Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:10:04.225Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Peer Feedback Through Blogs: Student and teacher perceptions in an advanced German class

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2009

Doris Dippold
Doris Dippold
Affiliation:
University of Plymouth, Cookworthy Building, Hampton Street, Plymouth PL48AA (email: doris.dippold@plymouth.ac.uk)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Recent years have seen the emergence of Web2.0, in which users are not only passive recipients of the featured content, but actively engaged in constructing it. Sites such as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Myspace’ are typical examples of this, as are blogs that allow users to present themselves online, to write about their daily lives or even to establish themselves as an authority on a particular subject. Due to the opportunities for self-reflection and interactive learning offered by blogs, they have also become one of the emerging tools in language pedagogy and higher education. At the same time, peer feedback is a technique that is increasingly used by educators instead of, or in addition to, tutor feedback, due to its potential to develop students’ understanding of standards, to initiate peer feedback, and to engage the student in the process of learning and assessment.

This paper is concerned with the question to what extent blogs can facilitate peer feedback and what issues need to be addressed for them to be a valuable tool in this process. After reviewing the recent literature on peer feedback and the specific issues emerging from providing feedback through computer mediated communication (CMC) technologies, the paper presents the results from a pedagogic research project in an advanced German language class in which blogs were used for this purpose. Drawing on students’ blogs as well as the responses given by students in questionnaires and focus groups and responses by experienced tutors in interviews, the paper argues that blogs are potentially valuable tools for peer feedback, but entail the need to address specific issues regarding the choice of CMC tool for feedback tasks, training in the use of interactive online tools and the roles of teachers and students.

Keywords

Peer feedbackblogsinteractive online toolscomputer mediated communication
Type
Original Article
Information
ReCALL , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 18 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baggetun, R.Wasson, B. (2006) Self-regulated learning and open writing. European Journal of Education, 41(3–4): 453–472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blood, R. (2002) The blog handbook: Practical advice on creating and maintaining your blog. Cambridge: Perseus Publishing.Google Scholar
Cassidy, S. (2006) Developing employability skills: Peer assessment in higher education. Education and Training, 48(7): 508–517.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catera, E.Emigh, R. (2005) Blogs, the Virtual Soapbox. Essential Teacher, 2(3): 46–49.Google Scholar
Cooper, C. Boddington, L. (2005) Assessment by blog: Ethical case studies assessment for an undergraduate management Class [online]. http://incsub.org/blogtalk/?page_id=62Google Scholar
Ducate, L.Lomicka, L. (2005) Exploring the blogosphere: Use of blogs in the foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 38(3): 410–421.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foale, C. Carson, L. (2006) Creating a student driven self access language learning resource. Joint BAAL/IRAAL Conference, Cork, September 2006.Google Scholar
Goodwin-Jones, R. (2003) Blogs and wikis: Environments for on-line collaboration. Language Learning and Technology, 7(2): 12–16.Google Scholar
Hanrahan, S.Isaacs, G. (2001) Assessing self-and peer-assessment: The students’ view. Higher Education Research & Development, 20(1): 53–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herring, S. (2004) Slouching toward the ordinary: current trends in computer-mediated communication. New Media & Society, 6(1): 26–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hewings, A.Coffin, C. (2007) Formative interaction in electronic written exchanges: Fostering feedback dialogue. In: Hyland, K. and Hyland, F. (eds.) Feedback in second language writing: Context and issues. London: Cambridge University Press, 225–245.Google Scholar
Hyland, F.Hyland, K. (2006) State of the art article: Feedback on second language students’ writing. Language Teaching, 39: 83–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knoblauch, C.Brannon, L. (1984) Rhetorical traditions and the teaching of writing. Upper Montclair: Boynton/Cook.Google Scholar
Lankshaer, C. Knobel, M. (2003) Do-it-yourself broadcasting: Writing blogs in a knowledge society. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, April 2003.Google Scholar
Liu, N.Carless, D. (2006) Peer feedback: The learning element of peer assessment. Teaching in Higher Education, 11(3): 279–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, J.Sadler, R. (2003) The effect and affect of peer review in electronic versus traditional modes on L2 writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 2(3): 193–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martindale, T.Wiley, D. (2005) Using blogs in scholarship and teaching. TechTrends, 49(2): 55–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLuckie, J.Topping, K. (2004) Transferable skills for online peer learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(5): 563–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicol, D.Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006) Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2): 199–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oravec, J. A. (2003) Blogs as an emerging genre in higher education. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 14(2): 21–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prins, F., Sluijsmans, D., Kirschner, P.Strijbos, J.-W. (2005) Formative peer assessment in a CSCL environment: A case study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(4): 417–444.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rolliston, P. (2005) Using peer feedback in the ESL writing class. ELT Journal, 59(1): 23–30.Google Scholar
Salmon, G. (2003) E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
Schuetz, D. (2005) Cultural models and cultural self-awareness: A Discourse-analytical approach to the language of students’ online journal entries. PhD Thesis: Pennsylvania State University.Google Scholar
Shneiderman, B. (1998) Relate – Create – Donate: a teaching/learning philosophy for the cyber-generation. Computers & Education, 31: 35–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, J. (2004) Blog assisted language learning (BALL): Push button publishing for the pupils. TEFL Web Journal, 3(1): 1–16.Google Scholar
Ware, D.Warschauer, M. (2006) Electronic feedback and second language writing. In: Hyland, K. and Hyland, F. (eds.) Feedback in second language writing: Context and issues. London: Cambridge University Press, 105–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warschauer, M. (1997) Computer-mediated collaborative learning: Theory and practice. Modern Language Journal, 81(4): 470–481.Google Scholar
Williams, J.Jacobs, J. (2004) Exploring the use of blogs as learning spaces in the higher education sector. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(2): 232–247.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xie, Y. Sharma, P. (2005) Students lived experiences of using blogs in a class: An exploratory study [online]. http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2b/c6/bc.pdfGoogle Scholar