By Mike Wallagher. As education evolves and starts to embrace rapid developments in technology, we’re starting to see new teaching methods being introduced to the classroom that take advantage of this digital revolution.
One form of digital communication being increasingly exploited for learning purposes is blogging. It’s a platform that has been widely used by individuals and businesses for a long time now, and its educational potential is increasingly being acknowledged.
If you’re thinking of setting up a blog for your class, here’s your guide to getting started.

What do I mean by “classroom blog”?
There are several possible ways of utilising the power of blogging in a classroom context. These are the main ones:

• Teacher communications – using a blog to communicate school or class news with students and their parents.
• Teacher blogging about their subject – to encourage debate among students (perhaps even encouraging students to engage actively with the content by leaving comments with their opinions).
• Student blogging – either a shared blog to which each student can contribute under their own user profile, or each student has their own blog for sharing their thoughts about a particular subject or subjects.

Which will best suit the needs of your classroom?

Benefits of blogging in education
Before getting into the nitty gritty of how to set up a blog, let’s take a quick look at some of the advantages of blogging in an educational setting.
Blogging allows students to express their opinion
Blogging helps students articulate their views and build a readership, which can be a very motivating experience for them. Sharing ideas on the internet can also put them in touch with like-minded individuals and with those who may challenge their ideas, which means that they may be required to defend their opinions (which is valuable preparation for the academic rigour of university).

It’s great experience for future university and job applications
Blogging demonstrates enthusiasm for the subject, and a willingness to share ideas with others, as well as developing enthusiasm for communicating ideas in a way that will prove useful beyond the classroom. It also teaches students about the importance of ‘responsible journalism’ such as backing up ideas with concrete evidence, citing research and so on.

Blogging about a subject is more engaging than simply reading a textbook
If students are to write about a subject on a public platform like a blog, they need to be completely familiar with the subject and comfortable expressing an opinion about it. This encourages a deeper understanding and greater engagement with the subject. Unlike when they write an essay that only the teacher will read, blogging gives their work an indefinite life beyond the classroom and invites others to engage with it. More...