Using blogs to develop students' writing skills through British and American literature

Abstract

Literature provides valuable authentic material for language learning. Reading expands vocabulary, develops reading and writing skills, and, through the acquisition of new vocabulary, also speaking and listening skills. Still, there are several reasons why both teachers and students are apprehensive about reading. In order to facilitate reading in the classroom, online reading courses could be used. Teacher can have students write blog posts about what they have read, as this develops students’ writing skills and digital competences. In order to find out if an online reading course boosts students’ motivation to read, and develop their writing skills, an elective course was compiled. This thesis provides the literature review on the bases of the course and the description and outcomes of the course developed.