Lit. Review : Article 10

Literature Review

Article 10

APA Citation: Huffaker, D. (2004). The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote
literacy in the classroom. First Monday 9.6. Retrieved 27 July 2007 from
http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_6/huffaker/index.html


I. Title:. The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom

II. Author: David Huffaker

III. Author’s Purpose for Writing: Can blogs enhance learning environments? Can they be used in classroom settings?

IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study?
q The Internet continues to generate new applications that not only foster individual expression, but also cohesive community development.
q A visit to the statistics page of Livejournal.com, one of the most popular blog–hosted Web sites, discloses the largest distribution of blog authors also falls below age 20
q Technology has also added a new type of literacy to consider. Sometimes referred to as digital fluency, this type of literacy refers to the ways people become comfortable using technology as they would any other natural language (Huffaker, 2004). Some scholars suggest digital fluency will be another prerequisite for sociability, lifelong learning and employment opportunities (Resnick, 2002).
q Blogs are both individualistic and collaborative. Blogs promote self–expression, a place where the author can develop highly personalized content. Yet blogs connect with an online community — bloggers can comment and give feedback to other bloggers, and they can link to fellow bloggers, creating an interwoven, dynamic organization. In the classroom, students can have a personal space to read and write alongside a communal one, where ideas are shared, questions are asked and answered, and social cohesion is developed.
VI.
A. Author’s methodology: This is nolt a study for say, but an academic paper analyzing the uses of blogs to promote literacy and community building in the classroom.

B. Who is being studied? Elementary and secondary students

C. Over what length of time? Not specified


VIII. What the author discovered: Future research should include studies to reveal language acquisition or learning comprehension and retention when using weblogs. Likewise, understanding similarities and differences among gender, ethnicity and age groups would help develop more personalized approaches to classroom implementation and enhance the applicability of weblogs in educational settings