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.
We've covered so many tools in this class so far, and though I doubt I will end up using most of them following completion of this course, there are some that I've found especially helpful and intend to explore further in the future. For example, I'm really enjoying Reddit right now, both for the multitude of different topics available and the breadth and depth of responses to questions or thoughts that people post. Likewise, I'm finding a lot of useful information and functionality on Twitter that I was heretofore unaware of. I can definitely see myself using both of these tools well after the completion of this class. Conversely, some tools, don't really speak to me. Instagram for instance appears to be based around images and I'm more of a wordy gal. Still, I'm glad I'm aware of it and the potential it has to reach a specific audience. I'm curious, what tools do you see yourself using/not using beyond this course, and why?
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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