Blogging as part of the collaborative writing process for developing writers

The aim of this paper and research is to practice and analyze (as students) a teaching with technology strategy that we would like to employ in the developmental writing classroom. This will help us bridge the gap we, as practitioners, face between pedagogy and theory. The data used will be a blog created through the research and writing process. We will take a pragmatic approach to this practitioner-inquiry into the use of blogging in the writing classroom. The collaborative model is ideal for learning about enhancing the writing process for students through blog-writing. We will discuss blogging as a part of the research and writing process, peer-review using blogs, and discussion through a collaborative blog. We will create a blog that will reflect the writing process we engage in as students.

We see ourselves as developmental level writers in the discipline. We are still learning the terminology, learning the expectations and benefits, and navigating the terrain of composition research and writing.

Plan of action (to be revised as needed)
1. Break up and review the literature in several areas – such as blogs in developmental writing courses, learning communities, collaborative writing/research, and technological literacy. Share results and drafts in blog. Communicate predominately via blog.
2. First hand blog about the writing process
· Blog about fears, frustrations, exchange ideas, discuss research process and stages, post drafts and responses to drafts, compile research
· Blog about thoughts related to teaching as the process progresses
· Pose questions to each other as the research proceeds
3. Come together as researchers to catalog the data and compile research. As teacher researchers, we will then analyze our experience as student writers using blog data.