The Effects of Collaborative Blogging on Communicative Aspects of Iranian Efl Learners' Writing
l.IntroductionHuffaker (2004) stated that the Internet continues to generate new applications that not only foster individual expression, but also cohesive community development. Current research in computer mediated communication (CMC) environments such as chat rooms, newsgroups, and multi user domains (MUDs) have revealed interesting trends in the way individual identity is presented, language is used .and interactions have transpired (Calvert, et al. 2003 ;Crystal, 2001; Greenfield and Subrahmanyam, 2003) One of the latest developments in computer mediated communication( CMC is the weblog, or "blog." Blogs are personal journals made up of chronological entries, not unlike a paper diary. The features of a blog include instant publishing of text or graphics to the Web without sophisticated technical knowledge, ways for people to provide comments or feedback to each blog post, the opportunity to archive past blog posts by date, and hyperlinks to other bloggers. These features not only distinguish blogs from other forms of CMC, they provide new opportunities for people to present and express themselves online.According to Huffaker (2004) adolescents make up a large part of the community of bloggers, often referred to as the blogosphere. This article discusses the application of one of the latest Information and Communication Technology( ICT) tools, which is known as weblog. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in teaching and learning have offered many ways of improving the learner's writing skills such as using online forum, wikis, and weblogs.The ability to write well can have a profound impact on our lives. In discussing the importance of writing to learning, Suleiman (2000) asserts that "writing is a central element of language, any reading and language arts program must consider the multidimensional nature of writing in instructional practices, assessment procedures, and language development." (p. 155) Writing classes in academic schools have never stopped. Without the stability of written records, a lot of knowledge concerning human civilization becomes impossible. The ability to write well can have a profound impact on our lives. These days many students use social networking sites such as Facebook, my space, Weblogs, Whats app. and hi5. With English being used as a global language for communication in education, business and technology, it is essential that students need to be able to communicate in English. Good writing skills are, therefore, important in today's world of technology where people want to share ideas and communicate over the internet. However, it should be mentioned that even at post graduate level some Iranian EFL learners have problem with writing properly. Electronic and on line applications and softwares can enhance the situation to be more rewarding and easier to handle. This is what seems to be ignored in Iranian context, and there is a missing link between writing instruction and the new technologies. Blogging, posting homework assignments using PowerPoint, YouTube and so on can help to provide these links. Previous research on blogging has held similar aspirations, that ".the capabilities of blogging for self presentation and social interactivity would assist students to forge a stronger sense of personal empowerment and expressive entitlement, on the one hand, and increased connection to a shared learning community, on the other." (Farmer, Yue Brooks, 2008, p.2) according to the existing literature, a gap is felt within the area of teaching writing.This study tried to find out whether this electronic media could be an appropriate tool toward mastering communicative aspects writing or not. Therefore, it focused on how collaborative blogging could affect the communicative aspects of Iranian EFL learners' writing .2.Literature ReviewOf the four skills in English, writing is considered to be the most complex and difficult skill to master.