A blog is an online journal and it can be updated or edited by its users. Blogs are easy to construct, to design and to write. They are entertaining and relaxing because it allows people to write and publish their thoughts at their own pace.
In some studies, students participated as writers and readers of blogs and the results were that using blogs fostered creativity, allowed students to use the language and experimented with it. They expressed their ideas clearly because of the relaxed environment.
Another article was studied with fifty English students at a Turkish university to regard the effect of blog-centered writing instruction on students' writing performance. The study gave some positive results. Blog software helped students to improve their writing performances. It supports the conclusion that English learners could use blog software to promote more effective writing instruction.
A study was realized with a group of eleven English learners at a language school in Spain to explore how a blog as a computer-mediated tool engages them. All the participants created their personal blogs and the activities focused on the specific writing tasks (letter writing, report, proposal, article, etc.). The results were that personal blogs can motivate students to build their writing skills through self-reflection and feedback. Students also comment on other students’ blogs. It encourages them to take into account their partners’ comments and edit their own work to improve their writing tasks and to produce mistake-free texts.
Writing is no different to any other skill in that you need to gain a lot of experience to reach a certain level of competency. It is important to practice and to read in order to improve and correct mistakes in writing performances. Blogs are a useful tool in order to accomplish that goal because it allows students to write in a relaxed environment, read and comment on others’ writings and correct their own mistakes.
Ducate 1, L. C., & Lomicka, L. L. (2008). Adventures in the blogosphere: From blog readers to blog writers. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 21(1), 9-28.
Arslan, R. Ş., & Şahin-Kızıl, A. (2010). How can the use of blog software facilitate the writing process of English language learners?. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 23(3), 183-197.
Vurdien, R. (2013). Enhancing writing skills through blogging in an advanced English as a Foreign Language class in Spain. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 26(2), 126-143.
