Blogs In Education

I ran into this nytimes.com article this afternoon. Marisa L. Dudiak uses blogs as a form of expression in her second-grade class.

"It allowed them to interact with their peers more quickly than a journal," she said, "and it evened the playing field." Mrs. Dudiak said she found that those who were quiet in class usually came alive online.

The article mentions that blogs are easier to maintain than complex course web sites.

"School Web sites are labor-intensive and are left up to administrators and teachers," said Mr. Grunwald, whose consulting firm in Washington focuses on the technology link between home and school. "With blogging intended to be a vehicle for students, the labor is built in. The work that is required to refresh and maintain an interesting blog is being provided by students."

Instructors have discovered that children often put more thought and time into a blog than they would otherwise put into a journal, because their parents and peers may also read their work.