The idea of blogging is extremely prevalent to the guiding principles of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and meeting the needs of today’s learners. In line with Richardson (2010), blogging is an excellent forum for students to collaborate in an authentic, purposeful manner. I can remember working in groups as a student myself. Yes, we were encouraged to communicate, collaborate, think critically and creatively, yet there was only so much we could do. While it seemed (and probably was) cutting edge back then (mid 80’s), if we look at collaborative work now with increased technology, one cannot compare. Richardson discusses how blogging clearly falls under a constructivist approach to learning and teaching. What better way than for students to create their own learning environment, under the guidelines of a teacher, for their purposes? The use of blogs can enhance the classroom across every content area; ie, problem solving in math, social studies debates, language arts book discussions and the list goes on. In order to keep students relevant in this information age, blogging has proven to be an excellent avenue to help achieve this goal.
Although I am not currently in a classroom, my mind goes to an online book club. I guess since I studied Reading during my master’s work, the area fascinates me and with the constant talk of how reading should be taught in every subject, not in isolated Language Arts classes, I think that a Book Club Blog would be ideal! Think about when you are in school and you can’t think of anything to say because you have a hard time thinking “on the spot.” If the teacher created a Book Club Blog, the students can reflect whenever the thought comes to mind. I mean between laptops, ipads, smartphones, kids are always fingertips away from access. The blog can cut across math, language arts, history, Spanish, French, etc. Let’s not forget physical education. How about the students blog about fitness and the initiative to fight childhood obesity and promote good health! The possibilities are endless and just another idea to prove the importance of technology.
