Why Blog?

One of the most oft-asked questions from a student in a writing course (and many other subjects) is "Why do I have to do this?" Additionally, as a writing teacher, one of the most difficult aspects of teaching a writing course centers on the part of the writing process wherein we talk to students about subject, purpose, and audience. When we get to audience, we are almost always fabricating the audience for whom the student is writing. I tell my students that, of course, they are writing the assignment for the teacher as part of the class, but that I want them to consider on a larger scale who would read their essay if it were being published for an audience other than me.

With a greater and greater push for using technology in the classroom and providing real world experience for students, it seems natural and obvious that using a blog is one way to meet the needs of both requirements. Though, there is some evidence from the academic world that throwing money and technology at education problems does not necessarily solve them. However, it also seems that often those who make decisions about such things are not teachers or even school administrators, but politicians and government entities that provide the funding for such endeavors. Consequently, there is often money for technology when there isn't money for other things. So, when every student has a computer or tablet in the classroom, the use of blogs can be one great way to take advantage of technology as a teaching tool. The other benefit of providing real world experience naturally follows when the technology is being used to create blogs.

When students use blogs to produce and post their writing they derive several key benefits. First, they are writing for a real world audience, not just an instructor. Even if not that many people stumble upon their blogs, there is the audience of their peers. Though peer review is usually required in a writing course, there are still only a few peers at most who may read an individual student’s writing. Secondly, because the blog is public, there is a pressure for them to really take their revising and proofreading seriously. Third, knowing the possibility of readers other than classmates creates a true sense of real world writing. Many people make their living through blogging. Finally, blogging allows for a more informal style of writing, which if often appealing to newer writers. Though this format presents a bigger risk for students due to these factors, I think it is a worthwhile risk.

Check out this article about how some teachers are using blogs to improve literacy:

Using Blogs in the Classroom