ELT and Blogging

The following is an excerpt taken from Yadav (2011) about blogging:

In the most general sense, blogging means creating Weblogs on the web or Internet or cyberspace. Weblogs or blogs for short are generally like the websites that are easily created and easily updatable. The blogs look different from regular webpage. A Weblog is an easily created, easily updatable Website that allows an author (or authors) to publish instantly to the internet from any Internet connection. According to Blood (2000), blogs have existed in the cyberspace community since 1998. In August of 1999 the release of Blogger, a free blog hosting service, fostered the rapid growth of blog sites. Later, blog genre extended into various professional realms especially journalism and business.

There are several facts that claim to have the rationale of blogging in English language learning and teaching. Teaching English language means getting updated regularly with the new and effective methods and approaches, materials and practices that can be effectively and creatively incorporated in English language teaching.

Blogging provides the bloggers and readers with the updated information and best practices in the pedagogy basing on true experience, knowledge and research findings.

It helps gather different people with the same nature of jobs or skills from different places of the world. It is neither restricted by money or space but easily accessible to everyone at everywhere.  The activities that the teachers carry out with a view to develop themselves as professionals can easily be carried out through blogging.

Either in the classroom or in the professional association created by them, be it group discussion, collaborative learning or dealing with large number of students in a class, the blogging can be the best and effective tool to solve all the problems.  It provides autonomy to both the teachers and learners.

Professionalism in ELT does not have a long history. Regarding the history of the language teaching as a profession, Richards and Rodgers (2001, p.1) say, Language teaching came into its own as a profession in the twentieth century. The whole foundation of contemporary language teaching was developed during the early part of the twentieth century, as applied linguists and others sought to develop principles and procedures for the design of teaching methods and materials, drawing on the developing fields of linguistics and psychology to support a succession of proposals for what were thought to be more effective and theoretically sound teaching methods. Language teaching in the twentieth century was characterized by frequent change and innovation and by the development of sometimes competing language teaching ideologies. Change is the natural phenomenon and it keeps on taking place in the society with the pace of time. In the changing time and context, new ideas and concepts, new methods, approaches and techniques in the pedagogy are emerged and developed. Academic qualifications once acquired are not enough for ever, so professional development helps teachers update themselves. Thus, it can be said as an ongoing learning process in which teachers engage voluntarily to learn how their teaching can be made effective to fulfill the learning needs of their students. The key goal of professional development is to promote effective teaching that results in learning gains for all students.

Blogging as a means of professional development in ELT.

Blogging for networking people/ organisations.

Blogging for professional discussion.

Mentoring/coaching through blogging.

Peer Observation through blogging.

Self-monitoring through blogging.

Teaching portfolios through blogging

Teaching Journal through blogging.

Peer Coaching through blogs.

Webinar through blogging.

Case analysis and analysis of critical incidents through blogs

Development of resource centre through blogs.

Reflective logs through blogging.

Blogging is free and user-friendly and it does not require money and physical space. All you need is the computer with internet connection and blogging skills. The more sound blogging skills you, the more you can benefit. Today blogs have become an effective platform to share personal as well as professional ideas to improve themselves through interaction with others. They are a collaborative space, as readers become a part of the writing and learning process. 

(Source: Yadav, P. K. (2011).  Blogging as a Means of Professional Development for ELT Professionals.  Online document.  Available at: http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/download/6136/5033)

For further information watch this video: ELT and Blogging