Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

Blogs in classrooms are a new genre that is developing and changing daily. Scholarly literature explores the use of blogs in educational settings, often however at the secondary and college levels. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore how blogging influenced student writing development at the elementary level. Fifth graders’ pre- and post the blogging project writing samples and other student blog posts were the primary data. A qualitative content analysis was applied to explore the following areas of interest in student writing: attitude, content, voice, connections and relationships, thinking, and craft. The findings indicate that student bloggers became mindful of and connected to the audience, were exercising agency in a community of bloggers, and were learning to take ownership of the writing process and the writer's craft. Refraining from putting a heavy focus on correcting writing conventions during this formative time of writing development enabled students to concentrate on writing that they filled with opinions, humor, expression, and playfulness as they learned to rethink their concepts of writing and its meaning in their lives.

Comments

Author accepted manuscript version of an article published in:

McGrail, E., & Davis, A. (2011). The influence of classroom blogging on elementary student writing. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 25(4), 415-437. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2011.605205

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