Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 124 Research Article Blogging during the Pandemic: An Action Research J. Karthika1 & Akshaya.N2 1Assistant Professor in English, PG Department of English (Self-Support), SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai, Tamil Nadu Email: karthikanagendrakumar@gmail.com 2Research Scholar, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu Abstract The paper focuses on the advantages of using a class blog to improve the writing skills of postgraduate literature students. The pandemic enabled all the learners to use technology uniformly, and therefore, it was possible to use a class blog to improve the writing skills of the learners. An action research was planned and conducted to improve the engagement level of the postgraduate students during the pandemic and also to enhance their writing skills as well. Feedback was collected at the end of the semester to gauge the impact of using blogs in the classroom. The usage data retrieved from the class blog has also been analyzed quantitatively to measure the engagement level of the learners. Both the quantitative and the qualitative data obtained at the end of the semester show improvement in the engagement level of the learners. The writing skills of a few of the learners showed considerable improvement. The action research revealed that the opportunity provided boosted the confidence of the majority of the learners in the classroom in expressing their thoughts in writing. The reflection of the teacher and learners revealed the positive impact of feedback on the entire writing process. Keywords: Class Blog, Technology Enhanced English Language learning, blended learning, pandemic Learning, English Writing skills, Feedback, Engagement, WhatsApp Voice notes Introduction The pandemic has forced traditional English classrooms to transform into technology-enhanced language teaching and learning spaces. The English language and teaching in India were largely confined to brick-and- mortar learning spaces prior to the pandemic; however, the pandemic forced teachers to adopt an online, blended learning model. The necessity of continuing teaching and learning during the pandemic has forced the teachers and administrators of colleges to adopt online learning and teaching with alacrity despite the financial and infrastructural challenges involved in setting it up. This paper describes the teaching and learning of English using a classroom blog and focuses on the advantages of using a class blog to improve the writing skills of postgraduate students of Literature. The pandemic enabled all the learners to use technology uniformly, and therefore, it was possible to use a class blog to improve the writing skills of the learners. Literature Review Blogs or weblogs are interactive online journals that can be used in language classrooms to improve the writing skills of the learners. It facilitates meaningful and engaging discussion ( Jan Lacina, J and Griffith, R (2012) among peers and Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 125 between the teacher and the learners. Blogging, which promotes collaborative learning, helps the learners to co- construct knowledge along with their peers. Christina Melly (2018) used classroom blogging to give practice in writing to ninth-grade high school at St. Louis, Missouri. In her study, more than the grading, she found that peer feedback provided the necessary impetus for the learners to continue blogging. Kendra N. Bryant (2013) used classroom blogging to improve the engagement and writing skills of her learners and created an embodied learning environment in her classroom. Linda Carol Jones and Amalie Holla(2013) conducted an experimental study with 18 students who were enrolled in two different courses at a Midwest American University and found a strong correlation between personality and participation in blogging activity in an academic setting. The researchers used the Big Five personality inventory that had previously helped researchers identify the association of openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness with social blogging. The study tracked the blogging habits of the students with their personality types and found that the students who chose to blog were high in extraversion and high in neuroticism. Ahluwalia, G., Gupta, D., & Aggarwal, D., (2011) used blogs as a means to supplement in-class language learning activities. The experimental study was conducted with 42 first-year Engineering College learners through a survey and the learners’ perception of using blogs was measured, and their motivation increased. In 2008, the Pew Internet, along with the American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing, conducted a research study to find out the impact of technology on writing. The study found that teen bloggers, in particular, engaged in a wide range of writing outside of school, like short writing, journal writing, creative writing, letter writing, and music or lyrics writing. Compared to non-bloggers, Teen Bloggers were more productive outside of school and wrote more frequently than other teens. Previous studies in using blogs in second language teaching and learning contexts show that more research is needed to understand the complex relationship between blogging, personality, and motivation. This action research attempted to gauge the engagement of the learners while using blogs. Student engagement in academic environments like schools (Parsons, S. A., Nuland, L. R., & Parsons, A. W., 2014; Wang, M.-T., & Holcombe, R., 2010; Freedricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. 