BALL (Blog Assisted Language Learning) as an educational tool in teaching writing skill

Abstract

Since 1998, weblogs (or 'blogs') have gained increasing notice in the modern world (Blood, 2000). More and more EFL/ESL teachers have applied this user-friendly technology to classroom instruction and language learning (Campbell, 2003; Johnson, 2004; Lankshear & Knobel, 2003; Richardson, 2004a); however, it seems that few English teachers have ever used blogs in an EFL writing class in academic centers in Iran. weblogs have great capabilities as an educational tool for the teaching of EFL writing class. During the present paper, the researcher has tried to show and discuss the capabilities and advantages of using weblogs in increasing the writing skill of Iranian college students. Another important objective behind this paper is to present the reactions and feedback of Iranian college learners who experienced blog in their writing class for the first time. Finally, some instructions and tips are provided for the teachers who want to use blog in their writing class.