Blogs used in the classroom helps engage students in their learning. It creates more opportunities to entice resistant readers and writers to participate in reading and writing activities. Blogs also create a type of "one stop shop" for all members involved in the educational setting. Students can use your blog to catch up on missing assignments when absent from class. Your student's parents can gain access to a virtual glimpse inside of your classroom. Your colleagues can offer their suggestions to enhance the lesson activities, collaborate on other ways to incorporate blogging into lesson plans and/or get inspired from your ideas that are already percolating in your classroom. Blogging can de-clutter the paper trails. Blogging cuts down on papers for students to lose or make airplanes with and for teachers less to track and lug around until graded.
As a SPED teacher, I am always searching for ways to not only differentiate lessons but create and implement strategies that give all SPED students the ability to access the general curriculum. Blogging in the classroom can help level the playing field for SPED students. For example, I have a few students who have dysgraphia, struggling readers and a few others lack organization skills. A blog will help a student who is never motivated to write because of poor handwriting skills and laborious efforts. A blog will also give disorganized students a central location for retrieving and submitting classwork. Struggling readers may choose to read peer comments over textbooks.
Blogging also provides students and teachers an opportunity to practice 21st century skills by implementing Web 2.0 resources into their assignments and discussions. This generation is inundated with technology so any assignment using computers, tablets and the internet will be appreciated by students. Some students may not even consider it hard work and others may not even realize they are learning.
But if you don't want to take my word for it, view this video which are students of all nationalities, ages and gender explaining their approval of blogging in the classroom.
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