LRC 320 Blog #1

I like the idea of using a blog. It brings back old memories. I remember using LiveJournal when I was younger. I liked it because it was like having a diary, and it was much easier to type than to write in an actual journal. I also remember teachers making us keep journals. I feel that if I had a blog instead, I would have been more motivated to write in it. 

I think that blogs can be very useful in the classroom. I think that students tend to be more motivated to do assignments that involve technology. They would probably rather type than write, like me. Blogs can be used to complete informal writing assignments, and they can also get student's opinions out. Teachers can also have students create blogs to have as their personal class journals. They can choose to allow the students to keep their blogs private, or they can choose to have them public to the teacher, and even other classmates. One advantage to using blogs in the classroom is that students may be more comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions when it is over a computer screen rather than sharing them in person. For some students, it is easier to type and talk to someone than it is to talk to an entire class of people who they may not know. Another advantage is that students may be more motivated to complete assignments when it involves a blog. They may be more willing to type than to write, as stated earlier.

A disadvantage to using a blog in the classroom is that it may encourage students to not make face to face interactions. It may promote the idea, that, because the world is becoming more digital, social interactions are not as important. It can make students more anti-social. Another disadvantage is if the blogs involves sharing ideas and commenting, it can cause students to be mean, or to cyber bully others. This ties into the idea that interactions via computers is much easier than actual face-to-face interactions.