Reiseadvisor: Students writing for students Blogging as part of the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Reiseadvisor: Students writing for students

Mandy Poetzsch, University of Leeds Giles Harrington, University of Sheffield

Blogging as part of the Year Abroad supervision

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Context:

Students:

• 3 different forms of

Year Abroad

• One form of

assessment:

– Language tasks – Milestones – Reflective essay

• Perceived as box-

ticking exercises Staff:

• Heavy workload
• Timing of YA tasks &

feedback

• Involvement of staff

new to YA supervision

• Supervision reduced

to box-ticking exercise

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Aim:

• Useful and sustainable YA

supervision:

– To encourage independent learning by helping students provide their

• wn collaborative solutions to typical residence abroad issues and

difficulties via (moderated) discussion; – To encourage the development of advanced writing skills in the target language – To encourage to articulate culture-specific differences that leads to enhanced cultural awareness; – To create a repository of useful knowledge and advice for future cohorts; – To provide an efficient model as part of the Year Abroad supervision.

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Idea: Reiseadvisor-Blog

• Provides a stimulus to write in the target

language

• Makes use of the students’ willingness to

blog: motivation to share experiences

• Writing not just for the supervisor but also

for peers: authentic audience sharing the same or a similar experience

• Safe environment for exchange: restricted

access

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Reiseadvisor

Wordpress as platform:

• As closed or open an environment as

required

• Allows cross-module and cross-cohort

access and collaboration

• Extremely flexible in design to fit the

needs of the students

• Repository: storage and categorisation for

easy retrieval

• Very intuitive & easy

supported by the Leeds University Teaching Enhancement and Student Success (TESS) Fund

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Student Feedback

Current YA students on helpfulness of the blog during the YA:

• They were not particularly helpful, because I had already

solved most of the issues I might have needed tips for by the time posts appeared on Reiseadvisor.

• Most of the blogs were written towards the end of the year so

it was not that helpful in that respect. It was still good to be able to read about other people's experiences.

• The ones that gave you advice as to where to go and what

to see because in wanted to make the most off my time in Germany and see as many different places as possible. It's always useful to know which places are worth a visit. I was very rarely disappointed with anywhere I went!

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Student Feedback

Current YA students on the principal usefulness of the blog:

• No. It is a useful resource for students currently abroad,

because it is a good language task. Unless more posts for previous years are available at the start of the year, it is not useful as preparation. In September, as far as I remember, Reiseadvisor was completely blank, apart from 1 post.

• Yes, especially the tips und tricks because it is very useful

advice from students who have done it all before and will know what concerns people will have and what problems they might encounter

• I think it's a good idea to give tips directly from people who have

done their year abroad but it would probably be more effective in English in terms of usefulness.

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Student Feedback

Next year’s YA students on the helpfulness of the blog in preparation for the YA :

• Yes!
• Yes, Tipps und Tricks zum Überleben.
• Yes, particularly on opening a bank

account.

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Student Feedback

Next year’s YA students on the principal usefulness of the blog:

• Yes
• Yes, extremely.
• Yes because the advice and Erfahrungsberichte

come 'straight from the horse's mouth', and are up to date. The different posts give a flavour of all the different things you can do on your year abroad.

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Conclusion

• Students respond very well to this form of

supervision and think it is useful as a task as well as a repository

• Quality of content is very good and some of the

entries are extremely entertaining and interesting

• Majority engages with the blog as “invisible”

readers

– Instructor comments so far failed to encourage

• thers

– Next cohort might be more visible

https://arts.leeds.ac.uk/reiseadvisor supported by the Leeds University TESS fund

Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University Conference, Manchester

Literature

• Farmer, B., YUE, A. & Brooks, C. (2008). ‘Using blogging for higher order learning in

large cohort university teaching: A case study.’ Australasian Journal of Educational

• Technology. 24, 123-136. Retrieved June 12, 2013, from

http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet24/farmer.pdf.

• Hanna, B.E. & de Nooy, J. (2003) ‘A funny thing happened on the way to the forum:

electronic discussion and foreign language learning.’ Language Learning and Technology, 7(1), 71-85. Retrieved December 15, 2012, from http://llt.msu.edu/vol7num1/hanna/.

• Hurlburt, S. (2008) ‘Defining tools for new learning space: Writing and reading class

blogs.’ MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4 (2), 182-189. Retrieved June 21, from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no2/hurlburt0608.htm.

• Jones, S. J. (2006). Blogging and ESL writing a case study of how students responded

tot he use of weblogs as a pedagogical tool for the writing process approach in a community college ESL writing class. Austin, Tex, University of Texas Libraries. Retrieved June 12, 2013, from http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/2736/jonesd17626.pdf .