21 Reasons Why Students Should Blog

Blogging is such a powerful learning tool. Why? Well here’s 21 reasons for you…

1. It is FUN!….. It provides students with the opportunity engage in learning using a different strategy.
2. Authentic audience – no longer working for a teacher who checks and evaluates work but a potential global audience.
3. Accessible for different learning styles – written, verbal and video blogs.
4. Increased motivation for writing – all students will write and complete aspects of the post topic in writing. Many will add to it in their own time, comment on other blogs an reply to comments posted on their own blog.
5. Increased motivation for reading – students will spend time browsing through fellow posts and their global counterparts. Many will link their friends onto their blogroll for quick access.
6. Improved confidence levels – a lot of this comes through comments and global dots on their cluster maps. Students can share their strengths and upload areas of interest or units of work eg personal digital photography, their pets, hobbies etc Staff are given an often rare insight into what some students are good at. We find talents that were otherwise unknown and it allows us to work on those strengths. It allows staff to often gain insight to how students are feeling and thinking.
7. Pride in their work –students will want their blogs to look good in both terms of presentation and content.
8. Blogs allow text, multimedia, widgets, audio and images which will encourage ICT literacy.
9. Increased proofreading and validation skills.
10. Improved awareness of possible dangers that may confront them in the real world, whilst in a sheltered classroom environment.
11. Ability to share – part of the conceptual revolution that we are entering. They can share with each other, staff, their parents, the community, and the globe.
12. Mutual learning between students and staff.
13. Parents with internet access can view their child’s work and writings – an important element in the parent partnership with the classroom.
14. Blogs may be used for digital portfolios and all the benefits this entails.
15. Work is permanently stored, easily accessed and valuable comparisons can be made over time for assessment and evaluation purposes.
16. Students are digital natives – blogging is a natural element of this.
17. Gives students a chance to show responsibility and trustworthiness and engenders independence.
18. Prepares students for digital citizenship as they learn cybersafety and netiquette.
19. Fosters peer to peer mentoring. Students are happy to share, learn from and teach their peers (and often not in their usual social groups).
20. Allows students to lead professional development and learning.
21. Students can set the topics for posts, this may lead to deeper thinking activities promoting independent enquirers.

As you can see, blogging is clearly a powerful learning tool!
Photo: David Murray