2004) and colleges (Li, M., Yu, L., Qin, Y., Lu, P., & Zhang, X., 2016; Tsai, S., & Wu, T. 2019) and online learning environments (Herridge, A. S., McNaughtan, J., & James, L. J., 2020; Bodily, R., Charles R.G, C.R., and Bush, M.D.,2017) has been discussed adequately even before the pandemic. However, this study attempts to throw light on student engagement in the online environment during the pandemic in particular. The term student engagement has been interpreted in different ways by varied academicians and researchers, and Jonasson, C. (2012) points out how even among the teachers and students, there is a divergent perception with regard to the term ‘engagement’. Student engagement in an online environment refers to both cognitive and affective engagement of the learners in an academic activity. The online environment with relevant content would not only promote deep learning but also motivate the learners to persist and be consistent in their online academic activity. Jennifer A Fredricks et.al., recommend studying student engagement as a multifaceted construct that involves behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Behavioural engagement Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 126 refers to appropriate task behaviour by following the rules, completing tasks within the given timelines with involvement in the learning process, and active and consistent participation in academic discussions with peers and teachers. Emotional Engagement refers to the interest and investment that the learners have in participating and completing a learning activity. It is the “student’s psychological investment in an effort directed toward learning, understanding, mastering the knowledge, skills or crafts that the academic work is intended to promote” (Newmzann, F., Wehlage, G. G., & Lamborn, S. D., 1992). Cognitive engagement refers to motivation to learn with persistence, self-regulated efforts to understand, learn and complete the given task and awareness and voluntary use of learning strategies. Julianne C. Turner (1995), who equates motivation to cognitive engagement in her research study, identified categories of behaviour during reading activities, namely the use of reading strategies, the use of learning strategies, evidence of volitional control strategies, and evidence of persistence. The finding of the study suggested that the “motivation is neither in the student nor in the program, but in each child’s encounter with the reading and writing task” (Turner, J. C. 1995). In this study, the engagement level of the learners is interpreted based on the behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement of the participants. A field quasi-experiment was carried out by Yu-Min Wang and Chei-Chang Chiou (2022) to examine the efficacy of blog teaching in higher education. According to the study, integrating blogs into university instruction improves students’ achievement and sense of fulfilment from their studies. The researchers also found that better blogs increased student engagement, which enhanced learning results even more. This study adds to the increasing amount of data that shows blogs can be an efficient teaching tool in higher education settings. Sakip Kahraman (2021) looked into the usage of blogs as a cutting-edge assessment method to support students’ development of professional skills and authentic learning. Third-year planning students participated in the study, which discovered that blogs promoted peer review, reflective practice, and enhanced learning effectiveness. Even though there was some initial pushback and worries about academic rigour, students eventually realised that blogging helped them comprehend course material and professional practices better. The study underlined how crucial peer and teacher support is to improving the usefulness of blog-based assessments. A very recent study conducted in 2024 by Mark O’Rourke and Andreanne Doyon looked at the usage of blogs as a cutting-edge evaluation tool to improve professional skill development and authentic learning. The study, which involved third-year planning students, found that blogs enhanced learning efficiency and encouraged reflective practice and peer evaluation. Although students first voiced worries about the level of academic rigour, they eventually discovered that blogging helped them get a deeper grasp of both professional practices and course material. To maximise the usefulness of blog-based evaluations, the research emphasized the significance of peer feedback and instructor support. Research Questions 1. Can the use of blogs for writing assignments improve the English language proficiency of the learners? 2. Will the use of blogs increase the engagement of learners in academic activity in the online classroom environment? Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 127 Research Context and Participants This study was conducted in SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, with 39 second-year post-graduate learners pursuing their Masters in English. As the study falls under action research, purposive sampling was employed to select the participants. The inclusion criteria applied are as follows: (i) Students in their second year of the course (ii) Students registered in the course of M.A English (iii) Students who have a personal device to participate in the study Due to the pandemic the first-year postgraduates did not get to meet their peers nor their teachers. As a Teacher, I joined at the end of the first semester and found a silent indifference in the classes due to a lack of interaction among peers and a lack of familiarity with the teacher. Due to regular internal assessments and the pressing need to finish the assigned portions, the teacher found it difficult to establish a proper working relationship with the learners. During the seminar presentations, the teacher found that the majority of the learners had difficulty articulating their ideas while presenting and in writing as well. Therefore, to help them understand their problem area in language, the teacher attempted to give specific language feedback immediately after every presentation by highlighting the grammatical errors in their sentence construction. As the majority of the learners did not trust the teacher and were not sure of the intention of the feedback, they refused to process the feedback. The agonizing longevity of the pandemic, with all its unpredictability, stifled the natural enthusiasm of the learners in learning and made them indifferent to the serious academic routine which the teacher tried maintaining, assuming it would help the learners. After a semester, the teacher found it difficult to break through the wall of indifference and silence among the learners and decided to introduce class blogging to improve the engagement level of the learners and the writing skills of the post-graduate learners. Procedure The learners were assigned three writing assignments for the semester. The first assignment was a self-introduction, during which they were encouraged to podcast, write or video record about themselves. The teacher gave a model self-introduction about herself as a sample. The second writing assignment was a reflective essay. They were asked to write about any one or two of their teachers (in school or college) who they considered were good teachers. A sample was provided for this as well. The rubric for the first and second assignments was simple and focused on content, language, and engagement level. The engagement was given more weightage of 10 marks, while content and language together were given 10 marks. The emphasis was on making the learners read and comment on other posts. The third assignment involved topics from the “English language teaching” theory paper. Choosing their topic of interest, they were asked to write a detailed essay of 800-1000 words. Reference books and articles were given in the Google Drive of the Google Classroom, and students were also encouraged to use any standard journal articles from the internet. In case they found it difficult to find appropriate reading material for their selected topics, they were asked to inform the teacher so that she could try and help them with it. They were specifically instructed to desist from using materials from substandard online sources. However, Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 128 if they found interesting and relevant materials or videos, they were asked to provide links at the end of their blog as additional resources. It was mandated that the essay should be written in their own words without copying exactly from original sources; instead, they were encouraged to summarize the main ideas and acknowledge the source properly. They were informed that the essay should be followed by a detailed reference section where they list out all the sources, namely the books, the articles, the videos, or online articles. After providing the references, the learners were asked to give two discussion questions based on their written essays for their team members to discuss. The discussion questions should not be ‘yes or No’ type of questions or ‘comprehension questions’ but questions that would make their team members reflect and give their opinions. Each group would contain 10 members, and the discussion questions would be answered in the comment section by all the nine group members. The blog writer should respond to all the group members’ responses. The same topics should be taken as seminars in the class for about a 10 to 15-minute presentation where they would explain the concept using a ppt and not read the essay. They were informed that the marks would be deducted for late submission or for not responding to comments in their own posts within the deadline provided. Data Analysis and Discussion: The class blog named ‘Avid English Learners’ (http://avidell.blogspot.com/) was created in the month of June, and on June 29 2021, the first sample post was published by the teacher. Detailed instructions regarding accepting the blog invitation to the post’s drafting and publishing information were communicated through Google Classroom. The last blog post of assignment three was posted by one of the learners on October 10, 2021, and commenting on posts continued actively till November. After that, it tricked down. Therefore, the entire class was actively involved in blogging for about four months. The total number of posts that were published in the classroom blog was 125. The usage statistics from the blog revealed that the total number of comments was 2633, and the total number of views was 6792. [Appendix-1] A structured Google form survey consisting of both open- ended and closed-ended questions was administered to all 39 learners at the end of the third semester to collect their feedback. [Appendix-2] Out of the 39 learners, 86 per cent of the learners reported that they enjoyed using blogs for academic activity. 