Reflecting on the article "Assessing the Effects of Interactive Blogging on Student Attitudes towards Peer Interaction, Learning Motivation, and Academic Achievements" by Yang and Chang, I was struck and honestly, both surprised and not surprised by the findings. According to the authors, use of blog commenting was associated with both positive attitudes towards peer interaction and subject matter achievement. I was unsurprised given my experience over the course of this semester with blogging. I do feel like it gives me the chance to articulate thoughts on weekly topics in a way that I may feel inhibited from doing in a strictly lecture-based environment. What was surprising were the results in light of the fact that the sample was comprised of a 5:1 male to female ratio in STEM courses. I feel this really goes against the traditional belief that males, particularly those who are technologically or mathematically inclined prefer less interaction or participation in learning environments. Another study that examines this phenomenon is linked below. While the results are inconclusive and suggest that motivating factors that precipitate the level of online engagement are multifaceted, the data itself is revealing and provides quite a bit of insight into how much online engagement men prefer versus women.
So, one of our readings this week relayed the story of Trudy and Peter Johnson-Lenz and how they used social media networking to request help following an accident that necessitated Trudy's admission to the hospital for a head injury and subsequent medical care. The part of the story that struck me most was Peter's admission that he and his wife were not much for 'schmoozing and socializing' therefore the help that they could receive from their local community was limited. Consequently, (and partly due to their careers) they were instead able to reach out to their online community to get the help they needed. The Johnson-Lenz' situation made me think about other groups of people that may not be able to obtain help locally, and how social media networking can offer a suitable substitute. The first group that came to mind was introverts because introverts, especially those in small-town or rural areas, may benefit from enhanced social networking skills to find like-m...
That is an interesting point. I am not sure if this relates to gender, but I have found that in online discussions I get a much wider range of voices than I did when teaching face to face. It is one way that I love online teaching. I actually find ways to connect with students that I didn't before. Thanks for your post.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting. I wonder what accounts for the difference - perhaps students that are quiet or shy in front of others are less inhibited in an online environment? I don't know, might make a good study though.
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