apcampbell

Bettina asks some very good questions:

Are blogs for everybody? If keeping students motivated is hard, what about motivating teachers to use this tool? Teacher training is evolving, new technologies are being introduced in students curricula, but some other social and “traditional” matters still remain unchangable. How do we encourage student teachers to embrace tools like this and other very useful ones in the web helping them to shorten their way into this New Era? What can be done?

I think it is important for educators not to lose sight of the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic factors of motivation. Students are motivated inwardly to learn. Like all people, they’re driven in some form or another to pursue what interests them, be it video games, sports, nature, books, or the proverbial ’sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll’. What propels many students through the educational institutions of society is not these genuine interests, but rather those motivational factors applied from without: pressure from parents and society, fear of failure, the power of authority. If a student is lucky enough for his or her intrinsic interests to be aligned with what school offers, fine. But for a significant number of students, much of what school offers is a grinding chore. In many school settings, there is little outlet for students to pursue what truly interests them. In this sense, their interests are supressed, their creativity stiffled, and their freedom curtailed. Is it no wonder so many behavioral problems exist?

Clearly then, there is an immediate need for educators to find ways to allow students to follow their intrinsic interests in the context of the classroom. Using weblogs in the classroom is one way to accomplish this. When we hand over a tool like the blog to our students and give them the freedom to use it, we are trying to tap into that bubbling fountain of motivational energy that exists naturally. Giving them control of their own learning in a supportive context, and freedom to write about their own interests and converse with others on topics of their choice, will bring out their natural movivation. We’ve got to stop looking for ways to motivate students through management and instead start looking for ways to create learning environments that allow students to express their interests; as Anne says, to allow them to develop and express their own voices. We don’t have to do anything special to encourage teachers and students to embrace tools like this, other than stop being teachers and become facilitators of a natural process. Let’s relinquish the student/teacher relationship and create lifelong learning spaces where everyone can grow together.