84 per cent of the learners conceded that they liked reading and commenting on others’ posts. Figure-1: I liked reading and commenting on other’s posts Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 129 Figure-2: The comments from my peers regarding my post motivated me to a larger extent Around 59 per cent of the learners were happy with the peer comments they received for their blog post but 41 per cent of the learners were not satisfied with the number of comments from their peers. In the following detailed analysis section the pedagogical considerations are discussed with primary focus on the qualitative open-ended questions responses gathered from the survey and based on the observation of the teacher as well. Pedagogical Considerations in blogging In this section, the pedagogical considerations for using blogs to improve writing skills and engagement levels in each of the three writing assignments are discussed in detail. First Writing Assignment The behavioural and emotional engagement level was highest in the first post due to three major reasons. Firstly, many of the participants were first-time users, and since the blog was about themselves, the learners took it as an opportunity to interact and learn about their peers. They had the freedom to introduce themselves in their own way, so they were innovative to make their first post appealing. However, it should be stated that only 52 per cent of the learners said that they enjoyed writing about themselves, and another 20 per cent said that they felt neutral about it. Around 33 per cent of the learners were not happy about talking about themselves, but they complied merely to finish the academic task. The second major reason was the feedback from the teacher that they received for all their posts for the first topic. Feedback was given in two ways: written comments and WhatsApp voice notes. The written comments under each learner’s blog were dialogic in response to the content, whereas the WhatsApp Voice notes were directly related to the grammatical accuracy of the content. While 82 per cent of the learners felt that the peers’ comments were motivating and encouraging, around 18 per cent replied negatively. The negative response could be attributed to the non-participation of some learners in not commenting on others’ blogs. Most of the learners enjoyed the comments on their blog but they were not equally motivated to read all their peers’ blog posts and comments. Many of the respondents said that even though they wanted to read everyone’s blog and comment, they did not have that kind of time. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 130 In the previous semester the teacher had given specific language feedback to learners immediately after their seminar presentations and found that most of them were offended because of it. The teacher understood her mistake when she conducted anonymous feedback that she collected from the entire class at the end of the second semester, and therefore, the private WhatsApp voice notes were used to avoid such embarrassment for the learners. In the survey, while all 39 learners agreed that the feedback from the teacher in the comment section was motivating, 85 per cent of the learners said that they benefited from the language-related feedback given using WhatsApp voice notes. The teacher gave a model self- introduction about herself to encourage the learners to write an honest and unreserved narrative and hoped to persuade her learners as well. The post by the teacher, who was serious and stern in the second semester, was read with mixed reactions, and gradually, the learners started commenting on the teacher’s post. Emboldened by the responses of the teacher to their comments, many other learners also started commenting unreservedly. There was a sense of curiosity among all the students, and they took time to read others’ posts and felt comfortable commenting. Therefore, the first blog was a success as it became a platform that initiated friendships. Thirdly, the first post was given during their semester holidays as an assignment even before the semester started, and therefore, the learners had a lot of time to indulge in it all with leisure and write without any other academic commitments. Following is the reflection of Learner (Priyadharshini J) on why blogging worked for her. My experience of blogging was beneficial, in many ways. Importantly, I discovered myself and I came to know about the people of my age. I liked the whole process as well as the progress. From writing down my thoughts, prioritizing, organising into a format, posting it, to receiving comments and teacher’s feedback about my views and language. The process and the guidance helped me think better, correct my errors and improve my skills. The feedback and comments motivated and induced confidence, indeed! It can also be safely inferred that the cognitive engagement was also high because the discourse in the blog was within their present level of competence and was not very cognitively demanding. For some of the slow learners, reading the writing of their own peers provided appropriate cognitive challenge, which Figure-3: The WhatsApp feedback from my teachers helped me to improve my communication Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 131 Lev Vygotsky (1962) calls a Zone of proximal development, which is defined as the ideal challenge for a learner as the level a little beyond the easy reach of the learner but that which is achievable with appropriate scaffolds or support from an able peer or a teacher. This is also similar to i+1 concept of Stephen Krashen (1981), where he says only if the input is just above the learner’s current level of competency would the learner be really involved in the learning process. The blog writing of the peers served as an engaging and appropriate input for most of the learners. Second Writing Assignment In the second blog activity, the