Blogs in Education

Before starting this course, I had heard of teachers that set up websites or blogs as sort of a central location for the happenings in their class. I had never really given them much thought. The more I read about blogs that are used in the classroom, the more possibilities I see. If blogs are used in a correct way, they serve as a great medium to facilitate discussion and connectivity between classmates.

As an aspiring English teacher, anytime I discover a new teaching technique I instantly think about how I can use it for my subject area. Blogs would provide an amazing way for students to work on their writing skills, while being a safe place for classroom discussion. Imagine having all your students set up a blog where they keep a journal of sorts. They could write book reports there, as well as anything that interests them in day to day life. It would help them think critically about what they have just learned. By providing an equal forum for each student to speak up we're allowing every student the right to say what is on their mind. No student would be left out. At least in a perfect blog-world.

The only problem I really see is how viable is it for one teacher to manage thirty or so blogs. Smaller classes would be more ideal, but could a teacher easily manage that many blogs? A teacher would have to read every blog post, as well as all the comments, to ensure that nothing amiss was happening. Often times students think of the internet as an anonymous place, where they can say whatever is on their mind. This often leads to trouble. The teacher would have to take great strides to make sure this didn't happen, and that no individual's rights were being stepped upon.

While blogging does present some problems, I believe that the benefits can outweigh them.