Blogging about Science and Math: Elementary Students’ Learning Explorations
Location
Room 217
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Blogging in the classroom has been much discussed in both popular and peer-reviewed literature. However, while the professional practitioner research on classroom blogging in content area instruction has been plentiful, in-depth study on blogging in the science and math classroom has only begun to emerge. The purpose of this study is to explore how bloggers from a fifth-grade class engaged in conversations with an authentic audience (i.e., an audience beyond the classroom) about their learning in math and science classes through the use of blogs. The participants were five boys and ten girls, with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic background and learning needs. The students participated in blogging activities once a week for four hours over a period of one year. Their blogging and particularly the feedback they received significantly aided both the written literacy of the students, and helped them with mastery of scientific content.
Keywords
Blogging, Content area learning, Sciences, Math, Elementary school
Recommended Citation
McGrail, Ewa and McGrail, J. Patrick, "Blogging about Science and Math: Elementary Students’ Learning Explorations" (2014). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 79.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2014/2014/79
Blogging about Science and Math: Elementary Students’ Learning Explorations
Room 217
Blogging in the classroom has been much discussed in both popular and peer-reviewed literature. However, while the professional practitioner research on classroom blogging in content area instruction has been plentiful, in-depth study on blogging in the science and math classroom has only begun to emerge. The purpose of this study is to explore how bloggers from a fifth-grade class engaged in conversations with an authentic audience (i.e., an audience beyond the classroom) about their learning in math and science classes through the use of blogs. The participants were five boys and ten girls, with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic background and learning needs. The students participated in blogging activities once a week for four hours over a period of one year. Their blogging and particularly the feedback they received significantly aided both the written literacy of the students, and helped them with mastery of scientific content.