behavioural engagement of all the learners remained high as all of them completed their blog posts within the deadline. There was a slight dip in the affective engagement of the learners, which could be inferred from reduced student-to-student interaction compared to the first blog. There were three reasons that could be attributed to the dip in affective engagement among the learners. Firstly, the curiosity waned as it was the second activity, and therefore, the initial burst of enthusiasm frittered away. Secondly, the third semester started bringing with it a host of other academic commitments, which made it difficult for them to concentrate wholly on the written task. Thirdly, as the semester started, the teacher too had other teaching and institutional- related commitments and, therefore, did not have the time to respond to all the posts and give individual feedback through WhatsApp voice notes. The second post resonated with most of the learners on a personal level as it made them walk down their memory lane with nostalgia. In the second writing activity, the learners were asked to write about their favourite teachers and were asked specifically to reflect on their individual personality traits and professional expertise, which made them good teachers. In the third semester, they were doing “English language teaching” as an elective course. They were asked to elaborate on the teaching methodology and materials that the teacher employed, which made their classes interesting and informative. The writing assignment was given with the intention of making them critically examine the role of a teacher in an English Classroom and their role in the teaching and learning process of an individual learner and the entire class as a whole. Following is a feedback from Learner 26 (Rose Esther Rani) Well, blogging was the first assignment that really made me sit and write for pages without complaining; when there is no bar set, we get to show our creative side, and that’s exactly what I liked very much about blogging. I felt quite hard to read all my fellow peer’s blogs and comment on it but I would be lying if I said that’s a drawback because I felt alive reading the comments posted by my peers in my post, so my point is blogging was fun I would rate my experience 9/10 Third Writing Assignment The third post was completely academic, and the interaction dropped to the lowest. Since the topics were completely academic, most of the learners complained that it took so much time to read and even more time to understand. This time, the learners were informed that the group members should compulsorily answer the questions posted by the blogger in the comment section. Most of the students were hesitant to comment as they struggled to understand the new concepts. Learner 32 (Sheetal Mundra) shared the following disadvantage about writing the third assignment in the classroom blog: Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 132 “… understanding concepts from each others’ content was an issue. Trusting each others’ research was another issue because no one knows which resource is “right”, and no one likes to correct anyone over the “comments” section either. We could only rely on our teacher to correct it for us. Moreover, as a student, I cannot imagine the amount of time and energy that it takes for a teacher to patiently go through everyone’s blogs and comments.” The behavioural engagement suffers when the teachers do not give very clear instructions regarding the expected outcome of an academic task and when the teacher fails to continually respond to the learners. (Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. 1993). In the third writing activity, there was confusion among the learners with regard to the veracity of the content and that certainly was revealed by the way the learners failed to meet the deadlines. The teacher, due to other teaching commitments, did not find the time to interact with the bloggers individually, which also resulted in behavioural and affective disengagement with the academic task at hand. The expected level of cognitive engagement in the third writing activity was very demanding, and therefore, the slow learners found it difficult. Even the advanced learners were unsure of their content knowledge and were very apprehensive about writing the post. The teacher realized only after giving the writing activity that she herself could have given academic articles to read and asked them to summarize or critically evaluate the research article. In that case, the anxiety with regard to the appropriacy of the content knowledge that they were all anxious about could have been avoided. Using a blog in a large class was challenging and was not only difficult pedagogically for the teachers but also for the learners as well. It was difficult for both the teachers and the learners to read and comment individually on all 39 posts. Time and energy needed for that was more, and therefore, even if the learners were behaviourally, affectively and cognitively engaged in the blogging process, the large numbers did pose a great challenge. Around 35 per cent of the learners stated that they did not have the time to read and comment on all the posts in the Google Form survey. Technological advantage and Issues in blogging The choice of medium encouraged a section of the learners to dabble with images, sound files, youtube video recording, editing and screen recording. The freedom to choose the way in which they can express themself was liberating for many of the learners. Learner 35 (Sri Takshara) had this to say about the technological features of creating a blog. I felt blogging to be an interesting alternative to the regular class assignments. It allowed me to experience autonomous learning where there was no stress pressure or limitation being laid on me as I had the freedom to express my thoughts. Blogging has helped me express my creative side through all the fonts, backgrounds, and pictures. It also kept me motivated throughout the assignment, and the comments section acted as a platform for discussion with my classmates and teacher Alexander McNeece (2019) posited that student engagement nurtures a growth mindset, competence, and autonomy in learners. The blogs, which had advanced technological features, allowed for creative expression and helped to engage the learners in the writing task. