Metablognition

   What Metablognition Means to Me

        Obviously this term is a play on the word metacognition. 

I like it.

      It seems to hint at the unique way that blogs can enhance teaching and learning. Blogging is a forum that provides unique benefits in the learning process.  It encourages the readers, commenters and writers of blogs to (albeit somewhat unconsciously) think about their reasoning and what evidence they have to support their ideas.  It can invoke pretty passionate responses from all involved. 

        As with any practice in the classroom, a student must first be taught general expectations and guidelines for use of blogs. Without that necessary component, blogging can become just as useless as any other activity where learners bypass critical thinking processes to simply read the passage and answer the questions to get the grade.  With blogs, a child’s grade is more about the “process” of blogging or their metablognitive capabilities, than it is about the final outcome. Although as students think about what they write and analyze what others write, the outcome (their writing ) can’t help but to improve.

      I agree with a statement made by Will Gardener that blogging allows for students to  “synthesize disparate learning experiences and to and understand their collective relationship and relevance.” It allows them to make true connections and applications of what they are learning to the rest of their lives. It's important to remember however that blogging, like any other tool is beneficial but can be subject to overuse and misuse. In short, I think it is just one more tool in a teacher's toolbox.