Prepare Your Students for the Digital Workplace: Bring Blogging to Your Online Classroom

Communications is an ever-evolving organism, constantly keeping pace with the times and the technologies. In 1997, the term ‘weblog’ was coined; and, soon thereafter, the word ‘blog’ crept into the lexicon. The concept quickly soared in popularity across social, business, and educational landscapes.

Post-secondary students are digitally literate and comfortable with multi-tasking. In fact, given the constraints of COVID-19, social media could well be their primary form of interaction. For students who may be working at different paces in different time zones, blogging provides an accessible forum for engaging with their peers through a web conversation.

Instructors can advance their students’ skills in writing, reading, and critical analysis, while also gaining insights into their personalities and perceptions. Further, communication competencies developed in the virtual classroom prepare students for their careers. The ability to refine electronic voicing in messaging to clients, colleagues, and stakeholders in the workplace is invaluable: from casual emails to formal proposals to corporate blogging. One of the pitfalls in e-correspondence is its potential to be misconstrued by the recipient, through a tone that sounds too terse or, conversely, too intimate. Blogging and commenting can help students to find the right balance.

Blogging connects personal and academic lives, initiating a sense of ownership and strengthening identity as students find their voices and expand their perspectives. Constructive feedback creates a community where students can share their opinions, ideas, and emotions.

Not surprisingly, there are many software platforms that support blogging, including WordPress, Weebly, Tumblr, and Twitter. Your institution’s learning management system may also have good options.

Before you start, consider your goals: student engagement, writing practice, extended research -- which are most important to you? Blogging takes time, so include posts and responses as a component of your assignments. Establish the rhythm (how often to blog or comment) and the length (perhaps a 250-word post or 100-word comment). Tell your students why you are using blogs, and what it will achieve for them.

Kick it off with an online session to let your students give their tips on blogging protocols: how to upload images, how to format, how to link, how to comment. Many of them will be familiar with blogging, and, if not, it is an opportunity for them to learn from their colleagues. Have a frank discussion about plagiarism, copyright, and privacy issues, particularly if the blogs are opened up to the broader public sphere.

Align the program with your course content, so that it doesn’t slip too far away from the learning environment. However, don’t confuse blogs with essays: welcome opinion pieces rather than precisely cited research pieces. Accept a range of styles: formal writing demands grammatical precision, while personal reflection posts can be more flexible. And suggest varied approaches; perhaps the challenge of telling a story solely through images or audio and video clips.

Encourage teamwork; for instance, assign one group to collaborate on a blog that asks questions, while another group responds with the answers the following week, then reverse the roles. Teach the art of constructive criticism, guiding student commentary toward courteous and useful responses. You may want to offer a checklist for self- and peer-evaluation; for example:

• Is the topic interesting and appropriate? Does it impart valuable knowledge and insight?

• Does the title invite exploration of the blog? Is it related to the content?

• Is the voicing authentic and confident? Does it suit the article?

• How does the writing flow? Is it grammatically sound?

• Is the layout attractive? Are there any non-textual elements?

• What did you learn by reading this blog? How did it make you feel?

Use a light touch on your own feedback: you don’t want to curb their enthusiasm. If blogging is to be graded, determine the criteria. You might award marks for participation and output. Or you could ask the students to submit two of their best blogs and commentaries, accompanied by a summary of what they discovered through the process.

Blogging is a journey of self-discovery and maturation. Students are freed to present their thoughts in a low-risk manner, beyond the scholarly realm of academic assignments. Well-developed communications and analytical skills are a prized asset in the workforce, and the online classroom is the fertile ground where it can be cultivated.