Blogs and Aggregators

The teaching world has the tools to make a profound difference in teaching and learning with the use of blogs and wikis in the classroom.
I see blogs as a very useful strategy for encouraging the reluctant writer.
Students write for an audience and receive authentic audience response. This would engage the students with their learning. They have the advantage of sustaining conversations when they write and reflect about a particular reading or topic or issue over time and when that writing inspires response from an audience.
At their best, a blog used as an educational tool will involve students in engaging with content, critical reading and thoughtful and reflective writing.
Blogging could be used as a classroom management tool where the teacher delivers assignments through a blog. You could easily integrate peer review and the teacher could manage it all through an RSS aggregator.
Blogs have the power to expand the classroom beyond its traditional walls to involve parents, other teachers and other schools. The possibilities are great if teachers are willing to take the risk.
Student-Centred Technologies
Synopsis of my design.
At this point in time, my students are still in awe of this (new to them)form of journal writing. They are to post their blog at the end of each week after their science lesson. The blog may be used for anything they wish to discuss about lessons held during the week. They are to blog questions they may have about their learning and I encourage other students to respond as well (not just myself). This is only our second week of blogging but already the students are keen to record their own blog which is a big difference from when they had to write in a learning journal at the end of the week! As they get more used to blogging, I believe the students will want to use this form of writing a lot more than with pen and paper.
Kay