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 133 The freedom of choice made them feel liberated and responsible and also promoted autonomous learning among the participants. However, it should also be recorded that another section of learners were new to digital tools and were overwhelmed with ordinary word processing itself and had difficulty in formatting their blog posts. While it was easy to type the blog post using a laptop, it was strenuous to key in using mobile devices. Moreover, many features were not accessible on mobile devices, and therefore, these challenges put off their initial interest in the writing activity itself. Findings The private classroom blog gave the learners an opportunity to engage in reading, analyzing, and commenting on both formal academic texts and also informal nonacademic texts such as personal narratives. Classroom Blog facilitated meaningful interaction among the learners and improved the interpersonal relationship between the learners and the teacher as well. Moreover, blogs are innately motivating to learners as the readers of the blogs are their own peers. As the learners were writing not for grades alone but for authentic audiences, the learners were all the more motivated, and as a result, the quality of their writing improved to a considerable extent. Learners took more care of their language as they were posting it online, and their peers were going to read it as well. While the majority of the learners gained knowledge of academic conventions of usage and grammar by reading the work of their peers, some felt demotivated due to their inadequacy in expressing their ideas coherently and accurately. The blog also gave the learners an opportunity to interact with digital media and be involved in the full writing process, including web searching, reviewing, drafting, revising, and editing. Using a classroom blog to enhance students’ writing abilities offers numerous benefits and implications for teachers. Blogging encourages regular writing practice, allowing students to explore various genres, which helps them develop versatile writing skills. It fosters immediate feedback through peer reviews and teacher interaction, promoting a culture of constructive critique that refines their work. Moreover, a classroom blog fosters creativity and personal expression, allowing students to develop their unique voice and increasing motivation through engaging assignments. For teachers, this approach requires adapting instructional strategies, including setting clear guidelines, providing professional development on blogging practices, and balancing structure with creative freedom. Overall, classroom blogging can significantly improve writing skills, engage students, and develop critical digital competencies, benefiting both learners and educators in the process. Conclusion The introduction of a classroom blog to enhance the writing skills of tertiary learners during the pandemic has yielded significant pedagogical benefits. The study revealed that blogging provides an effective platform for improving writing abilities through teacher and peer feedback while also fostering greater learner engagement. The classroom blog encouraged motivation and attention to language use by prompting students to write for real audiences rather than solely for grades. As a result, students and their teachers were able to build supportive learning communities and strengthen interpersonal relationships. While most students gained confidence and improved their academic writing standards through this creative exercise, the study also highlights the challenges Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 134 faced by some students in expressing themselves clearly and coherently. However, by interacting with digital media, students developed important writing and digital skills. The study emphasizes the importance of offering an innovative tool that blends formal and informal elements to maximize the impact of blogging on students’ learning. In conclusion, the study’s results contribute to understanding how classroom blogging can improve writing abilities, encourage creativity, and equip students with digital skills. It also provides valuable insights for teachers on how to integrate technology into pedagogy in ways that meet the diverse needs of learners, boost engagement, and enhance the overall teaching- learning process. References Ahluwalia, G., Gupta, D., & Aggarwal, D., The Use of Blogs in English Language Learning: A Study of Learner Perceptions, National University of Colombia, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Foreign Languages, Vol. 13, No. 2, October 2011 Pages 29-41 Bodily, R., Charles R.G, C.R., and Bush, M.D.,(2017) “Online Learner Engagement: Opportunities and Challenges with Using Data Analytics” Source: Educational Technology, January-February, Vol. 57, No. 1 (January-February 2017), pp. 10-18 Bryant, N Kendra “Me/We”: Building an Embodied Writing Classroom for Socially Networked, Socially Distracted Basic Writers, Journal of Basic Writing, FALL 2013, Vol. 32, No. 2 (FALL 2013), pp. 51-79 Freedricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. Herridge, A. S., McNaughtan, J., & James, L. J. (2020). Online orientation among community college students: Academic engagement and sense of belonging. