Reading about blogging was a little overwhelming. It was certainly a lot to think about, especially after thinking about blogs I've created in the past. Thinking about my blogs of the past, I thought at first that they had nothing to do with reflection or conversation. I didn't consider organization, although I did consider my audience (I assumed it would be friends). As I considered the blogs and compared them Richardson's definitions of blogs, I realized I wasn't really blogging at all; I was really keeping a journal in a very public way. Blogs used in this fashion seemed to me to have no real use in the classroom.
So why then should I use blogs in my classroom? To begin with, when students know they have an audience, their writing improves almost immediately. I see that in my classroom as I watch some of my students who have chosen to write a classroom newspaper. When I distributed the first edition, some of my more reluctant writers wanted to then publish their own newsletter. Why? Because they could work on the computer to publish it! Why else? Because then other people would see all this hard work they put into something that interested them. So blogging gives students the audience that many of them need as motivation.
Blogging is also an interesting way to have a "conversation". Kids these days are more familiar with conversing through media, whether it be through some type of messaging, texting, or video chatting. Having students comment on one another's blogs would be closer to the types of conversations they're actually having.
Finally, I should seriously consider using blogs in my classroom because both the Common Core State Standards and the National Council of Teachers of English support using technology for writing. NCTE's 21st Century Literacies demand that students are proficient in use of technology, and both NCTE and CCSS discuss the use of technology to interact and collaborate with others. To see other reasons NCTE and CCSS support the use of blogs and other technology-related resources in the classroom, check out the links below.
NCTE 21st Century Literacies
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/5/6
So when will you start this blogging with your students? Yes, it is good the Common Core Standards are pushing teachers to implement digital tools in their teaching to push students' literacy skills attuned to contemporary times. Keep me posted on your efforts of getting students blogging. You can use this project (students blogging) also to complete your Literacy Project for EDUC 584.
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