TIP Conclusion #1

Writing on a blog doesn’t feel like learning, yet students are enthusiastically and energetically engaging in the Writing Process.

When students were asked questions about their feelings toward posting their own writing, commenting on others' writing, or reading others' comments, they were overwhelmingly (91%+) positive . Most students do not recognize blogging as the Writing Process, however, as evidenced by survey responses to direct questions about revision and peer review, which indicate a negative effect from blogging.

This finding is perhaps best explained in this student’s comment:

for the question ‘The blog helped me think more about what I was learning in class’ I disagreed, because when I was posting or commenting on the blog, I didn’t feel like I was really learning, although I actually was. I felt more like writing an article for a newspaper, and it was really fun, rather than like strict learning.

One-on-one interviews will clarify these findings.