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October 2008 — News
Avoiding the 5 Most Common Mistakes in Using Blogs with Students
by Ruth Reynard, Ph.D.
I've used blogs in my classes for five years with students. I've found them to be extremely helpful
in certain circumstances but only when there is clarity for students in their use. Students who
object to the inclusion of blogs in a course are usually objecting to what they perceive will be
just one more task on top of a myriad of others or simply some busy work that will not benefit
their learning. Older students can also reject the notion of "publication" that is inherent with
blogging. Each of these objections can be addressed by an effective and innovative instructor by
careful planning and skillful management. There are, however, several common mistakes that
should be avoided when using blogs in instruction. I have made all of these mistakes and have
learned how to address each one proactively.
1. Ineffective Contextualization
As with any instructional tool or learning support, without a clear context within which the tool
is to be used, students will not understand the benefit to their learning and will, ultimately, reject
the use of the tool. In order to effectively contextualize the use of an instructional tool,
instructors must think carefully exactly where the tool will be used in the flow of the course, how
often the tool will or might be used, and how necessary the tool is to the learning process. In the
case of blogging, the most effective use of this tool is in the area of self reflection or thought
processing. As such, there must be concepts for students to think through, various resources and
content segments to process, or ideas to construct. To simply ask students to blog without this
level of planning will lead to frustration for the students. In other words, there must be a certain
amount of content preparation already covered or made accessible for students before blogging
will really support the learning process. While a blog can also provide social placement of
students or academic placement of students within a group, blogs are fundamentally individual in
their purpose and essence. That is, while comments can be added or ideas posted following a
blog entry, these sit outside the initial posting--blogs are not wikis or online discussion forums,
therefore, if individual self-reflection is the central benefit to the learning process, instructors
must plan carefully as to when in the course self-reflection will enhance the learning process for
each student. Please note: there are additional benefits that instructors can glean from blogs in
terms of helping access student voice and understanding student progress in their idea or concept
construction, but the instructional use of the blog tool is mostly about the individual benefit to

students first in deciding when and how to use blogs in instruction.
2. Unclear Learning Outcomes
Following on from designing the placing of blog use based on the instructional flow, is the notion
of designing blog use based on learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are much more than
course objectives. Learning outcomes begin with course objectives; however, include student
learning needs and objectives, and future application of the learning. Therefore, understanding of
the global nature of the learning outcomes of a course in crucial to good planning and use of
learning resources and tools. Choosing the blog tool in a course would mean that the transferable
skills of critical thinking, thought processing and knowledge construction would be well
supported and recorded. If the instructor is unclear as to what the learning outcomes of the
course are and is focused only on course objectives, the potential of the blog tool may not be
maximized. The following are several ways in which the use of blogs in instruction can develop
new higher level thinking skills:
Analysis: A blog can help students process their thoughts and ideas for analysis.
There is no better way to begin to see the importance of analysis as when there is a
goal of articulating your thoughts for explanation to others. That is, if two ideas are
presented together in support of one concept, self-reflective students must learn to a)
distinguish the ideas, b) understand the differences between and similarities
between, c) understand where the connection points are if any, d) decide, based on
analysis, which one (if any) they will include and build upon in their own learning
process. This is a highly constructive process and the skills needed must be
intentionally encouraged and can be visibly recorded in a blog.
Synthesis: As part of the analysis, it is important that students can synthesis the
original ideas and the new ideas they will articulate. The synthesis of ideas is crucial
to the process of working ideas and incorporating new ideas into their own thinking.
New ideas: Grasping new ideas through analysis and synthesis means that students
can move ahead with their thinking and move closer towards transformation in
learning and application. Information is not what makes a new idea. Information
must be processed and applied before new ideas will emerge for students. Too many
instructors remain at the information-exchange stage with students and do not move
them towards new ideas. A blog can help develop these thinking skills as well as
capture the new ideas well for others to view and absorb.
Application: Without application, new ideas are not "owned" by students in their
learning. That is, new ideas can only become meaningful and relevant for students
when then are directly applied in real life contexts of practice and use. This stage
can also be well captured in a blog and, in fact, the entire thinking process of each
student can be captured and made accessible for instructors and other students to
explore.
Note: Each of these stages of thought development must be intentionally supported by

