Using Blogs in the Classroom

I feel the use of blogs could prove to be either a great learning tool, but also could be detrimental if not monitored frequently. The positive things that blogging could bring into the classroom are things such as the students being able to form independent ideas on topics and engage in a deeper thought process about the topic. Another positive thing is that if they were to comment on other students blogs then that allows for more student collaboration throughout the classroom. This could potentially allow students to come out of their comfort zones and interact with more students that they may have normally not interact with. Classroom blogging also allows students to work on their reading, writing, and grammar skills. One final positive aspect that blogging has on students is it provides them an opportunity to practice compiling their thoughts, (pun intended) and placing their thoughts in an organized manner into a written format.
The negative that blogging may cause is that if it is not monitored it may provide an opportunity for cyber bullying. If caught soon enough the impact this could cause could be altered. For instance, in most blog settings there is an option that has all comments go through an administrator, whether the students whose blog it is, or even the teacher as an administrator. This option could catch the comment before it is publicly published. So all in all, as long as the blogs are closely monitored, then they can be a very useful learning tool in the classroom.