The Educational Value of Blogs

I think that blogs can serve many educational purposes both inside and outside the classroom. The teacher should be both a creator and a facilitator of the blogging experience while students can be both creators and the ones that interacts with blogs already set-up by the teacher. Currently, I operate a classroom blog that communicates information like test dates, homework assignments, and upcoming events to my parents and students. My blog that operates off typepad.com is not an interactive tool, but simply a means for me to communicate information. However, I think that blogs can be so much more. I can see a classroom blog being used for homework assignments every night. Students might have to go on and post a thoughtful reply to a question or prompt. Most of all, I can see my students actually creating their own blogs. For example, as a S.S. project for the unit we just finished up on American Growth and Expansion, students could create a blog on the topic. They would have a required number of posts on specific and curriculum-based topics within the unit. They have the capabilities to post pictures with their posts as well. Then when the test rolls around, they have an excellent study tool to look back on. My students would have a great time responding, correcting, and adding to eachother's postings along the way
Unfortunately, when blogs become interactive,you are entering into a whole new arena with issues of safety to consider. The teacher would probably have to monitor all posts and replies that were made and make sure the blogs remain private. The possibilities for blogs in education are endless!