Klein, J. D. (2010). When You Can't Bring Your Classroom to the World, Bring the World into Your Classroom. Youth Media Reporter, 486-88.

Summary:
The article addresses a project that was held in one of the US college classes. The students were connected with their counterparts in Palestine who get to know each other through (TIGed), a global network of teachers and students. The project is called Research journalism initiative (RJI). How does it work? The students exchange photographs and write poem responses to them and then comments are exchanged between photographers and commenters.
Evaluation:
I believe it is such a great thing to get students exposed to real life issues as these students were posting some photographs on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and though it is not easy topic to be discussed in classroom and in formal educational settings with college students, it was successful in creating a kind of engaging in issues like this one. Even better, the discussions were not only through writing but students got to meet each other virtually.

Quotations:

“Tech-based global education has the capacity to improve critical thinking and cultural pluralism”

“This kind of student directed pedagogy is designed to make student the leaders of their own explorations. In fact we have found that these approaches simultaneously develop students collaborative and leadership skills, turning them into true agents of change for the future”

Shih-Hsien, Y. (2009). Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 12(2), 11-21.

Summary:
The article examines the role and use of blogs by 48 student teachers in a training program in Taiwan. The blog was intended for these EFL teachers to reflect on their experience of teacher training and teaching of English as a foreign language. A blog was created by the two instructors to have it as a discussion forum where student teachers and instructors can write about their experiences and comment on watch other. The data collected through observation, questionnaire and examination of the blog shows that the student teachers actively discussed teaching theories and their implications through blogs. They considered the use of technology a good resource to reflect on each other’s writing and communicating. Though students did not use their real names on the web, there were reluctant when it comes to negative critique to their friends.

Evaluation:

It seems that allowing these students teachers a space outside the traditional classroom to express their thoughts worked partially. The writer claimed they have found it useful in terms of communicating with their peers and instructors. At the same time the participants did not seem
to have fully freed themselves from the constraint imposed by the traditional face to face classroom. The way these students were raised educationally in their schools did not make it easy for them to freely post negative comments regarding their peers’ views.

Quotes:

A blog is like a small learning community. Members tend to get more involved than they do in other pedagogic and web-based environments, thus producing a stronger sense of community (p.13)

The findings displayed the importance of feedback and risk-taking in language education, which can reinforce students’ confidence and motivation in language learning. (p.18)