Technology can enhance the learning that takes place in classrooms, rather than just replacing paper and pencil assignments. I think that teachers can take advantage of using blogs within the classroom by starting and keeping a weekly blog with their colleagues. With in the blog teachers would be able to blog about highs and lows of the week, while interacting with their peers as to strategies that did and didn't work. This goes above and beyond just a paper and pencil diary or journal because teachers would be able to interact with each other and collaborate with teachers in other schools. The blog could be used as a collaborative tool to team up with an other school district, and the teachers could interact with each other sharing ideas, activities, and stories with each other.
Another way that blogs could be used within the classroom for the students is to have pen pals with students around the world. Our classroom students could team up with another school and email back and forth with their students from around the world. This would enhance the students learning by learning how to email, practice their literacy skills, and learn about a different part of the world, quickly. This is how pen pals by blogs would enhance and not just replace because with paper and pencil and snail mail isn't always reliable, thus with email and blog you can ensure that your pen pal received and read your post.
Great ideas. Getting people on board initially might present a challenge. However, the nice thing about blogging is that the communication does not have to occur at the same time, which can allow teachers (and students) to reflect and post when they've had time to process.
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