'A Space for Writing Without Writing"

This article really made me think about ways I can have my students write regularly and in a novel way that appeals to them, through hands-on technology. Blogs seem to be a new way to get them to create authentic writing that I can check regularly and give immediate feedback to them. Too often, students write and it takes forever to read and write comments to them. These are comments that can really encourage them. I had thought of doing blogs last year, but no one in my building could help me with setting anything up and I was worried about privacy and students being out there on the Internet receiving messages from just anybody. The blogger site we are working on seems to alleviate these concerns of security. I am more inclined to set up a blog and to develop assignments using this format now. The article brings up questions about how I can tailor the classroom site to the curriculum, but I think that there is so much room for exploration and if I start off with some smaller assignments, it might catch on to be a continued practice for many years to come. Just knowing the enthusiasm the students show when we work on computer projects makes me want to utilize blogging in some way. The article brings up that a survey may be in order to see if students have computer access at home. If not, modifications of longer-term deadlines for the posting of blogs might be advisable. Students could have a series of open-ended blogs to complete by the end of each trimester to show continued growth and improvement in their writing. No matter what, this medium will provide another venue for essential practice.