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"6 Reasons Why Students Should Blog"

What is the ideal transformative learning activity for students to demonstrate and share their knowledge?  I say it's blogging, and here are six reasons why:


Graphic from Langwitches.org - Silvia Tolisano
  1. Blogging provides opportunities for students to demonstrate creativity and innovation.  They are able to express themselves individually or as a team. Students can identify trends, forecast possibilities, and communicate new ideas, products, or processes. (NETS-S #1) National Education Technology Standards
  2. Students can use blogs to communicate and collaborate with others. Blogs provide evidence of student learning and blogs support the learning of others. Blogs provide a means to interact with, and share, various forms of digital media. Blogs also connect and engage learners from different cultures. Blogs can be published solutions to problems, or summaries of completed projects. (NETS-S #2)
  3. Planning, research, ("Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media") and accuracy are necessary to publish blog posts that are respected and shared by a potential world-wide audience of learners.  Meaningful blogs illustrate the student's ability to process information and report sound conclusions.  (NETS-S #3)  
  4. Critical thinking and decision making are needed to plan, research, and manage projects, or solve problems.  These processes can be documented and shared in blogs.  Blogs provide a digital pathway for students to make informed decisions, compose diverse perspectives, discuss multiple processes, and suggest alternative solutions to problems.  (NETS-S #4)
  5. Blogs provide opportunities for supervised students to practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.  Blogs can help students model and promote digital citizenship, and demonstrate ethical use of web-based technologies.  Blogs can provide a platform to spark and support lifelong, connected learning.  (NETS-S #5)
  6. Blog writing helps students to understand technology concepts, systems, and operations.  Transferring existing knowledge to learning new applications can be demonstrated through blog writing.  Blogs help personalize learning for students. (NETS-S #6)  
In summary, blogs provide transformative learning opportunities for students by creating a platform for research, investigation, higher level thinking, decision-making, and reflection. As you can see, blogging helps to address NETS standards for students. This experience comes full circle as evidence of learning is shared with others. Students can assume increased responsibility for their learning as they write and connect with others who share their interests and passions.


Blogging is the New Persuasive Essay - Powerful Learning Practice, Shelley Wright

Teacher Checklist for Blogging Projects - Teaching the iGeneration, Solution Tree

Don't Hide Yourself Online - The Innovative Educator

Five Reasons Why Students Should Blog - +George Couros 

6 Positive Effects of Blogging in Kindergarten - Sharon E. Davison

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