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, 27(1), 17-31. Jan Lacina, J and Griffith, R. (2012) “Blogging as a means of crafting writing” The Reading Teacher, Dec 2012 / Jan 2013, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Dec 2012 / Jan 2013), pp. 316-320 Jonasson, C. (2012). Teachers and students’ divergent perceptions of student engagement: recognition of school or workplace goals. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 33(5), 723–741. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23256180 Kahraman, S. (2021). The effects of blog-based learning on pre-service science teachers’ internet self-efficacy and understanding of atmosphere-related environmental issues. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 21(1), 186–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-021-00137-7 Krashen, S (1981) Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning, Oxford, Pergamon. Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., & Smith, A. (2008). Writing, technology, and teens. Washington, DC: Pew Internet and the National Writing Commission. Li, M., Yu, L., Qin, Y., Lu, P., & Zhang, X. (2016). College student academic motivation and engagement in the college English course. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(9), 1767-1773. Melly, Christina “ ‘Can we blog about this?’: Amplifying learner Voice in Secondary Language Arts” The English Journal, Vol. 107, No. 3 (January 2018), pp. 12-18 McNeece, A. (2019). Loving what they learn: Research-based strategies to increase student engagement (research-based strategies for increasing student engagement and building self-efficacy). Solution Tree. Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 135 Newmann, F., Wehlage, G. G., & Lamborn, S. D. (1992). The significance and sources of student engagement. In F. Newmann (Ed.), Student engagement and achievement in American secondary schools (pp. 11-39). New York: Teachers College O’Rourke, M., & Doyon, A. (2024). Rethinking assessment strategies to improve authentic representations of learning: Using blogs as a creative assessment alternative to develop professional skills. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-024-00483-0 Parsons, S. A., Nuland, L. R., & Parsons, A. W. (2014). The ABCs of student engagement. The Phi Delta Kappan, 95(8), 23–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24374604 Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effect of teacher behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 571-581 Tsai, S., & Wu, T. (2019). The influences of student engagement on academic achievement for college students: The moderating effect of reading engagement. Educational Policy Forum, 22(1), 1-24. Turner, J. C. (1995). The Influence of Classroom Contexts on Young Children’s Motivation for Literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 30(3), 410–441. Vygotsky, L (1962/1996) Thought and language, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. Wang, Y.-M., & Chiou, C.-C. (2022). Empirically examining the effectiveness of teaching blogs on university course instruction. SAGE Open, 12(3), 215824402211047. https://doi. org/10.1177/21582440221104782 Appendix-1 Usage Data Retrieved from the Blog Name No. of comments on 1st post No. of comments on 2nd  post No. of comments on 3rd post L1 40 20 4 L2 38 18 6 L3 39 36 6 L4 31 19 5 L5 31 15 9 L6 36 11 8 L7 53 23 6 L8 39 16 8 L9 40 18 8 L10 23 12 4 L11 34 26 5 L12 35 13 6 Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 136 Name No. of comments on 1st post No. of comments on 2nd  post No. of comments on 3rd post L13 40 26 13 L14 37 14 9 L15 42 28 5 L16 42 18 6 L17 28 13 8 L18 33 16 5 L19 47 25 10 L20 17 23 6 L21 48 19 4 L22 34 17 5 L23 42 25 9 L24 47 26 8 L25 41 16 7 L26 59 32 7 L27 35 27 13 L28 28 21 8 L29 28 11 5 L30 33 19 6 L31 47 17 6 L32 46 23 6 L33 51 26 7 L34 56 32 4 L35 54 33 6 L36 43 22 4 L37 33 12 5 L38 23 13 4 L39 27 12 8 Indian Journal of Educational Technology Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2025 137 Appendix-2 Following was the Feedback collected at the end of the Study with Five Pont Likert Scale [ Strongly agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree] Blog Review 1. I enjoyed blogging 2. I liked reading and commenting on others’ posts. 3. Writing the blog helped me to write better. 4. The comments from my peers, regarding my post motivated me to a larger extent. 5. The comments from my teacher regarding my post helped me to write further. 6. The whatsapp feedback from my teacher helped me to improve my communication. 7. I was not interested in writing about my own self in a blog. 8. Blogging did not help me to improve my writing skill. 9. I did not receive as much comments as I expected. 10. I did not have time to read and comment on all of my friends blogs. 11. I did not like feedback pertaining to grammar in whatsapp. 12. What did you like about the classroom blogging? (you are expected to write a paragraph by summing up your experience as a blogger. Kindly mention your name if you are comfortable in sharing) 13. What are the things that you did not like about blogging? (feel free to write your honest reviews)