Research on blogging and its ability to positively effect
reading comprehension for college level students is limited as it relates to
new media technologies. The article, “The Impact of Using Blogs on College Students'
Reading Comprehension and Learning Motivation,” presents findings on this
limited area of study. Ultimately,
blogging correlates with higher retention rates and improved class
discussions. However, the data did not
support the assumption that blogging would positively correlate with higher
reading performance scores. As an
educator, what I find to be the most critical conclusions from this study is
how the integration of new media technologies in the classroom such as blogging
can positively impact the learning experience in terms of retention and peer
engagement.
In thinking about
common core shifts, specifically the focus on information rich texts and
writing tasks, I don’t believe blogging offers the best forum for producing
this type of work. My opinion is based
on personal use of blogs in the higher education setting, which I see used to
express opinions and spark dialogue more than provide a forum for research and
the development of reading comprehension and writing skills. As mentioned by some of the professors in the
study, they too still preferred to give students personalized feedback in a
hard copy format as it related to the development of students’ reading and
writing skills. Blogs were mentioned as
being a helpful tool, but would not dictate the way in which the courses were
structured. With that said, I feel as though blogging
could shift into meeting this need if a new model of interaction is
developed.
I found this area of
research important as it relates to the assessment of students growing up in
the digital age, specifically how technology can negatively impact reading and
writing skills as assessed through traditional models. I believe, the next area of research should
focus on the outdated models of assessment as it relates to students who are
actively engaged with and utilize new media literacies.
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