Seírbhísí TF UCDUCD IT Services Measures of Learning Style in the Evaluation of Blogs as Reflective Learning Tools Niall Watts Educational Technology Officer EdTech 2007, Dublin, May 2007

Aims of Research What kind of students learn from blogging –Learning Style (Kolb) Active or Reflective Individual or Collaborative –Blogs promote reflective learning? Background to Research –Open University –Hype about new technologies –Little educational research –Methods criticism – student evaluations

Blogging in Higher Education Blog Features –Personal Publishing Space –Posts – Heading, Text, Images, Media, Links –Reverse Chronological Order –Comments –Blogroll –Permalink (Archived Post) –Tags Examples: Warwick, NUIG, Bernie GoldbachWarwickNUIGBernie Goldbach

Blogs in Web 2.0 Context Social software –Passive websites  Networking & ‘Conversations’ –Mass publication & discussion of ideas –Links Blogroll, Comments  ‘Blogosphere’ –Digital Natives – ‘Bebo Generation’ Technology –Empower end-users –Minimum technical skills –‘Form with two fields’

What is Reflection (Reflective Learning)? Reflection describes the processes where learners explore their experiences to gain a better understanding and appreciation of their learning (Boud, 1985). Many students find reflective learning difficult and initially resist it… Properly implemented blogs can help bring about reflective learning (Bartlett- Bragg, 2003).

Kolb’s Learning Styles Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory –Accommodating: intuition, people –Assimilating: logic, theory –Converging: practice, technology –Diverging: imaginative, group work Which would you expect to be reflective/collaborative ? Reflection Assimilating Diverging Collaboration Accommodating Diverging

Case Study Students using blogs for course work Multimedia & Communications – Tipperary Institute Minimal scaffolding Not assessed Develop critical writing and thinking skills Sample bias “Tool for creative thought perceived electronically”

Methods – Learning Style Student Consent Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory –Statements match a phase in Kolb’s Learning Cycle –Results plotted on graph –Students scored themselves –Discussion

Methods – Text Analysis Blog posts coded for reflection using heuristics (Hatton & Smith) Risk of subjectivity Writing categorised as reflective (or not): –“In one class we were asked how much time do we spend actually away from technology. I for one know that I can spend 5 hours online and most of that the tv is also on (I like to multi task) and that doesn't even include college. I don't think I can remember a week where I haven't been online every day at some time or another. I am away to a hotel for weekend and I know my laptop will be with me, not to mention my mobile with wifi function”.

Methods – Collaboration Count number of comments made/received by classmates Count classmates listed as ‘Yahoo! Friends’ Online community?

Methods – Triangulation Kember’s Questionnaire on Reflection –Agree/disagree 16 questions on their learning Blogging habits questionnaire (10 questions) –Do you enjoy blogging? –Does it help you to learn? –Do you/read comment on your classmates blogs?

Results – Blog Analysis One third of posts reflective One third of comments reflective 1 comment for 3 posts suggests collaboration Yahoo! Friends suggests online community

Results – Learning Style Converging Learning Style dominant among bloggers: –Four keenest bloggers –One non-blogger

Results – Reflective Learning Triangulation: –Kember’s & own questionnaire -Most students highly or somewhat reflective -All bloggers highly or somewhat reflective

Conclusions Bloggers reflective & collaborative learners Unexpected Result – Converging Learning Style –Not associated with Reflection or Collaboration –Skills with Hypermedia (Kolb) –Practical, hands-on Sample bias? –Students existing community –Teaching & learning practices –Lecturer well-known blogger

Questions