. Collaborating on a blog can have these learners working with others from different backgrounds, with multiple perspectives. This is an extra something they could not otherwise learn from and about in the high school context. Additionally, collaborating on a blog can provide a meaningful link between the learner, the subject, and the practical outside-of-classroom context, in this case, the particular career. Incidentally, this is the Donate component of Engagement Theory.

My learner would involve him/herself in a university or TAFE course via an established blog (by the learning institution or its learners), or via one established by him/herself and connected to the institution. A couple of TAFE career choices I am considering presently are hospitality and mechanics. Bloggers - lecuturers and learners - can swap, discuss, and debate ideas, in an intellectual way, in this case about food science or mechanical systems. The discourse is purposeful and meaningful. It is challenging. My learners are involving themselves with lecturers who are direct from the hospitality and mechanics industries, and older learners with the different backgrounds and multiple perspectives.

My intention is for my learners to stay in school and not drop out because they are bored by the predictable and uninspriring nature - how they perceive it, anyway - of the learning there. My intention is to have them see they have options and are not condemned to a school life of frustration. The blog is a tool where I can have my learners collaborating with like-minded people. The blog can open up a collaborative world of interest and wonder to them which they would otherwise not experience. I would hope my learners can persist with school, then, using school as a stepping stone to this other, more exciting world.



Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning [Electronic Version]. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/%7Egkearsley/engage.htm