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Like most teachers I am constantly searching for new ways to bring relevant and engaging technology into my classes. One such tool that has exploded in use over the past few years is the use of educational blogs. In "Blogging in the Classroom", Patricia Boyd addresses the many benefits and setbacks for using educational blogs.
Boyd begins her article by addressing the benefits of using educational blogs and that the primary benefit is that the common use of blogs leads to a truly student centered classroom environment. Boyd also explains that there is a benefit of using blogs over online discussion forums. I, like many teachers, use online discussion boards, but I realize that this is not a student centered approach, as I control the learning experience. Boyd states, "In discussion boards, the teacher takes much more control over posting the topics, monitoring the discussions, and setting the parameters of the discussion; in blogs, students and their peers take on these responsibilities to a much greater degree" (Boyd 2). Students often feel ownership of the blog-from the ways to personalize their page to the content they put on their page.
Blogs have benefits outside of the social-emotional sphere as well. One of the main benefits of blog postings is the self-reflection aspect that comes with blogging. "Reflection is considered to be "an active and deliberative cognitive process involving sequences of inter-connected ideas which take account of underlying beliefs and knowledge. Reflective thinking generally addresses practical problems, allowing for doubt and perplexity before possible solutions are reached" (Boyd 4). This reflective thinking helps learners build their skills of analysis, synthesis and other critical thinking skills. The blogs also allow teachers to have better overlap in cross curricular subjects and would allow for common themes and ideas to be addressed on their blog.
Blog use in the classroom leads to student centered learning in which students take ownership over their works while learning critical skills needed in the 21st century.
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