Blogs in the classroom

I think that using blogs in the classroom is a great education tool. It creates an environment that is fun for students and one where they can express themselves with ease. I love working with technology like this and being able to learn new ways of doing things. It is an easy ways to communicate amongst the classroom and with teachers.

There are many pros and cons with blogs. One pro is that it is great for going green, because teachers can use this to make corrections and comments on papers, projects, etc. so that paper can be saved on a blog in stead of printed off. It also gives the teacher a place to put students assignments and projects on. It is part of a larger technological development going on now and it helps make kids more computer literate and develop during this technological growth period. Blogs create a place where students can be creative and expressive. They are a place where students can share their work with peers. Students can set their own blogs up to where it can be anonymous so that their work and personal critiques on things are not criticized by peers.

As there are numerous pros there are also some cons to blogging. Some include security and safety of the students and school. As a teacher you have to make sure your students don't give out too much on their profiles and through their work. There are setting on the profile that can hide certain information that is personal. Another con is that blogs can be misused by students and faculty members, so as teachers who set up blogs for themselves or students they much keep a close watch on what gets posted. Teachers should always go over rules and regulations with parents, students and faculty about the blogs to help keep the misuse to a minimum.

I used blogs in my high school English courses, which makes me a strong advocate for blogs in schools. I hope that all teachers will start integrating some form of blogging into their classrooms.