Benefits of Blogging – a conversation from the technoLanguages Network

Posted on August 13, 2008
Filed under Blogs & Blogging and tagged blogging, ning, socialnetwork

technolanguages.ning.com

What are the benefits of blogging?

Posted by Jess McCulloch on 6 August 2008 at 8:35pm

Viviana and Isabelle are exchanging a few messages about the benefits of blogging and so I thought I would start a discussion here to see what others would like to add.

how many of you have your own blog ? How many of you blog with your students? It would be great to hear what your responses are as to why and what you see then benefits to be.

For me the benefits of blogging are:
1. it gives me a space to reflect on my practice
2. it’s a place where I can share ideas and involve other people in conversation
3. it’s a way for me to make connections with other people who are interested in the same things
4. it’s fun – I just really enjoy writing my blog
5. it provides a resource to help out other teachers

The benefits I see blogging having for students:
1. It gives them an authentic audience and purpose for their work
2. They make connections with other students from all over the world – and you should see the excitement on their faces when they see thy have a comment from overseas!
3. It encourages students to take more pride in their work as they know they now have an international audience
4. It encourages students to write about and share things about themselves that they may otherwise not have a reason or inclination to share. I have learnt so much about the students in my school through their blogs.

What do you think?

Tags: benefits, blogging, blogs, connections, international, students

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Viviana Golding on 7 August 2008 at 10:43am: Dear Jess this is excellent! Thank you! Don’t worry about that PD on blogging I am sure that we can do something in the future also with Isabelle….
Have agreat day ciao Viv; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Atkinson on 7 August 2008 at 12:04pm: I have just started blogging and I think that it is a great intro to Web 2.0 tools. It is relatively easy to set one up, sso technophobes need not fear! And I agree with Jess!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tina Wilkinson on 9 August 2008 at 1:20am: Hi Jess – I think you hogged all the answers!!!! lol
I am trying them out with my Year 11s, but we are having terrible trouble with edublogs inside the school on the student server.
What other free blog sites do people use successfully in schools?

Tina

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2 Responses to “Benefits of Blogging – a conversation from the technoLanguages Network”

Dean Groom on August 18th, 2008 11:06 am

I think it also give every kid and equal voice, so is like a second-pedagogy. It also allows kids to have a ‘third’ place when it comes to literacy, and in LOTE, it’s blogging out loud! – Language should be heard!
Marg on August 22nd, 2008 8:02 pm

Jess – I ADORE blogging. Where do I begin. It is many things – the sharing of technologies between peers and students (I can’t tell you how much the students have taught me). It’s the collaboration between staff both in our own school and in national and international locations. It’s the “getting to know you” factor in discovering fabulous insights into our students and each other. It’s the authenticity of the tasks we ask the kids to respond to, the friendships you strike up with fellow teachers in so many locations across the world. It’s the engagement of the kids in tasks which require them to use some of the amazing web 2.0 tools. It’s discovering that even though we are worlds apart, that in fact we are “not so different” and most of all I ADORE blogging because it’s just so much fun.