Blogs in the Classroom

I chose to read Patricia Robbins Blog because it was very colorful and had a great post about the Last Lecture of Randy Pausch. Her blog made me want to delete mine off the Internet because it was so plain! I think the information is good though! I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about blogs in the classroom. They definitely have their pros and cons. I will start with the pros though.
I think that a class blog that all the students and teacher share can be a great way to get the class connected and talking. Students are spending so much time on the computer when they get home now that a notebook with printouts is essentially useless. They probably won't look at it. A class blog can hold podcasts that the teacher and students have done. Wouldn't that be nice to have at your fingertips the night before an exam? That's pretty much what Dr. Strange has done with his site. Everything we need is online and I think that's great. No more dead trees and lost papers! A class blog can allow a discussion that was begun in class to continue even after the lights have been turned off. Wouldn't it feel great if your students were willingly conversing on something you covered in class when they didn't have to? Individual blogs could be a space for students to write their own opinions on topics that have been assigned to them. That's what we have done in EDM 310 and I think it has a lot of benefits. Instead of making students stress over turning in tons of papers I could have them keep up a blog like the one I'm about to finish (yay!). They could write nightly paragraphs on whatever work of literature we are covering. At the end of the year when it is time for them to write a final paper they have already done most of the work! All that is left is to stick in some outside sources. Also they will be always be able to view their blogs. The hard work they have done will not just rot away in my file folders. I always hated that when I was in school!
Blogs in the class can also cause problems. Not every child I teach will have access to a computer after class. As unbelievable as it sounds there are people who don't have personal computers because they can't afford them. This would make it kind of hard for a student to pass my class if I require nightly posts. Also just because students know how to use blogs doesn't mean they will use the class one or theirs responsibly. Kids are notorious for spreading gossip in class so why not on the Internet as well? Some parents are afraid of the Internet because of all the bad things that can happen to kids online. I would hate to have angry parents knocking on my door. Well that will happen no matter what but still. Not everyone has embraced technology. I could also have a student who just isn't that good with a computer. It can happen although it sounds impossible. Also there is also the problem of the blogs becoming social tools instead of academic ones.
Blogs can be good and bad. I have never used one before so for me this was a learning experience. The topics could be boring at times but the technology itself has a lot of uses. I would like to at least try using blogs in the classroom. If it doesn't work then I will find another way to incorporate technology into my classroom. All in all I feel that I learned a lot from this class.