Identifying Desirable Blog Features (B4B: Wk. 2, Task 2.a.)

This post covers a review of eight blogging applications in which Campbell (2005) offers guidelines for choosing amongst them and other tools like them to use for language learning purposes.

Campbell suggests that blogs provide opportunities for "authentic use of language" that will challenge and stimulate learners "in ways that classroom experiences cannot" (Campbell, 2005, Choosing the right weblog application, paragraph 1).

Below are principle blog features to seek (Merits) and avoid (Demerits) that I've gleaned from Campbell's review of existing applications (2005), combined with a few others, and arranged roughly in descending order of importance:

Merits

• user-friendliness from the get-go (signup) including language choices;
• WYSIWYG, drag-&-drop editing and automated link assistance;
• author-ownership with edit-ability at any time, including time stamp updates;
• search and tagging or labeling functions;
• ease of setting levels of access, moderation, publicity & security;
• integrated, nearly unlimited file, A/V media and photo storage, and independent page options;
• variety of simple, easily accessible themes with intuitive (drag & drop) module arrangements;
• readily accessible, easy to use, built-in aggregators;
• networking options extending beyond immediate blogging services/venues, including whole and partial RSS feeds; &
  
• spell-checking functions.

Demerits

• external email necessary for confirmation, and forced local language displays;
• HTML coding skills necessary
• text-only comments;
• low contrast (text to background) themes with restricted font sizes;
• fixed or heavily constrained column, frame and window sizes for both input and display;
  
• same-service membership required to comment; &
  
• advertising.

Reference

Campbell, Aaron. (2005). Weblog applications for EFL/ESL classroom blogging: a comparative review. TESL-EJ, 9(3). Retrieved January 24, 2007, from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej35/m1.pdf