Blogging in the classroom: engaging middle school students in learning

The research question addressed in this capstone was, will blogging engage middle school students in learning? Key influences included Will Richards, David Warlick, Tim Wilson, and the multitude of information about blogging in schools. The author blogged with his sixth grade students in his technology class over the course of several months. Students completed a survey to determine previous experience with blogs, their perceptions of blogging, and whether blogging engaged them in learning. Qualitative study also revealed when students accessed the class blog and how frequently. Although the author found mixed results, he discovered that the quieter, less assertive students engaged in group discussions in ways previously unavailable to them in oral class discussions. The author also decided to continue blogging in his classroom and encourage other teachers to utilize blogs as another teaching tool