instructors through comments and feedback and expectations communicated to each student.
Additionally, grades should reflect the entire process of learning, not simply the end product, if
students are to understand the value to their own learning.
3. Misuse of the environment
As I mentioned before, blogs are not wikis and they are not online discussion forums. The
essential difference between a blog and other online tools is that it is intended to be an individual
publication: a one-way monologue or self-post to which others may comment but do not
contribute. The original post remains as the person who posted it wanted it to be. This is
important to realize in the instructional setting. If a discussion is desired, then blogging would
not be the tool of choice. In the same way, if journaling is the intended goal, then an online
discussion forum would not be the tool of choice. It is important to realize, as an instructor, that
if you desire a journal-type setting, then your comments should be supportive and constructive
and not intrusive otherwise the student(s) will cease to post. Blogs can have a discussional nature
if there are many subscribers and participants. That is, you can "hear" from every student on one
topic or another by creating a blog ring to which they can subscribe. The self-posting, however,
remains the same. That is, unlike a wiki, where changes can be made to posts and documents, in
a blog, the initial post always stands and is simply responded to and not altered in any way.
When using blogs to encourage students to articulate their thoughts students can become
empowered and feel that they are developing their own voice in the learning process. Instructors
can also "glimpse" students' thought processes and become much more aware of their learning
journey.
4. Illusive grading practices
Grading of blogs should have clear rubrics so that students do not become confused as to how
their work is being evaluated. As blog posts are essentially a series of statements, I have
suggested elsewhere that, depending on the learning outcomes of your course, specific statement
types to recognize in your assessment rubric might be:
Reflection statements (self positioning within the course concepts);
Commentary statements (effective use of the course content in discussion and analysis);
New idea statements (synthesis of ideas to a higher level); and
Application statements (direct use of the new ideas in a real life setting).
As already mentioned, blogging can move students forward in their thinking, help them process
to a higher level of understanding, and apply the learning to a practical context. If the grading is
not clear and the tool is simply made available to students, not only will students become
discouraged, they will likely not participate. As I have seen on numerous occasions, it is when
students continue regular use of the blog throughout a course that their learning is truly
supported and their thinking truly challenged. It is, therefore, important to keep students focused
with regular reminders and to keep expectations clear and grading transparent. Timelines for
completion should also be set so that students know how much time they have to use the blog
tool.

5. Inadequate time allocation
The notion of adequate time is not discussed often enough in the use of technology in learning.
Just as students are different in their processing time within any learning context, so adequate
time should be given for every student to complete work using online tools such as the blog.
Instructors should be reasonable and if possible, leaving the blog tool open until the end of the
course. This will help students maximize the benefits of the tool and will also provide more time
for students who need it. As online tools provide a more immediate learning context for students,
they also usually encourage more participation from students. This participation in turn provides
more text or other response types from students and ultimately more for instructors to read
through or view and grade. Therefore, instructors should plan ahead and plan well for the
increased work that will likely take place when their students are using online tools.
Students should be fully aware of what the expectations are and how the tool is being used in
their learning process. Once students understand this, they are more likely to participate and to a
greater degree of critical awareness. While there are many mistakes that can be made in using
any new tool in instruction, instructors should have a question and answer mindset in their use. It
is important to find out what problems or challenges exist and to find solutions quickly.
Instructors who use online tools must be innovative in their approach, creative in their course
design, and flexible in their methods in order to ensure successful learning experiences for their
students. While there is no one-way to use any instructional resource well, it is important to
integrate the use of any tool or learning resources intro the overall course design intentionally
and totally supporting the learning outcomes for the students.
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About the author: Ruth Reynard is the dean of faculty for Career Education Corp. She can be
reached at rreynard@careered.com.
Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this
publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.