Case study: the pedagogical value of blogging in the primary school classroom

This study aimed to investigate the educational benefits of blogging, the effect on students’ attitude to learning and the importance of an authentic audience. Blogs offer an opportunity for students to work in a constructivist way, building new knowledge through connecting with others and reflective thinking. Blogging also capitalises on pupils’ inherent interest in and familiarity with digital media. The study involved a fifth class of 29 students from a co-educational rural school blogging for a period of four months. Students posted to the blog and read posts of other bloggers regularly. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to gather data. The study found that pupils had a positive attitude towards computer use and the majority spent time on social media sites. The blog served as a platform and enabled students to become independent learners, facilitated social learning, collaboration and global connections. The blog motivated students to read online and invest more in their writing. The presence of an authentic audience had a significant effect on student motivation and investment. The use of blogs in the primary classroom fulfils many of the objectives of the primary school curriculum and is an important tool for teachers in light of the new Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People, 2011 – 2020 issued by the Department of Education and Skills which affirms the importance of digital literacy and aims to include as part of national assessments, assessments of primary students’ ability to read digital material.