Remediation, Genre, and Motivation: Key Concepts for Teaching with Weblogs

In "Remediation, Genre, and Motivation: Key Concepts for Teaching with Weblogs," the authors make an argument for the use of weblogs in the writing classroom. Using Rebecca Blood's vision for blogging as a classroom tool, the authors presented a study of students which examined their behaviors and attitudes toward blogging as a class assignment in various writing courses, for example, "Creative Writing" and "Poetry of Rock." Through survey data and observation, the principal investigator examined the motivation, willingness, and enjoyment of blogging. As the article progresses, the authors introduce the following key terms: remediation, genre, and motivation, and then discuss how each term applies to their study. Their driving question was, "which weblog genre(s) (if any) engage or motivate students to make significant contributions to their personal or class weblog?” They assumed that students would find academic value, as well as personal satisfaction. Their results were not conclusive but they discovered students did value the personal and expressive aspects of blogging, more than they recognized the scholarly benefits.

My initial response to this article was that blogging should be used in writing classrooms. However, I believe that the authors entered this research project with an extremely idealized vision of students' attitudes, typified by Rebecca Blood's overly optimistic vision of blogging. As I examined their results, it was interesting and affirming to see that my hypothesis would have proved accurate. First-year writing students, on the whole, did not see the academic value of blogging as a scholarly pursuit whereas graduate students had a better grasp on the possibilities.
Regardless of the way it is presented, blogging was still considered a class assignment by most.

I feel quite sure that blogging does remediate, in a sense, other writing tools in the college classroom. However, it was noted that students appreciated the social quality of the blogging world more than a technique to improve academically. Given the social networking among most college students, it is apparent that blogging is familiar and accessible. Educators should attempt to meet students where they are - and if their world is collaborative and online - then that is a place where learning can occur. However, technology alone is often expected to do more than it actually does. Teachers must create the possibility for blogging experiences to extend students' critical thinking skills in a way that capitalizes on the social aspect while also adding depth to their knowledge.