Relationship of blog and video usage patterns to academic performance in undergraduate mechanics

This article describes a study about blogging and video technology usage and academic performance in a sophomoremechanics class with enrollment of 120 students. Two conceptual frameworks from learning science inform the discussionof student usage of social technologies and their impact on academic performance. This study employs data collected from83 consented students on three surveys, technology usage data, and gradebook data to triangulate how students use thetechnologies, and what academic outcomes they achieve. Students are divided into four student cohorts, broken down byfinal course grade, and the results explore attitudes, usage, and technology adoption for each cohort. Open response datahelp describe the complex ecosystem driving student choices about technology usage as well as their academic outcomes.Although generally viewed as helpful, the video resources have a differential impact on student performance across gradebands. Students who earn good grades have better command of their resources (both the technology content, and theirpeers), using them both efficiently and effectively. Poor students struggle to use their resources effectively and are less activecollaborators—either in person or online.