The French use blogs for exam revision - now it's time for the rest of us

Assessment is nearly always seen as the main reason not to blog or podcast or wiki... Just listening to Wes' recent brilliant podcasts reinforces this idea - in the USA at least - and no doubt elsewhere. But in France, Le Web Pédagogique is making its blog the main way for students to revise for their baccalauréat.

I'm glad to see so many ventures in Scotland for modern linguists to help their students along, in a way through which they can connect with the revision providers. Take this for starters:

• Languages revision podcast with listening past papers in French and advice from the people who set the papers
• Listening practice in French, German and Spanish (the PiECast)
• Firrhill French Blog, with exam tips from the class teacher, but Grant is offering advice to any student who wants it.
• French Verbs through relaxation techniques via podcast
• Froggies Wiki to help Higher students through their literature
• and lots more... at the scotedublogs wiki

So what's the problem (there has to be one, right?). Despite these being publicised quite extensively teachers are still acting as gatekeepers to information and a fraction of those who could benefit will do so. How can we bypass these teachers and get to the kids direct?

I have an idea, which begins My and ends in Space. It's time we got them involved in creating these resources, too, but above all publicising them on their own networks, rather than relying on their teachers' networks. Viral marketing works for scoubidous. Might it work for revision?

Comments

[Andy Watson]

Scoubidous = French Homework? Are you serious, Ewan?
MySpace and the like allow kids to be kids, to pursue their own interests and to escape from the pressures of school and parents. Let them get on with it without trying to sneak in 'school stuff'.
If they find something useful or create something themselves, they'll soon pass it on but I don't think that MySpace will be the medium. No one wants to look like the school swot.

[Ewan McIntosh]

See what you mean. But the kids DO talk about the VerbCast on their personal forums within the LanguageZone environment of Partners in Excellence because they're cool. And I have seen MySpaces talking about the podcasting kids have done in school, for example. As long as the task is right maybe kids don't see work as work so much as work as play.

Am I onto a hiding to nothing?

[Bernie Goldbach]

We teach local 14-year-old students how to set up, modify and maintain weblogs. Only a few stay with the system after their week-long programmme.

We award continuous assessment credit to students who respond to overhead questions through social networks. Their responses can be on mailing lists, comment threads on photostreams, wikis, or blogs. We're agnostic about the technology and try to stay brand-neutral.

At revision time, students who want 4% continuous assessment credit will produce something subscribable as an educast available at podcasting.ie -- there are a lot of interesting ways to get into the earbuds of students who need to boost their productivity at exam time.

[Manish]

We teach Undergrad engineering students and we have used wiki successfully with a group of 60 students for exam revision. The purpose is to give them an idea of how the marking will be and tapping into collective knowledge of our students for our students.