Blogging within the classroom?

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Blogging, as many other tools, is just one of the web 2.0 tools that offer practical benefits within the classroom. But you might wonder how? How can we implement the use of this tool in our classrooms?

There are some effective ways that the authors, Solomon and Schrum, explain further.

Why use this tool with our students? According to Solomon and Schrum (2010), there are some good reasons:

1.     Because they can give a voice, platform, and an audience to anyone who has an idea and wants to express it.

2.    Students will have to learn to write carefully, think about their ideas, and communicate effectively.

3.    Blogs encourage writers and responders to develop thinking, analytical, and communication skills.

Effective ways to implement this tool:

·         As a teacher, you can ask your students to interact in your blog by reading the post you made for that class. You can ask them to read it and make comments about it. In this way, you ensure the participation and communication of all your students.

·         You can ask your students to create a blog, and an entry about any specific topic or subject that you may want your students to write about. You can also ask them what they would like to write about. By doing so, you enhance critical thinking, writing skills, computer and online communication skills.

·         This tool could also work as a tool for research. A group of students that might have a research project can use blogs as an instrument to collect different people’s opinion or data about any specific topic. Therefore, the whole class will increase their communication and social connections outside the classroom.

References:

Solomon, G., Schrum, L.. (2010). What is a Blog?. International Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved from: http://50.201.1.7/images/excerpts/HOW2NS-excerpt.pdf