Blogs in Education

I think we are all familiar with Blogs. If you’re reading this I think that’s especially true. I don’t need to tell you the power of self-publishing, and how blogs help millions of people express themselves in ways that are unique, and often thought provoking.

This blog post isn’t about blogs, however. That’s already written. It’s about blogging as an educator. After all, this is a YU 2.0 post, so it relates.

I think when we – as teachers – think about blogging, “Why should we use a blog” and “How” are the first two questions that come to mind?

A blog is a very simple tool to use. It can be setup in a few moments, and provides a powerful system for publishing content.

The natural integration in the classroom is most likely for a writing class, but it can also be used for activities that require collaboration, communication, critical thinking, or research. It it’s purist form, a blog provides a tool to build a website that ‘pushes’ information to students via subscriptions.

There are lot of websites and books about using a blog to teach. I’m reading one now, “Web 2.0 How-to for Educators”. It provides some good examples of classroom use, but blogging is only one small chapter. I searched Google and found many, many more examples.

If you’re intimidated by the technology, try setting one up – Y.U. 2.0 is a great place to begin because all you need is an account. I really like Word Press because it’s easy to use, provides nice templates, and is customizable through third-party plugins. You need not know anything about technology or websites to use Word Press or it’s features.

If you’re not sure how to use a blog in your classroom, look around the web, in the bookstores, ask your colleagues, and even your students. Try it for a class project, or writing assignment. It’s a great tool for self-reflection since students’ can think out loud about what they’re working on.

Blogs aren’t so new anymore. They’re a standard tool for writing, group work, or self-expression. They may not be right for all classes or class assignments, but they are good for many. The best way to learn is to set one up, and start using it. Get everyone in your class and school involved and it will be a much more valuable process.

You can even blog about it!