Blogs and Wikis

Blogs and wikis are different to other websites because they demand interaction. They revolve around information sharing, and allow students to produce content rather than consume it, and react to existing content and influence it. The authorship process gives students a sense of ownership and responsibility to the content that they develop for an audience, as they work together as part of a learning community. They also teach students about personal learning environments, and lend themselves easily to socio-constructivist models of teaching and learning, while providing an avenue for differentiation and the tailoring of instruction to student needs. Throughout this book, the manner in which blogs and wikis are developed is considered while taking into account their pedagogical promise when teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). An overview of instructional strategies, tasks, and activities is provided, along with considerations necessary for applying these tools successfully. Also included are tutorials, photocopiable material, evaluation techniques, and a comprehensive list of resources.